Croatia

Croatia,officially theRepublic of Croatiais a country inCentralandSoutheast Europe, on the coast of theAdriatic Sea. It bordersSloveniato the northwest,Hungaryto the northeast,Serbiato the east,Bosnia and HerzegovinaandMontenegroto the southeast, and shares amaritime borderwithItalyto the west. Its capital and largest city,Zagreb, forms one of the country'sprimary subdivisions, withtwenty counties. Other major urban centers includeSplit,RijekaandOsijek. The country spans 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles), and has a population of nearly 3.9 million.
TheCroatsarrived in modern-day Croatia in the late 6th century, then part ofRoman Illyria. By the 7th century, they had organized the territory intotwo duchies. Croatia was first internationally recognized as independent on 7 June 879 during the reign of DukeBranimir.Tomislavbecame the first king by 925, elevating Croatia to the status of akingdom. During the succession crisis after theTrpimirović dynastyended, Croatiaenteredapersonal unionwithHungaryin 1102. In 1527, faced withOttoman conquest, theCroatian ParliamentelectedFerdinand I of Austriato the Croatian throne. In October 1918, theState of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs, independent from theHabsburg Empire, was proclaimed in Zagreb, and in December 1918, itmergedinto theKingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the Axisinvasion of Yugoslaviain April 1941, most of Croatia was incorporated into a Nazi-installed puppet state, theIndependent State of Croatia. Aresistance movementled to the creation of theSocialist Republic of Croatia, which after the war became a founding member and constituent of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 25 June 1991, Croatiadeclared independence, and theWar of Independencewas successfully fought over the next four years.
Croatia is arepublicand has aparliamentary system. It is a member of theEuropean Union, theEurozone, theSchengen Area,NATO, theUnited Nations, theCouncil of Europe, theOSCE, theWorld Trade Organization, a founding member of theUnion for the Mediterranean, and is currently in the process of joining theOECD. An active participant inUnited Nations peacekeeping, Croatia contributed troops to theInternational Security Assistance Forceand was elected to fill a non-permanent seat on theUnited Nations Security Councilin the2008–2009 termfor the first time.
Croatia is adeveloped countrywith an advancedhigh-income economy.Service,industrial sectors, andagriculturedominate theeconomy.Tourismis a significant source of revenue for the country, with nearly 20 million tourist arrivals as of 2019.Since the 2000s, theCroatian governmenthas heavily invested in infrastructure, especiallytransport routes and facilitiesalong thePan-European corridors. Croatia has also positioned itself as a regional energy leader in the early 2020s and is contributing to the diversification of Europe's energy supply via its floatingliquefied natural gasimport terminal offKrkisland,LNG Hrvatska.Croatia providessocial security,universal health care, and tuition-freeprimary and secondary educationwhile supportingculturethrough public institutions and corporate investments inmediaandpublishing.
Croatia'snon-nativenamederives fromMedieval LatinCroātia, itself a derivation ofNorth-West Slavic*Xərwate, byliquid metathesisfrom Common Slavic period*Xorvat, from proposedProto-Slavic*Xъrvátъwhich possibly comes from the 3rd-centuryScytho-Sarmatianform attested in theTanais TabletsasΧοροάθος(Khoroáthos, alternate forms compriseKhoróatosandKhoroúathos).The origin of the ethnonym is uncertain, but most probably is fromProto-Ossetian/Alanian*xurvæt-or *xurvāt-, in the meaning of "one who guards" ("guardian, protector").
The oldest preserved record of the Croatian ethnonym's native variation*xъrvatъis of the variable stem, attested in theBaška tabletinstylezvъnъmirъ kralъ xrъvatъskъ ("Zvonimir,Croatian king"),while the Latin variationCroatorumis archaeologically confirmed on a church inscription found inBijaćinearTrogirdated to the end of the 8th or early 9th century.The presumably oldest stoneinscriptionwith fully preserved ethnonym is the 9th-centuryBranimir inscriptionfound nearBenkovac, where DukeBranimiris styledDux Cruatorvm, likely dated between 879 and 892, during his rule.The Latin termChroatorumis attributed to a charter of DukeTrpimir I of Croatia, dated to 852 in a 1568 copy of a lost original, but it is not certain if the original was indeed older than the Branimir inscription.
The area known as Croatia today was inhabited throughout theprehistoric period.Neanderthalfossils dating to the middlePalaeolithicperiod were unearthed in northern Croatia, best presented at theKrapina site.Remnants ofNeolithicandChalcolithiccultures were found in all regions.The largest proportion of sites is in the valleys of northern Croatia. The most significant areBaden,Starčevo, andVučedol cultures.Iron Agehosted the early IllyrianHallstatt cultureand the CelticLa Tène culture.
The region of modern-day Croatia was settled byIllyriansandLiburnians, while the first Greek colonies were established on the islands ofHvar,Korčula, andVis.In 9 AD, the territory of today's Croatia became part of theRoman Empire. EmperorDiocletianwas native to the region. Hehad a large palace builtinSplit, to which he retired after abdicating in AD 305.
During the 5th century, thelast de jure Western Roman EmperorJulius Neposruled a small realm from the palace after fleeing Italy in 475.
The Roman period ends withAvarandCroatinvasions in the late 6th and first half of the 7th century and the destruction of almost all Roman towns. Roman survivors retreated to more favourable sites on the coast, islands, and mountains. The city ofDubrovnikwas founded by such survivors fromEpidaurum.
There's some uncertainty about theethnogenesis of Croats. The most accepted theory, the Slavic theory, proposes migration ofWhite CroatsfromWhite Croatiaduring theMigration Period. Conversely, the Iranian theory proposesSarmatian-Alanicorigin of Proto-Croats, based onTanais TabletscontainingAncient Greekinscriptions of given namesΧορούαθος,Χοροάθος, andΧορόαθος(Khoroúathos, Khoroáthos, and Khoróathos) and their interpretation asanthroponymsrelated to theCroatian ethnonym.
According to the workDe Administrando Imperiowritten by 10th-century Byzantine EmperorConstantine VII,Croatssettled in theRoman province of Dalmatiain the first half of the 7th century after they defeated theAvars.Although there exist some scholarly disputes about the account's reliability and interpretation,recent archaeological data has established that the migration and settlement of the Slavs/Croats was in the late 6th and early 7th century.Eventually, adukedomwas formed,Duchy of Croatia, ruled byBorna, as attested by chronicles ofEinhardstarting in 818. The record represents the first document of Croatian realms,vassal statesofFranciaat the time.Its neighbor to the North wasPrincipality of Lower Pannonia, at the time ruled by dukeLjudevitwho ruled the territories between theDravaandSavarivers, centred from his fort atSisak. This population and territory throughout history was tightly related and connected to Croats and Croatia.
