Which Croatian regions are growing and which are shrinking?

Zagreb

Croatia’s population dynamics are shifting—some areas are growing, while others face steep declines. New data reveals surprising trends across the country.

The demographic situation across the country is negative in nearly all counties, including the City of Zagreb.

Slavonia and Lika remained the regions with the largest demographic decline last year.

As of mid-last year, only three counties had more residents compared to the previous year—Zagreb County, which encompasses the wider area around Zagreb, followed by Istria County and Zadar County, HRT reported.

The ten towns and municipalities with the greatest population growth are Sutivan, Funtana, Kanfanar, Klis, Podstrana, Tar-Vabriga, Bale, Medulin, Šolta, and Sali.

Šolta

Slavonia and Lika in Decline

On the other hand, the ten towns and municipalities with the largest population decline are Dvor, Levanjska Varoš, Vrhovine, Donji Lapac, Negoslavci, Draž, Markušica, Okučani, Gunja, and Stara Gradiška.

Lika

According to provisional data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS), Croatia had a population of 3,853,200 as of mid-last year, which is 0.06 per cent lower compared to mid-2022.

However, due to immigration, the trend has reversed since the end of last year, resulting in a population increase of 0.06 per cent.

The demographic alarm continues to ring—this August, 420 fewer children were born compared to the same month last year.