The second lowest gender pay gap was recorded in Romania, where women’s average hourly earnings were 2.4% below that of their male counterparts. According to Eurostat, neighbouring Italy ranked fourth with a pay gap of 4.2%.

The statisticians found that gender pay gap levels varied significantly across EU countries. Thus the largest pay gap was recorded in Latvia, where it was 22.3%. It was followed by Estonia (21.1%) and Austria (18.9%).

Eurostat points out that between 2012 and 2020, the average gender pay gap in the EU narrowed from 16.4% to 13%.

In 2010, the pay gap in Slovenia was 0.9%. The difference between the average male and female earnings has increased year on year since then, peaking at 9.3% in 2018. In 2019, the upward trend ended, with the pay gap falling to 7.9%, as indicated by the Eurostat data.

Inequality between women and men exists in many areas, but one of the most discussed is earnings, according to the Eurostat website.

One way of measuring this imbalance is the unadjusted gender pay gap, which shows the difference between average gross hourly earnings of men and women expressed as a percentage of the average gross hourly earnings of men. This indicator is calculated for enterprises with 10 or more employees, they explained.

Eurostat published data on gender pay gap as part of the International Women's Day, which is celebrated on 8 March.

On 8 March, Prime Minister Janez Janša wished all female Slovenians and female citizens of Slovenia a happy International Women’s Day.