Croatia reveals how many moved to and left the country in 2020

Zagreb (Photo credit: M. Gašparović/Zagreb Tourist Board)

ZAGREB, 23 July 2021 – The Croatia Central Bureau of Statistics has published data on population migration in Croatia for 2020.

In 2020, 33,414 people immigrated to Croatia from abroad, and 34,046 people emigrated abroad. There was a negative net migration rat in Croatia last year of -632, N1 reported.

In 2020, 25.3 percent of Croatian citizens and 74.7 percent of foreigners immigrated from abroad, while 61.4 percent of Croatian citizens and 38.6 percent of foreigners emigrated. 

In the total number of immigrants and emigrants, there is a significant share of foreigners within the annual quotas of employment permits, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Most people immigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina, most emigrated to Germany

Out of the total number of immigrants to Croatia last year, 28.2 percent immigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Out of the total number of emigrants from Croatia, most persons emigrated to Germany (34.2 percent).

The share of men in the total number of immigrants from abroad was higher (74.6 percent) than women. In the total number of emigrants abroad, there was also a higher share of men (64.4 percent). 

The largest number of emigrants was between the ages of 20 and 39 (47.1 percent).

In 2020, the City of Zagreb (20.0 percent) and the County of Istria (11.4 percent) had the largest share in the total number of immigrants from abroad to Croatia. According to the total number of emigrants from the Republic of Croatia abroad, the city of Zagreb was in first place (17.6 percent), followed by the Split-Dalmatia County (9.6 percent) and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

Internal migration

In 2020, 64,155 people changed their place of residence within Croatia. Population migrations between cities or municipalities of the same county in 2020 were the largest in the Split-Dalmatia County and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

The city of Zagreb and Zagreb County had the largest inter-county migration of the population. Out of a total of twenty counties and the city of Zagreb, five counties and the city of Zagreb had an inter-county positive migration balance (more immigrants than emigrants), and the highest was in Zagreb County (1315 people).