Christianisationof Croats began in the 7th century at the time of archonPorga of Croatia, initially probably encompassed only the elite and related people,but mostly finished by the 9th century.The Frankish overlordship ended during the reign ofMislav,or his successorTrpimir I.The native Croatian royal dynasty was founded by duke Trpimir I in the mid 9th century, who defeated the Byzantine and Bulgarian forces.The first native Croatian ruler recognised by the Pope was dukeBranimir, who received papal recognition fromPope John VIIIon 7 June 879.Tomislavwas the firstking of Croatia, noted as such in a letter ofPope John Xin 925. Tomislav defeated Hungarian and Bulgarian invasions.The medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak in the 11th century during the reigns ofPetar Krešimir IV(1058–1074) andDmitar Zvonimir(1075–1089).WhenStjepan IIdied in 1091, ending the Trpimirović dynasty, Dmitar Zvonimir's brother-in-lawLadislaus I of Hungaryclaimed the Croatian crown. This led to awarandpersonal union with Hungaryin 1102 underColoman.
For the next four centuries, the Kingdom of Croatia was ruled by theSabor(parliament) and aBan(viceroy) appointed by the king.This period saw the rise of influential nobility such as theFrankopanandŠubićfamilies to prominence, and ultimately numerous Bans from the two families.An increasing threat ofOttomanconquest and a struggle against theRepublic of Venicefor control of coastal areas ensued. The Venetians controlled most of Dalmatia by 1428, except thecity-state of Dubrovnik, which became independent.Ottoman conquestsled to the 1493Battle of Krbava fieldand the 1526Battle of Mohács, both ending in decisive Ottoman victories. KingLouis IIdied at Mohács, and in 1527, theCroatian Parliament met in Cetinand chose Ferdinand I of theHouse of Habsburgas the new ruler of Croatia, under the condition that he protects Croatia against the Ottoman Empire while respecting its political rights.
Following the decisive Ottoman victories, Croatia was split into civilian and military territories in 1538. The military territories became known as theCroatian Military Frontierand were under direct Habsburg control. Ottoman advances in Croatia continued until the 1593Battle of Sisak, the first decisive Ottoman defeat, when borders stabilised.During theGreat Turkish War(1683–1698),Slavoniawas regained, but westernBosnia, which had been part of Croatia before the Ottoman conquest, remained outside Croatian control.The present-day border between the two countries is a remnant of this outcome.Dalmatia, the southern part of the border, was similarly defined by theFifthand theSeventh Ottoman–Venetian Wars.
TheOttoman warsdrove demographic changes. During the 16th century, Croats from western and northernBosnia,Lika,Krbava, the area between the riversUnaandKupa, and especially from westernSlavonia, migrated towardsAustria. Present-dayBurgenland Croatsare direct descendants of these settlers.To replace the fleeing population, the Habsburgs encouraged Bosnians to provide military service in theMilitary Frontier.
TheCroatian ParliamentsupportedKing Charles III'sPragmatic Sanctionand signed their ownPragmatic Sanction in 1712.Subsequently, the emperor pledged to respect all privileges and political rights of theKingdom of Croatia, andQueen Maria Theresamade significant contributions to Croatian affairs, such as introducing compulsory education.
Between 1797 and 1809, theFirst French Empireincreasingly occupied the easternAdriaticcoastline and its hinterland, ending the Venetian and theRagusan republics, establishing theIllyrian Provinces.In response, theRoyal Navyblockaded the Adriatic Sea, leading to theBattle of Visin 1811.The Illyrian provinces were captured by the Austrians in 1813 and absorbed by theAustrian Empirefollowing theCongress of Viennain 1815. This led to the formation of theKingdom of Dalmatiaand the restoration of theCroatian Littoralto the Kingdom of Croatia under one crown.The 1830s and 1840s featuredromantic nationalismthat inspired theCroatian National Revival, a political and cultural campaign advocating the unity ofSouth Slavswithin the empire. Its primary focus was establishing a standard language as a counterweight toHungarianwhile promotingCroatian literatureand culture.During theHungarian Revolution of 1848, Croatia sided with Austria. BanJosip Jelačićhelped defeat the Hungarians in 1849 and ushered in aGermanisationpolicy.
By the 1860s, the failure of the policy became apparent, leading to theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. The creation of apersonal unionbetween the Austrian Empire and theKingdom of Hungaryfollowed. The treaty left Croatia's status to Hungary, which was resolved by theCroatian–Hungarian Settlementof 1868 when the kingdoms of Croatia and Slavonia were united.The Kingdom of Dalmatia remained under de facto Austrian control, whileRijekaretained the status ofcorpus separatumpreviously introduced in 1779.
AfterAustria-Hungaryoccupied Bosnia and Herzegovinafollowing the1878 Treaty of Berlin, the Military Frontier was abolished. The Croatian andSlavoniansectors of the Frontier returned to Croatia in 1881,under provisions of the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement.Renewed efforts toreform Austria-Hungary, entailingfederalisationwith Croatia as a federal unit, were stopped byWorld War I.
On 29 October 1918, the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) declared independence and decided to join the newly formedState of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs,which in turn entered into union with theKingdom of Serbiaon 4 December 1918 to form theKingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.The Croatian Parliament never ratified the union with Serbia and Montenegro.The1921 constitutiondefining the country as aunitary stateand abolition of Croatian Parliament and historical administrative divisions effectively ended Croatian autonomy.
The new constitution was opposed by the most widely supported national political party—theCroatian Peasant Party(HSS) led byStjepan Radić.
The political situation deteriorated further as Radić was assassinated in theNational Assemblyin 1928, culminating in KingAlexander I's establishment of the6 January Dictatorshipin 1929.The dictatorship formally ended in 1931 when the king imposed a more unitary constitution.The HSS, now led byVladko Maček, continued to advocate federalisation, resulting in theCvetković–Maček Agreementof August 1939 and the autonomousBanovina of Croatia. The Yugoslav government retained control of defence, internal security, foreign affairs, trade, and transport while other matters were left to the Croatian Sabor and a crown-appointed Ban.
In April 1941,Yugoslavia was occupiedbyNazi GermanyandFascist Italy. Following the invasion, a German-Italian installed puppet state named theIndependent State of Croatia(NDH) was established. Most of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region ofSyrmiawere incorporated into this state. Parts of Dalmatia wereannexed by Italy, Hungary annexed the northern Croatian regions ofBaranjaandMeđimurje.The NDH regime was led byAnte Pavelićand ultranationalistUstaše, a fringe movement in pre-war Croatia.With German and Italian military and political support,the regime introducedracial lawsand launched agenocide campaign against Serbs,Jews, andRoma.Many were imprisoned inconcentration camps; the largest was theJasenovac complex.Anti-fascist Croatswere targeted by the regime as well.Severalconcentration camps(most notably theRab,GonarsandMolatcamps) were established in Italian-occupied territories, mostly forSlovenesand Croats.At the same time, the Yugoslav Royalist andSerbian nationalistChetnikspursued agenocidal campaignagainst Croats andMuslims,aided by Italy.Nazi German forces committed crimes and reprisals against civilians in retaliation for Partisan actions, such as in the villages ofKamešnicaandLipain 1944.
