# Croats in Germany

Croats in Germany (Croatian: Hrvati u Njemačkoj; German: Kroaten in Deutschland) refers to persons living in Germany who have total or partial Croatian ancestry. They form the sixth largest ethnic minority in Germany. In 2021, there were 434,610 Croats holding Croatian citizenship and living in Germany. Croatia's State Office for the Croats Abroad, Croatian embassy in Berlin and Croatian Catholic Missions estimated that there are more than 500,000 Croats and their descendants living in Germany.

## Demographics

According to the German Federal Statistical Office of Wiesbaden in 2021, there were 434,610 Croatian citizens living in Germany. According to data from church institutions there are about 310,000 to 350,000 Croatians living in Germany.

## Numbers of Croats
### In Germany per year

* 2021: 434,610
* 2020: 426,485
* 2019: -
* 2018: 395,665
* 2017: 367,900
* 2016: 332,605
* 2015: -
* 2014: 270,558
* 2013: -
* 2012: -
* 2011: -
* 2010: 220,199
* 2009: -
* 2008: -
* 2007: 225,309
* 2006: 227,510
* 2005: 228,926
* 2004: 229,172
* 2003: 236,570
* 2002: 230,987
* 2001: 223,819
* 1994: 176,251
* 1993: 153,146

### Per federal state

In year 2019
Number of Croats per German federal state :
| # | Federal state | People |
| 1. | Baden-Württemberg | 122,835 |
| 2. | Bavaria | 126,090 |
| 3. | Berlin | 14,430 |
| 4. | Brandenburg | 671 |
| 5. | Bremen | 2,167 |
| 6. | Hamburg | 6,630 |
| 7. | Hesse | 53,785 |
| 8. | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 260 |
| 9. | Lower Saxony | 9,429 |
| 10. | North Rhine-Westphalia | 48,043 |
| 11. | Rhineland-Palatinate | 8,668 |
| 12. | Saarland | 1,205 |
| 13. | Saxony | 714 |
| 14. | Saxony-Anhalt | 435 |
| 15. | Schleswig-Holstein | 3,229 |
| 16. | Thuringia | 189 |

### Cities

In year 2019
Number of Croats in larger cities :
| # | City | People |
| 1. | Munich | 39,637 |
| 2. | Frankfurt | 16,751 |
| 3. | Stuttgart | 15,268 |
| 4. | Berlin | 14,430 |
| 5. | Hamburg | 6,630 |
| 6. | Nuremberg | 5,893 |
| 7. | Mannheim | 4,565 |
| 8. | Augsburg | 4,223 |
| 9. | Düsseldorf | 3,720 |
| 10. | Cologne | 3,569 |
| 11. | Karlsruhe | 3,383 |
| 12. | Essen | 2,880 |
| 13. | Offenbach | 2,420 |
| 14. | Hanover | 2,300 |
| 15. | Pforzheim | 2,193 |
| 16. | Dortmund | 2,153 |
| 17. | Duisburg | 2,044 |
| 18. | Wiesbaden | 1,967 |
| 19. | Ulm | 1,557 |
| 20. | Lübeck | 1,413 |
Among the German cities Stuttgart and Pforzheim had the highest share of Croats in 2011 according to German Census data.

## Culture

Croatian Cultural Community Stuttgart (Hrvatska kulturna zajednica Stuttgart, HKZ Stuttgart) was established by Croatian immigrants in the autumn of 1983. They successfully ran at the elections for the City of Stuttgart's International Council. First then soon-to-become president of Croatia Franjo Tuđman visited Stuttgart and the Community in the October of 1988. HKZ organizes extracurricular classes of Croatian for the Croatian children ever since Croatia gained independence in the 1990s. HKZ regularly organizes "Ljetni festival kulture" (Summer festival of culture), with concerts of Croatian folklore ensembles and klapas, as well as presentations of the Croatian cuisine and wines.

### Language

In July 2023, The Croaticum – Centre for Croatian Language and Literature was opened at the Regensburg University.

### Events

The Croatian Cultural Association of Bremen organizes summer music and dance festival “Sommerfest in Hastedt”.
The annual concert of Croatian musicians known as ”Hrvatska noć” (Croatian Night) is one of the biggest gatherings of Croats. In December 2023 it took place at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt am Main.

## Academia

Croatian Academic Union Germany (Hrvatski akademski savez) is a network of students and academics in Germany who are Croatians or of Croatian descent.

## Notable Croatians and people of Croatian descent in Germany

| Werner Herzog | Niko Kovač | Vanessa Mai | Sandra Nasić | Jeremy Toljan | Jasmin Wagner |
* Fredi Bobic, former footballer
* Stipe Erceg, actor
* Werner Herzog, film director
* Milko Kelemen, professor at the Stuttgarter Musikakademie Stuttgart
* Ivan Klasnić, footballer
* Niko Kovač, football coach and former player
* Robert Kovač, football coach and former player
* Vanessa Mai, singer
* Sandra Nasić, singer for the rock band, Guano Apes
* Ivo Robić, musician
* Zvonimir Serdarušić, handball coach
* Edin Terzić, football coach and former player
* Jeremy Toljan, football player
* Josip Stanišić, football player
* Jasmin Wagner, singer
* Nikki Adler, boxer
* Marko Grgić, handball player