The number of foreign workers in Croatia substantially rises

The number of foreign workers continues to rise

There has been a significant increase in the number of foreign workers in Croatia over the past year. The figures reveal a substantial rise in work and residence permits issued.

During the past year, a total of approximately 206,500 permits for the residence and work of foreigners were issued in Croatia, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), as Danica.hr reported.

This represents an increase of about 20% compared to the previous year.

The majority of permits were issued for the construction industry (75,000), followed by tourism and hospitality (56,000), and the industrial sector (28,500).

The highest number of residence and work permits last year was issued to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (38,100), followed by Nepal (35,600), Serbia (28,000), India (20,500), and the Philippines (14,700).

In northern Croatia, Varaždin County recorded the highest number of permits for foreign workers, with around 9,900 issued—an increase of 22%. Krapina-Zagorje County followed, with 5,800 permits issued, marking a 66% rise.

In Međimurje County, 4,400 permits were issued to foreign workers, representing a 12% decrease.

In Koprivnica-Križevci County, 3,900 permits were issued, roughly the same as the previous year.

Meanwhile, Bjelovar-Bilogora County saw a remarkable 72% increase, with 2,100 permits issued.

In 2021, Croatia had just over 80,000 foreign workers, in 2022, over 120,000 and in 2023 the number was over 170,000.

Growing challenges of integrating foreign workers.