Aresistance movementemerged. On 22 June 1941,the1st Sisak Partisan Detachmentwas formed nearSisak, the first military unit formed by a resistance movement inoccupied Europe.That sparked the beginning of theYugoslav Partisanmovement, a communist, multi-ethnic anti-fascist resistance group led byJosip Broz Tito.In ethnic terms, Croats were the second-largest contributors to the Partisan movement after Serbs.In per capita terms, Croats contributed proportionately to their population within Yugoslavia.By May 1944 (according to Tito), Croats made up 30% of the Partisan's ethnic composition, despite making up 22% of the population.The movement grew fast, and at theTehran Conferencein December 1943, the Partisans gained recognition from theAllies.
With Allied support in logistics, equipment, training and airpower, and with the assistance ofSoviet troopstaking part in the 1944Belgrade Offensive, the Partisans gained control of Yugoslavia and the border regions ofItalyandAustriaby May 1945. Members of theNDH armed forcesand other Axis troops, as well as civilians, were in retreat towards Austria. Following their surrender, many were killed in theYugoslav death march of Nazi collaborators.In the following years,ethnic Germansfacedpersecution in Yugoslavia, and many were interned.
The political aspirations of the Partisan movement were reflected in theState Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia, which developed in 1943 as the bearer of Croatian statehood and later transformed into the Parliament in 1945, andAVNOJ—its counterpart at the Yugoslav level.
Based on the studies onwartime and post-war casualtiesby demographerVladimir Žerjavićand statisticianBogoljub Kočović, a total of 295,000 people from the territory (not including territoriesceded from Italyafter the war) died, which amounted to 7.3% of the population,among whom were 125–137,000 Serbs, 118–124,000 Croats, 16–17,000 Jews, and 15,000 Roma.In addition, from areas joined to Croatia after the war, a total of 32,000 people died, among whom 16,000 were Italians and 15,000 were Croats.Approximately 200,000 Croats from the entirety of Yugoslavia (including Croatia) and abroad were killed in total throughout the war and its immediate aftermath, approximately 5.4% of the population.
AfterWorld War II, Croatia became asingle-partysocialistfederal unitof theSFR Yugoslavia, ruled by theCommunists, but having a degree of autonomy within the federation. In 1967, Croatian authors and linguists published aDeclaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Standard Languagedemanding equal treatment for their language.
The declaration contributed to a national movement seeking greater civil rights and redistribution of the Yugoslav economy, culminating in theCroatian Springof 1971, which was suppressed by Yugoslav leadership.Still, the1974 Yugoslav Constitutiongave increased autonomy to federal units, basically fulfilling a goal of the Croatian Spring and providing a legal basis for independence of the federative constituents.
Following Tito's death in 1980, the political situation in Yugoslavia deteriorated. National tension was fanned by the 1986SANU Memorandumand the1989 coups in Vojvodina, Kosovo, and Montenegro.In January 1990, the Communist Party fragmented along national lines, with the Croatianfactiondemanding a looser federation.In the same year, thefirst multi-party electionswere held in Croatia, whileFranjo Tuđman's win exacerbated nationalist tensions.Some of theSerbs in Croatialeft Sabor and declared autonomy of the unrecognisedRepublic of Serbian Krajina, intent on achieving independence from Croatia.
As tensions rose, Croatiadeclared independenceon 25 June 1991. However, the full implementation of the declaration only came into effect after athree-month moratorium on the decisionon 8 October 1991.In the meantime, tensions escalated intoovert warwhen the Serbian-controlledYugoslav People's Army(JNA) and various Serb paramilitary groups attacked Croatia.
By the end of 1991, a high-intensity conflict fought along a wide front reduced Croatia's control to about two-thirds of its territory.Serb paramilitary groups then began a campaign of killing, terror, and expulsion of the Croats in the occupied territories, killing thousandsof Croat civilians and expelling or displacing as many as 400,000-500,000 Croats and other non-Serbs from their homes.Serbs living in Croatian towns, especially those near the front lines, were subjected to various forms of discrimination.Croatian Serbs in Eastern and Western Slavonia and parts of the Krajina were forced to flee or were expelled by Croatian forces, though on a restricted scale and in lesser numbers.TheCroatian Governmentpublicly deplored these practices and sought to stop them, indicating that they were not a part of the Government's policy.
On 15 January 1992, Croatia gaineddiplomatic recognitionby theEuropean Economic Community, followed by the United Nations.The war effectively ended in August 1995 with adecisive victoryby Croatia;the event is commemorated each year on 5 August asVictory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.Following the Croatian victory, about 200,000 Serbs from the self-proclaimedRepublic of Serbian Krajinafled the regionand hundreds of mainly elderly Serb civilians were killed in the aftermath of the military operation, often in revenge attacks. There were instances of their property being looted, seized or burned down. Approximately half have returned since then.Their homes were subsequently settled by Croat refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Theremaining occupied areaswere restored to Croatia following theErdut Agreementof November 1995, concluding with theUNTAESmission in January 1998.Most sources number the war deaths at around 20,000.
After the end of the war, Croatia faced the challenges of post-war reconstruction, the return of refugees, establishing democracy, protecting human rights, and general social and economic development.
The 2000s were characterized by democratization, economic growth, structural and social reforms, and problems such as unemployment, corruption, and the inefficiency of public administration.In November 2000 and March 2001, the Parliament amended the Constitution, first adopted on 22 December 1990, changing its bicameral structure back into its historic unicameral form and reducing presidential powers.
Croatia joined thePartnership for Peaceon 25 May 2000and became a member of theWorld Trade Organizationon 30 November 2000.On 29 October 2001, Croatia signed aStabilisation and Association Agreementwith theEuropean Union,submitted a formal application for the EU membership in 2003,was given the status of a candidate country in 2004,and beganaccession negotiationsin 2005.Although the Croatian economy had enjoyed a significant boom in the early 2000s, the financial crisis in 2008 forced the government to cut spending, thus provoking a public outcry.
Croatia served on theUnited Nations Security Councilin the 2008–2009 term for the first time, assuming the non-permanent seat in December 2008.On 1 April 2009, Croatia joinedNATO.
A wave of anti-government protests in 2011 reflected a general dissatisfaction with the current political and economic situation. The protests brought together diverse political persuasions in response to recent government corruption scandals and called for early elections. On 28 October 2011MPsvoted to dissolve Parliament and the protests gradually subsided.PresidentIvo Josipović agreed to a dissolution ofSaboron Monday, 31 October and scheduled new elections for Sunday 4 December 2011.
On 30 June 2011, Croatia successfully completed EU accession negotiations.The country signed theAccession Treatyon 9 December 2011 and held areferendumon 22 January 2012, where Croatian citizens voted in favor of an EU membership.Croatia joined the European Unionon 1 July 2013.
Croatia was affected by the2015 European migrant crisiswhen Hungary's closure of borders with Serbia pushed over 700,000 refugees and migrants to pass through Croatia on their way to other EU countries.
