On 17 June 2026, a presentation of Slovenia's competitiveness results was held at the headquarters of the SPIRIT Slovenia Public Agency. These results were based on data from the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. The event was organised by SPIRIT Slovenia, the Institute of Economic Research, and the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana.

In the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, Slovenia attained 49th position out of 70 countries this year. Despite a three-place decrease in comparison with the previous year, the results demonstrate that its competitive position within the broader European context remains relatively stable, a phenomenon that is reflected in the rankings of the majority of EU member states, which also experienced a decline.

At the presentation, the results were discussed by Sonja Uršič, M.A., from the Institute of Economic Research, and Mateja Drnovšek, Ph.D., full professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana. They emphasized that Slovenia retains significant competitive advantages in the areas of international trade, security, low income inequality, and the quality of human capital. At the same time, the results highlight the need for measures to increase productivity, improve institutional efficiency, strengthen the innovation environment, and attract and develop talent.

The Institute for Economic Research participates in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking as the Slovenian partner institute, in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana.