Croatia Travel Podcast with Ivana Marić

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

Terrain

Geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Climate

Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Elevation

Highest point

Dinara 1,831 m

Lowest point

Adriatic Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

331 m

Area

Total

56,594 sq km

Land

55,974 sq km

Water

620 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km; islands 4,058 km)

Land borders

Total

2,237 km

Border countries

Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km; Hungary 348 km; Montenegro 19 km; Serbia 314 km; Slovenia 600 km

Natural resources

Oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

26.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

15.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

9.6% (2023 est.)

Forest

34.7% (2023 est.)

Other

38.2% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes

Note

Controls most land routes from Western Europe to the Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia -- some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

Population

Total

4,071,208 (2025 est.)

Male

1,968,334

Female

2,102,874

Nationality

Noun

Croat(s), Croatian(s)

Adjective

Croatian

Ethnic groups

Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)

Languages

Languages

Croatian (official) 95.2%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3.1% (including Bosnian, Romani, Albanian, and Italian) unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Knjiga svjetskih činjenica, nužan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Croatian)

Religions

Roman Catholic 79%, Orthodox 3.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other Christian 4.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.1%, agnostic 1.7%, none or atheist 4.7%, unspecified 3.9% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

44.9 years (2025 est.)

Male

43.2 years

Female

47 years

Life expectancy

Total population

77.7 years (2024 est.)

Male

74.6 years

Female

81 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

58.6% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

More of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated

Largest cities

684,000 ZAGREB (capital) (2023)

Background

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent communist state consisting of six socialist republics, including Croatia, under the strong hand of Josip Broz, aka TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before Yugoslav forces were cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. The country joined NATO in 2009 and the EU in 2013. In January 2023, Croatia further integrated into the EU by joining the Eurozone and the Schengen Area.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Zagreb

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republika Hrvatska

Independence

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia); notable earlier dates: ca. 925 (Kingdom of Croatia established), 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes established, later became Yugoslavia)

National day

Statehood Day (National Day), 30 May (1990)

Overview

Upper-middle-income Balkan economy; newest euro user (introduced in 2023); increased investments from EU structural funds and tourism sector contributing to strong but moderating economic growth; declining energy prices and restrictive monetary policy easing inflation; historically low unemployment rate with labor shortages within services and manufacturing sectors

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$42,600 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$41,100 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$39,900 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

7.9% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

10.8% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

5.3% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

6.1% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

7% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism

Agriculture

Maize, wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, soybeans, sunflower seeds, potatoes, pork, grapes (2023)

Airports

45 (2025)

Railways

Total 2,617 km (2020) 980 km electrified

Ports

Total ports

16 (2024)

Large

2

Medium

0

Small

6

Very small

8

Ports with oil terminals

8

Key ports

Bakar, Dubrovnik, Omisalj, Rijeka Luka, Rovinj, Sibenik, Split, Zadar

Internet domain

.hr

Internet users

Percent of population 83% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

4.72 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

122 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution in urban areas, as well as emissions from neighboring countries; surface water pollution in the Danube River Basin

Fresh water

105.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

3 (2024)

Global geoparks and regional networks

Biokovo-Imotski Lakes; Papuk; Vis Archipelago (2024)