On 19 October 2016,Andrej Plenkovićbegan serving as the current Croatian Prime Minister.The most recent presidential elections, held on 5 January 2020, electedZoran Milanovićas president.
On 25 January 2022, theOECDCouncil decided to open accession negotiations with Croatia. Throughout the accession process, Croatia was to implement numerous reforms that will advance all spheres of activity – from public services and the justice system to education, transport, finance, health, and trade. In line with the OECD Accession Roadmap from June 2022, Croatia will undergo technical reviews by 25 OECD committees and is so far progressing at a faster pace than expected. Full membership is expected in 2025 and is the last big foreign policy goal Croatia still has to achieve.
On 1 January 2023, Croatia adopted theeuroas its official currency, replacing thekuna, and became the 20thEurozonemember. On the same day, Croatia became the 27th member of the border-freeSchengen Area, thus marking its full EU integration.
Croatia is situated inCentraland Southeast Europe, on the coast of theAdriatic Sea. Hungary is to the northeast,Serbiato the east,Bosnia and HerzegovinaandMontenegroto the southeast andSloveniato the northwest.It lies mostly between latitudes42°and47° Nand longitudes13°and20° E.Part of the territory in the extreme south surroundingDubrovnikis apractical exclaveconnected to the rest of the mainland byterritorial waters, but separated on land by a short coastline strip belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina aroundNeum. ThePelješac Bridgeconnects the exclave with mainland Croatia.
The territory covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles), consisting of 56,414 square kilometres (21,782 square miles) of land and 128 square kilometres (49 square miles) of water. It is the world's 127th largest country.Elevation ranges from the mountains of theDinaric Alpswith the highest point of theDinarapeak at 1,831 metres (6,007 feet) near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the southto the shore of the Adriatic Sea which makes up its entire southwest border. Insular Croatia consists of overa thousand islands and isletsvarying in size, 48 of which arepermanently inhabited. The largest islands areCresandKrk,each of them having an area of around 405 square kilometres (156 square miles).
The hilly northern parts ofHrvatsko Zagorjeand the flat plains of Slavonia in the east which is part of thePannonian Basinare traversed by major rivers such asDanube,Drava,Kupa, and theSava. The Danube, Europe's second longest river, runs through the city ofVukovarin the extreme east and forms part of the border withVojvodina. The central and southern regions near the Adriatic coastline and islands consist of low mountains and forested highlands. Natural resources found in quantities significant enough for production include oil, coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, and hydropower.Karst topographymakes up about half of Croatia and is especially prominent in the Dinaric Alps.Croatia hostsdeep caves, 49 of which are deeper than 250 m (820.21 ft), 14 deeper than 500 m (1,640.42 ft) and three deeper than 1,000 m (3,280.84 ft). Croatia's most famous lakes are thePlitvice lakes, a system of 16 lakes with waterfalls connecting them overdolomiteandlimestonecascades. The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from turquoise to mint green, grey or blue.
Most of Croatia has a moderately warm and rainycontinental climateas defined by theKöppen climate classification. Mean monthly temperature ranges between −3°C(27°F) in January and 18 °C (64 °F) in July. The coldest parts of the country areLikaandGorski Kotarfeaturing a snowy, forested climate at elevations above 1,200 metres (3,900 feet). The warmest areas are at the Adriatic coast and especially in its immediate hinterland characterised byMediterranean climate, as the sea moderates temperature highs. Consequently, temperature peaks are more pronounced in continental areas.
The lowest temperature of −35.5 °C (−31.9 °F) was recorded on 3 February 1919 inČakovec,and the highest temperature of 42.8 °C (109.0 °F) was recorded on 4 August 1981 inPloče.
Mean annual precipitation ranges between 600 millimetres (24 inches) and 3,500 millimetres (140 inches) depending on geographic region and climate type. The least precipitation is recorded in the outer islands (Biševo,Lastovo,Svetac,Vis) and the eastern parts of Slavonia. However, in the latter case, rain occurs mostly during thegrowing season. The maximum precipitation levels are observed in the Dinaric Alps, in the Gorski Kotar peaks ofRisnjakandSnježnik.
Prevailing winds in the interior are light to moderate northeast or southwest, and in the coastal area, prevailing winds are determined by local features. Higher wind velocities are more often recorded in cooler months along the coast, generally as the cool northeasterlyburaor less frequently as the warm southerlyjugo. The sunniest parts are the outer islands, Hvar and Korčula, where more than 2700 hours of sunshine are recorded per year, followed by the middle and southern Adriatic Sea area in general, and northern Adriatic coast, all with more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year.
Croatia can be subdivided intoecoregionsbased on climate and geomorphology. The country is one of the richest in Europe in terms of biodiversity.Croatia has four types of biogeographical regions—theMediterraneanalong the coast and in its immediate hinterland,Alpinein most of Lika and Gorski Kotar,Pannonianalong Drava and Danube, andContinentalin the remaining areas. The most significant arekarsthabitats which include submerged karst, such asZrmanjaandKrkacanyons and tufa barriers, as well as underground habitats. The country contains three ecoregions:Dinaric Mountains mixed forests,Pannonian mixed forests, andIllyrian deciduous forests.
The karst geology harbours approximately7,000 caves and pits, some of which are the habitat of the only known aquatic cavevertebrate—theolm. Forests are abundant, covering 2,490,000 hectares (6,200,000 acres) or 44% of Croatian land area. Other habitat types include wetlands, grasslands, bogs, fens, scrub habitats, coastal and marine habitats.
In terms ofphytogeography, Croatia is a part of theBoreal Kingdomand is a part of Illyrian and Central European provinces of theCircumboreal Regionand the Adriatic province of theMediterranean Region. TheWorld Wide Fund for Naturedivides Croatia between three ecoregions—Pannonian mixed forests,Dinaric Mountains mixed forestsandIllyrian deciduous forests.
Croatia hosts 37,000 known plant and animal species, but their actual number is estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000.More than a thousand species are endemic, especially in Velebit and Biokovo mountains, Adriatic islands and karst rivers. Legislation protects 1,131 species.The most serious threat is habitat loss and degradation. A further problem is presented by invasive alien species, especiallyCaulerpa taxifoliaalgae.
Invasive algae are regularly monitored and removed to protectbenthic habitat. Indigenous cultivated plant strains and domesticated animal breeds are numerous. They include five breeds of horses, five of cattle, eight of sheep, two of pigs, and one poultry. Indigenous breeds include nine that are endangered or critically endangered.Croatia has 444protected areas, encompassing 9% of the country. Those include eightnational parks, two strict reserves, and tennature parks. The most famous protected area and the oldestnational parkin Croatia isPlitvice Lakes National Park, aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Velebit Nature Park is a part of the UNESCOMan and the Biosphere Programme. The strict and special reserves, as well as the national and nature parks, are managed and protected by the central government, while other protected areas are managed by counties. In 2005, the National Ecological Network was set up, as the first step in the preparation of the EU accession and joining of theNatura 2000network.
