Bicycle import significantly higher than decade ago

Ljubljana – Import of bicycles in 2021 totalled some 82,600 bicycles, up by around 17,000 bicycles or a fifth compared to 2011, shows the latest data from the Statistics Office, with electric bikes also gaining in popularity over the last five years.

More than 80,000 bicycles were imported to Slovenia every year since 2017, a peak being reached in 2019 when the figure stood at nearly 87,000. The biggest importer was Italy (21%), followed by Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Figures also show electric bike import last year increased considerably with 16,350 electric bikes being imported compared to just some 1,450 in 2017.

Import value rose as well in 2021 with importers bringing EUR 23.3 million worth of electric bikes to the country along with EUR 28.7 million worth of standard bicycles. A decade ago, import value for standard bikes stood at approximately EUR 13.3 million, and EUR 1.6 million worth of electric bikes were imported in 2017.

The bicycle market also saw price hikes last year, with prices in May going up by 5.4% year-on-year. Statistics show that the highest annual price rise in the last decade occurred in May 2021 when prices shot up by 15.3%. The average price for an adult’s bicycle last year stood at EUR 268.

The Statistics Office recorded a total of 11.5 billion kilometres in daily commutes last year, 2.2% of which were made by bike, up by 0.7 percentage points over 2017. Two thirds of trips by bike did not exceed 5 kilometres. Most of them (44%) were made as part of leisure activities.

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