Year-on-year consumer price inflation strengthened to 2.9% in February, primarily due to a low base effect related to electricity prices. In February 2025, electricity prices fell by approximately one-fifth following the adoption of the Act on emergency measures to mitigate the impact of high network charges for households. As a result, year-on-year price growth in the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category increased by around 6 p.p. in February, reaching 10.7% and contributing nearly half of overall inflation. By contrast, year-on-year growth in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.6%) and services (3.2%) moderated. Price growth for non-energy industrial goods remained moderate. Prices of semi-durable goods rose by 0.8% year-on-year, while prices of durable goods remained unchanged.

The economic sentiment indicator deteriorated in February, following improvements since the end of the third quarter of last year. For the first time since August 2025, it fell below both its year-earlier level and its long-term average. Confidence indicators declined across all activities and among consumers, with consumer confidence the only indicator remaining higher year-on-year. After several months of modest improvement, the confidence indicator in manufacturing, which remains the furthest below its long-term average, deteriorated. Confidence in other activities also weakened further in February and, with the exception of retail trade, remained lower than or similar to a year earlier, although still above their respective long-term averages. For the second consecutive month, consumer confidence also slightly exceeded its long-term average.

After contracting in the third quarter of 2025, real turnover in most trade sectors increased in the fourth quarter and was also higher year-on-year. Following a weaker third quarter, sales in wholesale trade and in retail trade of non-food products strengthened, recording the highest year-on-year growth of the year, particularly due to strong December sales. After declining in the previous quarter, turnover in retail trade of food products also increased, although it remained slightly below its year-earlier level. Growth in turnover in the sale of motor vehicles slowed markedly towards the end of the year; nevertheless, year-on-year growth remained very high. In 2025, sales in all trade sectors exceeded their 2024 levels. The strongest growth was recorded in the sale of motor vehicles (7.2%), followed by retail trade of non-food products (2.9%), wholesale trade (1.4%), and retail trade of food products (0.4%).

Total real turnover in market services continued to increase in the fourth quarter of last year (seasonally adjusted) and remained higher year-on-year. In accommodation and food service activities, turnover began to recover shortly after the start of the year, and from the second half of the year onwards growth was also observed in professional and technical activities and in information and communication. In the latter, however, growth moderated towards year-end. In transportation and storage, turnover has stagnated since the end of 2024. In administrative and support service activities, turnover has increased slightly since the beginning of 2025 but, owing to a decline in employment agencies, remains somewhat below its 2019 level (all seasonally adjusted). Total real turnover was higher in 2025 than in 2024 (by 1.8%), whereas a slight decline was recorded only in administrative and support service activities (by –0.8%).

Year-on-year growth in Slovenian industrial producer prices increased by 0.8 p.p. in January, reaching 1.9%. In addition to the low base effect, the increase was also driven by monthly price growth (0.4%). On a monthly basis, prices increased in all main industrial groups except energy (-0.7%). Year-on-year growth was recorded on both the domestic market (2.0%) and foreign markets (1.8%), and across all main industrial groups except energy, where prices fell by 2.2%. The strongest increase was observed in consumer goods prices (4.0%), particularly non-durable goods (4.4%), while durable goods prices were 2.6% higher year-on-year. This was followed by intermediate goods prices, which rose by 1.8%, whereas prices of capital goods remained broadly unchanged compared with a year earlier (0.2% growth).

According to survey data, the number of unemployed increased year-on-year in the fourth quarter, while the number of persons in employment decreased. The number of unemployed reached 42 thousand, which is 13.5% more than in the fourth quarter of 2024. This development can, inter alia, be linked to the decline in employment in manufacturing. The survey unemployment rate (4.1%) was also higher year-on-year (by 0.6 p.p.). In the fourth quarter of last year, the number of persons in employment was slightly lower year-on-year (–0.5%), primarily due to a decline in the number of employees in paid employment, while the number of student workers and unpaid family workers increased.