The Republic of Croatia is a unitary, constitutional state using aparliamentary system. Government powers in Croatia are legislative, executive, and judiciary powers.Thepresident of the republic(Croatian:Predsjednik Republike) is thehead of state, directly elected to a five-year term and is limited by the Constitution to two terms. In addition to serving ascommander in chiefof the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of appointing the prime minister with the parliament and has some influence on foreign policy.
TheGovernmentis headed by theprime minister, who has four deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers in charge of particular sectors.As theexecutive branch, it is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, enforcing the laws, and guiding foreign and internal policies. The Government is seated atBanski dvoriin Zagreb.
Aunicameralparliament (Sabor) holdslegislative power. The number of Sabor members can vary from 100 to 160. They are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Legislative sessions take place from 15 January to 15 July, and from 15 September to 15 December annually.The two largestpolitical parties in Croatiaare theCroatian Democratic Unionand theSocial Democratic Party of Croatia.
Croatia has acivil lawlegal system in which law arises primarily from written statutes, with judges serving as implementers and not creators of law. Its development was largely influenced by German and Austrian legal systems. Croatian law is divided into two principal areas—privateandpublic law. BeforeEU accession negotiationswere completed, Croatian legislation had been fully harmonised with theCommunity acquis.
The main national courts are theConstitutional Court, which oversees violations of the Constitution, and theSupreme Court, which is the highest court of appeal. Administrative, Commercial,County, Misdemeanor, and Municipal courts handle cases in their respective domains.Cases falling within judicial jurisdiction are in the first instance decided by a single professional judge, while appeals are deliberated in mixed tribunals of professional judges. Lay magistrates also participate in trials.TheState's Attorney Officeis the judicial body constituted of public prosecutors empowered to instigate prosecution of perpetrators of offences.
Law enforcement agencies are organised under the authority of theMinistry of the Interiorwhich consist primarily of the national police force. Croatia's security service is theSecurity and Intelligence Agency(SOA).
Croatia has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries.supporting 57 embassies, 30 consulates and eight permanent diplomatic missions. 56 foreign embassies and 67consulatesoperate in the country in addition to offices of international organisations such as theEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD),International Organization for Migration(IOM),Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE),World Bank,World Health Organization(WHO),International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia(ICTY),United Nations Development Programme(UNDP),United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR), andUNICEF.
As of 2019, the CroatianMinistry of Foreign Affairs and European Integrationemployed 1,381personnel and expended 765.295 million kunas (€101.17 million).Stated aims of Croatian foreign policy include enhancing relations with neighbouring countries, developing international co-operation and promotion of the Croatian economy and Croatia itself.
Croatia is a member of the European Union. As of 2021, Croatia had unsolved border issues with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.Croatia is a member of NATO.On 1 January 2023, Croatia simultaneously joined both theSchengen Areaand theEurozone,having previously joined the ERM II on 10 July 2020.
The Croatian diaspora consists of communities of ethnicCroatsand Croatian citizens living outside Croatia. Croatia maintains intensive contacts with Croatian communities abroad (e.g., administrative and financial support of cultural, sports activities, and economic initiatives). Croatia actively maintain foreign relations to strengthen and guarantee the rights of the Croatian minority in various host countries.
The Croatian Armed Forces (CAF) consist of theAir Force,Army, andNavybranches in addition to the Education and Training Command and Support Command. The CAF is headed by theGeneral Staff, which reports to thedefence minister, who in turn reports to the president. According to the constitution, the president is thecommander-in-chiefof the armed forces. In case of immediate threat during wartime, he issues orders directly to the General Staff.
Following the 1991–95 war, defence spending and CAF size began a constant decline. As of 2019, military spending was an estimated 1.68% of the country's GDP, 67th globally.In 2005 the budget fell below the NATO-required 2% of GDP, down from the record high of 11.1% in 1994.Traditionally relying on conscripts, the CAF went through a period of reforms focused on downsizing, restructuring andprofessionalisationin the years beforeaccession to NATOin April 2009. According to a presidential decree issued in 2006, the CAF employed around 18,100 active duty military personnel, 3,000 civilians and 2,000 voluntary conscripts between 18 and 30 years old in peacetime.
Until 2008 military service was obligatory for men at age 18 and conscripts served six-month tours of duty, reduced in 2001 from the earlier scheme of nine months. Conscientious objectors could instead opt for eight months of civilian service.Compulsory conscription was abolished in January 2008,but is set to be reintroduced in January 2025 with two months of active duty. The decision was influenced by the rising tensions in Europe and the region, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine.
As of May 2019, the Croatian military had 72 members stationed in foreign countries as part of United Nations-led international peacekeeping forces.As of 2019, 323 troops served the NATO-ledISAFforce in Afghanistan. Another 156 served withKFORin Kosovo.
Croatia has amilitary-industrialsector that exported around 493 million kunas (€65,176 million) worth of military equipment in 2020.Croatian-made weapons and vehicles used by CAF include the standard sidearmHS2000manufactured byHS Produktand theM-84Dbattle tank designed by theĐuro Đaković factory. Uniforms and helmets worn by CAF soldiers are locally produced and marketed to other countries.
According to the 2024Global Peace Index, Croatia is the 15th most peaceful country in the world.
Croatia was first divided into counties in theMiddle Ages.The divisions changed over time to reflect losses of territory to Ottoman conquest and subsequent liberation of the same territory, changes of the political status of Dalmatia, Dubrovnik, andIstria. The traditional division of the country into counties was abolished in the 1920s when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and the subsequent Kingdom of Yugoslavia introducedoblastsandbanovinasrespectively.
Communist-ruled Croatia, as a constituent part of post-World War II Yugoslavia, abolished earlier divisions and introduced municipalities, subdividing Croatia into approximately one hundred municipalities. Counties were reintroduced in 1992 legislation, significantly altered in terms of territory relative to the pre-1920s subdivisions. In 1918, theTransleithanianpart was divided into eight counties with their seats inBjelovar,Gospić,Ogulin,Osijek,Požega,Varaždin, Vukovar, and Zagreb.
As of 1992, Croatia is divided into20 countiesand thecapital city of Zagreb, the latter having the dual authority and legal status of a county and a city. County borders changed in some instances, last revised in 2006. The counties subdivide into127 citiesand429 municipalities.Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics(NUTS)divisionis performed in several tiers. NUTS 1 level considers the entire country in a single unit; three NUTS 2 regions come below that. Those are Northwest Croatia, Central and Eastern (Pannonian) Croatia, and Adriatic Croatia. The latter encompasses the counties along the Adriatic coast. Northwest Croatia includes Koprivnica-Križevci, Krapina-Zagorje, Međimurje, Varaždin, the city of Zagreb, and Zagreb counties and the Central and Eastern (Pannonian) Croatia includes the remaining areas—Bjelovar-Bilogora, Brod-Posavina, Karlovac, Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Sisak-Moslavina, Virovitica-Podravina, and Vukovar-Syrmia counties. Individual counties and the city of Zagreb also represent NUTS 3 level subdivision units in Croatia. The NUTSlocal administrative unit(LAU) divisions are two-tiered. LAU 1 divisions match the counties and the city of Zagreb in effect making those the same as NUTS 3 units, while LAU 2 subdivisions correspond to cities and municipalities.
