As part of its ‘State of the Digital Decade 2026’ report, the European Commission is monitoring Member States’ progress in digital transformation and in achieving their targets by 2030. The latest assessment for Slovenia paints a mixed picture: on the one hand, there has been noticeable progress in the areas of infrastructure and key technologies; on the other, structural challenges persist in relation to digital skills and the digital transformation of the economy.
Slovenia stands out particularly in terms of connectivity and the development of strategic digital technologies. Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) coverage exceeds the European average, and 5G availability has also improved significantly, now covering almost the entire population. At the same time, the country is actively involved in European initiatives in the fields of artificial intelligence, such as the Slovenian Artificial Intelligence Factory (SLAIF), semiconductors, cloud computing and quantum technologies, thereby strengthening its position within the European digital ecosystem.
Key highlights
- Strong infrastructure: 79.6% FTTP coverage (EU: 74.1%)
- Rapid progress on 5G: 97.7% coverage (EU: 99.4%)
- Lagging behind in small and medium-sized enterprises: only 50.4% have reached the basic digital level (EU: 65.7%)
- Low uptake of advanced solutions: data analytics 19.1 per cent (EU: 30.9 per cent), cloud 36 per cent (EU: 43 per cent)
- Digital skills are stagnating: 46.7% of the population
Progress is also evident in the adoption of artificial intelligence by businesses, where Slovenia is catching up with the European average. Initiatives such as the Slovenian Artificial Intelligence Factory (SLAIF), centres of excellence and European Digital Innovation Hubs are making a significant contribution to the spread of advanced technologies and innovation.
Nevertheless, the report highlights certain weaknesses, particularly in the economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises are still lagging behind both in basic digitalisation and in the adoption of more advanced solutions. The low proportion of digitally mature enterprises has a negative impact on productivity and competitiveness. In the field of digital public services, Slovenia maintains a relatively strong position, particularly in e-health, but progress on more complex services and cross-border accessibility remains too slow.
Despite the challenges, Slovenia is demonstrating a high level of ambition: it has set 14 national targets, aligned with European ones, and is allocating significant funds to digital transformation from national and European sources, including the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The European Commission recommends that Slovenia strengthen measures in the areas of digital skills, the digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises, the development of the ICT workforce, and the improvement of conditions for the growth of innovative enterprises. To achieve the targets by 2030, it will be crucial, above all, to involve both businesses and the general public more widely and more rapidly in the digital transformation.
