Market Research Companies in Slovenia

Key figures for researchers

Population

2,135,107 (1 January 2026)¹

Largest cities

Ljubljana 293,244, Maribor 98,097, Celje 38,175, Kranj 38,089, Koper 26,579 (1 January 2026)¹

Largest regions

Osrednjeslovenska 573,209, Podravska 332,747, Savinjska 263,107 (1 January 2026)¹

Area

20,273 km²²

Age structure

15% under 15, 21.1% aged 65 and over (2022)²

Slovenian citizens

92.5% of residents (December 2022)²

Internet users

90.8% of individuals (2024)³

Mobile subscriptions

131 per 100 people (2024)⁴

GDP per capita

about US$37,400 (2025)⁵

Research guide

Research landscape

Slovenia is a small EU market, often covered together with neighbouring countries in Central European or Adriatic studies. Local full-service agencies work alongside specialist qualitative and B2B firms, online panel providers and field suppliers, most of them based in Ljubljana.

Ljubljana is the capital and main business centre, with 293,244 people on 1 January 2026, followed by Maribor (98,097). The central region (Osrednjeslovenska) had 573,209 residents and the Podravska region around Maribor 332,747. Ask your agency which professional code it follows, such as the ICC/ESOMAR International Code (fifth edition, published on 29 September 2025), endorsed by over 60 associations in more than 50 countries.

Languages and fieldwork

Slovenian is the official language and the fieldwork language for almost all studies. Italian and Hungarian are also official in the ethnically mixed areas where these communities live: studies covering those municipalities may need an Italian or Hungarian version. At the 2002 census, Slovenian was the native language of 88% of the population, and 92% used it at home.

Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Albanian are spoken by communities from the former Yugoslavia. In December 2022, 92.5% of residents were Slovenian citizens, down from just under 96% in 2011: samples drawn only from citizens miss part of the population. A national sample should cover all 12 statistical regions, from Osrednjeslovenska and Podravska to smaller regions such as Primorsko-notranjska (53,458 people) and Zasavska (56,927).

Which methods work

Connectivity is high: 90.8% of individuals used the internet in 2024, and there were 131 mobile subscriptions per 100 people. Online surveys using access panels work for most consumer targets, and mobile-friendly questionnaires are essential.

The population is ageing: 21.1% of residents were aged 65 and over in 2022, double the 1981 share, and online samples can under-represent them. Telephone (CATI) or face-to-face interviews may be needed for older, rural or offline audiences. In-person focus groups are usually held in Ljubljana, and in Maribor when regional groups are needed.

Timing

Public holidays and work-free days are set by the Holidays and Work-Free Days Act (ZPDPD). For the rest of 2026, the work-free days are 31 October (Reformation Day), 1 November (Day of Remembrance for the Dead), 25 December (Christmas) and 26 December (Independence and Unity Day). In 2027: 1–2 January (New Year), 8 February (Prešeren Day, the Slovenian cultural holiday), 28–29 March (Easter Sunday and Easter Monday), 27 April (Day of Uprising Against the Occupier), 1–2 May (Labour Day), 16 May (Whit Sunday), 25 June (Statehood Day), 15 August (Assumption of Mary), then 31 October, 1 November and 25–26 December again. Other state holidays, such as 25 October (Sovereignty Day) or 23 November (Rudolf Maister Day), are normal working days.

Primary school holidays in 2026/27: autumn holidays from 26 to 30 October 2026, Christmas and New Year holidays from 25 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, May holidays from 27 April to 2 May 2027 and summer holidays from 28 June to 31 August 2027. Winter holidays depend on the region: 15–19 February 2027 in the Koroška, Podravska, Pomurska, Savinjska and Posavska regions and most of Jugovzhodna Slovenija; 22–26 February 2027 in the Gorenjska, Goriška, Notranjsko-kraška, Obalno-kraška, Osrednjeslovenska and Zasavska regions, and in the municipalities of Ribnica, Sodražica, Loški Potok, Kočevje, Osilnica and Kostel.

Avoid the Christmas and New Year period, Easter and the summer holidays: response rates fall and families and business respondents are harder to reach. For a national study in February, plan around the two winter holiday weeks, which do not fall at the same time in Ljubljana (Osrednjeslovenska) and Maribor (Podravska).

Data protection

Personal data is governed by the GDPR and the Slovenian Personal Data Protection Act (ZVOP-2), Official Gazette No. 163/2022, adopted on 15 December 2022 and applied since 26 January 2023. It replaced the 2004 Act (ZVOP-1). The supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia, which can impose GDPR fines.

Under ZVOP-2, children can consent to information society services from the age of 15, and specific rules cover processing for scientific research, video surveillance and biometrics. Fines can reach EUR 20 million or 4% of annual turnover. Ask your agency which lawful basis it uses, how respondents are informed, where the data is hosted and how recordings or video will be shared with you.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, regions, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask whether Italian or Hungarian versions are needed for the ethnically mixed areas, and how foreign residents are reached if they are in your target.
• Ask which panels or fieldwork suppliers will be used, and how fraud, duplicates and inattentive respondents are removed.
• Ask how older and rural respondents will be reached, and how quotas and weighting by region, age and gender are set.
• Agree in writing who is controller and who is processor of the personal data under the GDPR and ZVOP-2, and the retention period.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.