Croatia's economy qualifies ashigh-incomeanddeveloped.International Monetary Funddata projects that Croatiannominal GDPwill reach $88.08 Billion in 2024, or $22,966 per capita.Purchasing power parity(PPP) GDP will increase to $175.269 Billion, or $45,702 per capita.According toEurostat, Croatian GDP per capita in PPS stood at 76% of the EU average in 2023, with real GDP growth for the year being 2.8%.The average net salary of a Croatian worker in April 2024 was €1,326 per month, the average gross salary roughly €1,834 per month.The unemployment rate dropped to 5.6% in that month, down from 7.2% in July 2019 and 9.6% in December 2018.The unemployment rate between 1996 and 2018 averaged 17.38%, reaching an all-time high of 23.60% in January 2002 and a record low of 8.40% in September 2018.In 2017, economic output was dominated by theservice sector— accounting for 70.1% of GDP — followed by theindustrial sectorwith 26.2% and agriculture accounting for 3.7%.
According to 2017 data, 1.9% of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 27.3% by industry and 70.8% in services.Shipbuilding, food processing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, biochemical, and timber industry dominate the industrial sector. In 2018, Croatian exports were valued at 108 Billion kunas (€14.61 Billion) with 176 Billion kunas (€23.82 Billion) worth of imports. Croatia's largesttrading partnerwas the rest of the European Union, led by Germany, Italy, and Slovenia.According to Eurostat, Croatia has the highest quantity of water resources per capita in the EU (30,000 m).
As a result of the war, economic infrastructure sustained massive damage, particularly the tourism industry. From 1989 to 1993, the GDP fell 40.5%. The Croatian state still controls significant economic sectors, with government expenditures accounting for 40% of GDP.A particular concern is a backlogged judiciary system, with inefficientpublic administrationand corruption, upending land ownership. In the 2022Corruption Perceptions Index, published byTransparency International, the country ranked 57th.At the end of June 2020, the national debt stood at 85.3% of GDP.
Tourism dominates the Croatian service sector and accounts for up to 20% of GDP. Tourism income for 2019 was estimated to be €10.5 billion.Its positive effects are felt throughout the economy, increasing retail business, and increasing seasonal employment. The industry is counted as an export business because foreign visitor spending significantly reduces the country's trade imbalance.
The tourist industry has rapidly grown, recording a sharp rise in tourist numbers since independence, attracting more than 17 million visitors each year (as of 2017).Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, United Kingdom, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, France, Netherlands, Slovakia and Croatia itself provide the most visitors.Tourist stays averaged 4.7 days in 2019.
Much of the tourist industry is concentrated along the coast.Opatijawas the first holiday resort. It first became popular in the middle of the 19th century. By the 1890s, it had become one of the largest European health resorts.Resorts sprang up along the coast and islands, offering services catering tomass tourismand various niche markets. The most significant arenautical tourism, supported by marinas with more than 16 thousand berths,cultural tourismrelying on the appeal of medieval coastal cities and cultural events taking place during the summer. Inland areas offeragrotourism,mountain resorts, andspas. Zagreb is a significant destination, rivalling major coastal cities and resorts.
Croatia has unpolluted marine areas with nature reserves and 116Blue Flag beaches.Croatia was ranked first in Europe for swimming water quality in 2022 byEuropean Environmental Agency.
Croatia ranked as the 23rd-most popular tourist destination in the world according to theWorld Tourism Organizationin 2019.About 15% of these visitors,or over one million per year, participate innaturism, for which Croatia is famous. It was the first European country to develop commercial naturist resorts.In 2023, luggage storage company Bounce gave Croatia the highest solo travel index in the world (7.58),while a jointPinterestandZolawedding trends report from 2023 put Croatia among the most popularhoneymoondestinations.
Themotorway networkwas largely built in the late 1990s and the 2000s. As of December 2020, Croatia had completed 1,313.8 kilometres (816.4 miles) of motorways, connecting Zagreb to other regions and following variousEuropean routesand fourPan-European corridors.The busiest motorways are theA1, connecting Zagreb to Split and theA3, passing east to west through northwest Croatia and Slavonia.
A widespread network ofstate roads in Croatiaacts as motorwayfeeder roadswhile connecting major settlements. The high quality and safety levels of the Croatian motorway network were tested and confirmed by EuroTAP and EuroTest programmes.
Croatia has anextensive rail networkspanning 2,604 kilometres (1,618 miles), including 984 kilometres (611 miles) of electrified railways and 254 kilometres (158 miles) of double track railways (as of 2017).The most significant railways in Croatia are within the Pan-European transport corridors Vb and X connectingRijekatoBudapestand Ljubljana to Belgrade, both viaZagreb.Croatian Railwaysoperates all rail services.
The construction of 2.4-kilometre-longPelješac Bridge, the biggest infrastructure project in Croatia connects the two halves of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and shortens the route from the West to thePelješacpeninsula and the islands ofKorčulaandLastovoby more than 32 km. The construction of the Pelješac Bridge started in July 2018 after Croatian road operatorHrvatske ceste(HC) signed a 2.08 billionkunadeal for the works with a Chinese consortium led byChina Road and Bridge Corporation(CRBC). The project is co-financed by theEuropean Unionwith 357 million euro. The construction was completed in July 2022.
There areinternational airportsinDubrovnik,Osijek,Pula,Rijeka,Split,Zadar, andZagreb.The largest and busiest is Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb.As of January 2011, Croatia complies withInternational Civil Aviation Organizationaviation safety standards and theFederal Aviation Administrationupgraded it to Category 1 rating.
The busiest cargo seaport is thePort of Rijeka. The busiest passenger ports areSplitand Zadar.Many minor ports serve ferries connecting numerous islands and coastal cities with ferry lines to several cities in Italy.The largestriver portisVukovar, located on theDanube, representing the nation's outlet to the Pan-European transport corridor VII.
610 kilometres (380 miles) of crude oil pipelines serve Croatia, connecting theRijekaoil terminal with refineries in Rijeka andSisak, and several transhipment terminals.
The system has a capacity of 20 million tonnes per year.The natural gas transportation system comprises 2,113 kilometres (1,313 miles) of trunk and regional pipelines, and more than 300 associated structures, connecting production rigs, the Okoli natural gas storage facility, 27 end-users and 37 distribution systems.Croatia also plays an important role in regional energy security. The floatingliquefied natural gasimport terminal offKrkislandLNG Hrvatskacommenced operations on January 1, 2021, positioning Croatia as a regional energy leader and contributing to diversification of Europe's energy supply.
In 2010, Croatian energy production covered 85% of nationwide natural gas and 19% of oil demand.In 2016, Croatia's primary energy production involved natural gas (24.8%), hydropower (28.3%), crude oil (13.6%), fuelwood (27.6%), and heat pumps and other renewable energy sources (5.7%).In 2017, net total electrical power production reached 11,543 GWh, while it imported 12,157 GWh or about 40% of its electric power energy needs.
Krško Nuclear Power Plant(Slovenia) supplies a large part of Croatian imports. 50% is owned byHrvatska elektroprivreda, providing 15% of Croatia's electricity.
Ethnic map ofCroatiaby municipalities (2021)
With an estimated population of 3.87 million in 2021,Croatiaranks 127th by populationin the world.Its 2018population densitywas 72.9 inhabitants per square kilometre, making Croatia one of the more sparsely populated European countries.The overalllife expectancy in Croatiaat birth was 76.3 years in 2018.
Thetotal fertility rateof 1.41 children per mother, is one of thelowest in the world, far below the replacement rate of 2.1; it remains considerably below the high of 6.18 children rate in 1885.Croatia'sdeath ratehas continuously exceeded itsbirth ratesince 1998.Croatia subsequently has one of the world's oldest populations, with an average age of 43.3 years.The population rose steadily from 2.1 million in 1857 until 1991, when it peaked at 4.7 million, with the exceptions of censuses taken in 1921 and 1948, i.e., following the world wars.The natural growth rate is negativewith thedemographic transitioncompleted in the 1970s.In recent years, the Croatian government has been pressured to increase permit quotas for foreign workers, reaching an all-time high of 68.100 in 2019.In accordance with its immigration policy, Croatia is trying to entice emigrants to return.From 2008 to 2018, Croatia's population dropped by 10%.
The population decrease was greater a result of war for independence. The war displaced large numbers of the population and emigration increased. In 1991, in predominantly occupied areas, more than 400,000 Croats were either removed from their homes bySerbforces or fled the violence.During the war's final days, about 150–200,000 Serbs fled before the arrival of Croatian forces duringOperation Storm.After the war, the number of displaced persons fell to about 250,000. The Croatian government cared for displaced persons via the social security system and the Office of Displaced Persons and Refugees.Most of the territories abandoned during the war were settled by Croat refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly from north-western Bosnia, while some displaced people returned to their homes.
According to the 2013 United Nations report, 17.6% of Croatia's population were immigrants.According to the 2021 census, the majority of inhabitants are Croats (91.6%), followed by Serbs (3.2%),Bosniaks(0.62%),Roma(0.46%),Albanians(0.36%),Italians(0.36%),Hungarians(0.27%),Czechs(0.20%),Slovenes(0.20%),Slovaks(0.10%),Macedonians(0.09%),Germans(0.09%),Montenegrins(0.08%), and others (1.56%).Approximately 4 million Croatslive abroad.
Croatia has no official religion.Freedom of religionis a Constitutional right that protects allreligious communitiesasequal before the law and considers them separated from the state.
According to the 2011 census, 91.36% of Croatians identify as Christian; of these, Catholics make up the largest group, accounting for 86.28% of the population, after which followsEastern Orthodoxy(4.44%),Protestantism(0.34%), and other Christians (0.30%). The largest religion after Christianity isIslam(1.47%). 4.57% of the population describe itself as non-religious.In theEurostatEurobarometer Poll of 2010, 69% of the population responded that "they believe there is a God".In a 2009 Gallup poll, 70% answered yes to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"Yet, only 24% of the population attends religious services regularly.
Croatian is the official language of the Republic of Croatia.Minority languages are in official usein local government units where more than a third of the population consists of national minorities or where local enabling legislation applies. Those languages areCzech,Hungarian,Italian,Serbian, andSlovak.The following minority languages are also recognised:Albanian,Bosnian,Bulgarian, German,Hebrew,Macedonian,Montenegrin,Polish,Romanian,Istro-Romanian,Romani, Russian,Rusyn,Slovene,Turkish, andUkrainian.
According to the 2011 Census, 95.6% of citizens declared Croatian as their native language, 1.2% declared Serbian as their native language, while no other language reaches more than 0.5%.Croatian is a member of theSouth Slavic languagesand is written using theLatin alphabet. There are three major dialects spoken on the territory of Croatia, with standard Croatian based on theShtokaviandialect. TheChakavianandKajkaviandialects are distinguished from Shtokavian by theirlexicon,phonologyandsyntax.
A 2011 survey revealed that 78% of Croats claim knowledge of at least one foreign language.According to a 2005 EC survey, 49% of Croats speak English as the second language, 34% speak German, 14% speak Italian, 10% speak French, 4% speak Russian and 2% speak Spanish. However several large municipalities supportminority languages. A majority of Slovenes (59%) have some knowledge of Croatian.The country is a part of various language-based international associations, most notably theEuropean Union Language Association.
Literacy in Croatia stands at 99.2 per cent.Primary education in Croatia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades. In 2007 a law was passed to increase free, noncompulsory education until 18 years of age. Compulsory education consists of eight grades of elementary school.
Secondary education is provided bygymnasiumsand vocational schools. As of 2019, there are 2,103 elementary schools and 738 schools providing various forms of secondary education.Primary and secondary education are also available in languages of recognised minorities in Croatia, where classes are held in Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Serbian, German and Slovak languages.
There are 133 elementary and secondary levelmusicandart schools,as well as 83 elementary and 44 secondary schools for disabled children and youthand 11 elementary and 52 secondary schools for adults.Nationwideleaving exams(Croatian:državna matura) were introduced for secondary education students in the school year 2009–2010. It comprises three compulsory subjects (Croatian language, mathematics, and a foreign language) and optional subjects and is a prerequisite for university education.Croatia has eight public universities and two private universities.TheUniversity of Zadar, the first university in Croatia, was founded in 1396 and remained active until 1807, when other institutions of higher education took over until the foundation of the renewed University of Zadar in 2002.TheUniversity of Zagreb, founded in 1669, is the oldest continuously operating university in Southeast Europe.There are also 15polytechnics, of which two are private, and 30 higher education institutions, of which 27 are private.In total, there are 131 institutions of higher education in Croatia, attended by more than 160 thousand students.
There are 254 companies, government or education system institutions and non-profit organisations in Croatia pursuing scientific research and development of technology. Combined, they spent around 3 billion kuna (€400 million) gross and employed 11,801 full-time research staff in 2016.Among the scientific institutes operating in Croatia, the largest is theRuđer Bošković Institutein Zagreb.TheCroatian Academy of Sciences and Artsin Zagreb is alearned societypromoting language, culture, arts and science from its inception in 1866.Croatia was ranked 43rd in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024.
TheEuropean Investment Bankprovided digital infrastructure and equipment to around 150 primary and secondary schools in Croatia. Twenty of these schools got specialised assistance in the form of gear, software, and services to help them integrate the teaching and administrative operations.
Croatia has auniversal health caresystem, whose roots can be traced back to the Hungarian-Croatian Parliament Act of 1891, providing a form of mandatory insurance of all factory workers and craftsmen.The population is covered by a basic health insurance plan provided by statute and optional insurance. In 2017, annual healthcare related expenditures reached 22.2 billion kuna (around €3.0 billion).Healthcare expenditures comprise only 0.6% of private health insurance and public spending.In 2017, Croatia spent around 6.6% of its GDP on healthcare.In 2020, Croatia ranked 41st in the world in life expectancy with 76.0 years for men and 82.0 years for women, and it had a lowinfant mortality rateof 3.4 per 1,000live births.
There are hundreds of healthcare institutions in Croatia, including 75 hospitals, and 13 clinics with 23,049 beds. The hospitals and clinics care for more than 700 thousand patients per year and employ 6,642medical doctors, including 4,773 specialists.There is a total of 69,841 health workers.There are 119 emergency units in health centres, responding to more than a million calls.The principal cause of death in 2016 wascardiovascular diseaseat 39.7% for men and 50.1% for women, followed by tumours, at 32.5% for men and 23.4% for women.In 2016 it was estimated that 37.0% of Croatians are smokers.According to 2016 data, 24.40% of the Croatian adult population is obese.
StandardCroatianis the official language of the Republic of Croatia,and has been anofficial language of the European Unionsince Croatia's accession in 2013.Croatian replacedLatinas the official language of the Croatian government in the 19th century.Following theVienna Literary Agreementin 1850, the language and its Latin alphabet underwent reforms to create an unified "Croatian or Serbian" or "Serbo-Croatian" standard, which under various names became the official language ofYugoslavia.InSFR Yugoslavia, from 1972 to 1989, the language was constitutionally designated as the "Croatian literary language" and the "Croatian or Serbian language". It was the result of a resistance to andsecessionfrom "Serbo-Croatian" in the form of theDeclaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Literary Languageas part of theCroatian Spring.Since gaining independence in the early 1990s, the Republic of Croatia constitutionally designates the language as "Croatian language" and regulates it throughlinguistic prescription. The long-standing aspiration for development of its own expressions and thus enrichment of the language, as opposed to the adoption of foreign solutions in the form ofloanwords, has been described by linguists asCroatian linguistic purism.
Because of its geographical position, Croatia represents a blend of four different cultural spheres. It has been a crossroads of influences from western culture and the east since the schism between theWestern Roman Empireand theByzantine Empire, and also fromCentral EuropeandMediterranean culture.TheIllyrian movementwas the most significant period of national cultural history, as the 19th century proved crucial to the emancipation of Croatians and saw unprecedented developments in all fields of art and culture, giving rise to manyhistorical figures.
TheMinistry of Cultureis tasked with preserving the nation'scultural and natural heritageand overseeing its development. Further activities supporting the development of culture are undertaken at the local government level.TheUNESCO'sWorld Heritage Listincludesten sites in Croatiaand a list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Croatia.The country is also rich withintangible cultureand holds 15 ofUNESCO's World's intangible culture masterpieces, ranking fourth in the world.A global cultural contribution from Croatia is the necktie, derived from thecravatoriginally worn by the 17th-century Croatian mercenaries in France.
In 2019, Croatia had 95 professional theatres, 30 professional children's theatres, and 51 amateur theatres visited by more than 2.27 million viewers per year. Professional theatres employ 1,195 artists. There are 42 professional orchestras, ensembles, and choirs, attracting an annual attendance of 297 thousand. There are 75 cinemas with 166 screens and attendance of 5.026 million.
Croatia has 222 museums, visited by more than 2.71 million people in 2016. Furthermore, there are 1,768 libraries, containing 26.8 million volumes, and 19 state archives.The book publishing market is dominated by several major publishers and the industry's centrepiece event—Interliberexhibition held annually atZagreb Fair.
Architecture in Croatia reflects influences of bordering nations. Austrian and Hungarian influence is visible in public spaces and buildings in the north and the central regions, architecture found along coasts of Dalmatia and Istria exhibits Venetian influence.Squares named after culture heroes, parks, and pedestrian-only zones, are features of Croatian towns and cities, especially where large scaleBaroqueurban planning took place, for instance in Osijek (Tvrđa), Varaždin, and Karlovac.The subsequent influence of theArt Nouveauwas reflected in contemporary architecture.The architecture is the Mediterranean with a Venetian and Renaissance influence in major coastal urban areas exemplified in works ofGiorgio da SebenicoandNicolas of Florencesuch as theCathedral of St. Jamesin Šibenik. The oldest preserved examples of Croatian architecture are the 9th-century churches, with the largest and the most representative among them beingChurch of St. DonatusinZadar.
Besides the architecture encompassing the oldest artworks, there is a history of artists in Croatia reaching the Middle Ages. In that period the stone portal of theTrogir Cathedralwas made byRadovan, representing the most important monument ofRomanesquesculpture fromMedieval Croatia. TheRenaissancehad the greatest impact on the Adriatic Sea coast since the remainder was embroiled in the Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War. With the waning of the Ottoman Empire, art flourished during theBaroqueandRococo. The 19th and 20th centuries brought affirmation of numerous Croatian artisans, helped by several patrons of the arts such as bishopJosip Juraj Strossmayer.Croatian artists of the period achieving renown wereVlaho Bukovac,Ivan Meštrović, andIvan Generalić.
The Baška tablet, a stone inscribed with theglagolitic alphabetfound on the Krk island and dated toc.1100, is considered to be the oldest surviving prose in Croatian.The beginning of more vigorous development of Croatian literature is marked by the Renaissance andMarko Marulić. Besides Marulić, Renaissance playwrightMarin Držić, Baroque poetIvan Gundulić,Croatian national revivalpoetIvan Mažuranić, novelist, playwright, and poetAugust Šenoa, children's writerIvana Brlić-Mažuranić, writer and journalistMarija Jurić Zagorka, poet and writerAntun Gustav Matoš, poetAntun Branko Šimić,expressionistandrealistwriterMiroslav Krleža, poetTin Ujevićand novelist, and short story writerIvo Andrićare often cited as the greatest figures in Croatian literature.
Croatian music varies from classical operas to modern-day rock.Vatroslav Lisinskicreated the country's first opera,Love and Malice, in 1846.Ivan Zajccomposed more than a thousand pieces of music, including masses and oratorios. PianistIvo Pogorelićhas performed across the world.
In Croatia, the Constitution guarantees the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech.Croatia ranked 64th in the 2019Press Freedom Indexreport compiled byReporters Without Borderswhich noted that journalists who investigate corruption, organised crime or war crimes face challenges and that the Government was trying to influence the public broadcasterHRT's editorial policies.In its 2019 Freedom in the World report, theFreedom Houseclassified freedoms of press and speech in Croatia as generally free from political interference and manipulation, noting that journalists still face threats and occasional attacks.The state-owned news agencyHINAruns awire servicein Croatian and English on politics, economics, society, and culture.
As of January 2021, there are thirteen nationwide free-to-airDVB-Ttelevision channels, withCroatian Radiotelevision(HRT) operating four,RTL Televizijathree, andNova TVoperating two channels, and theCroatian Olympic Committee, Kapital Net d.o.o., and Author d.o.o. companies operate the remaining three.Also, there are 21 regional or local DVB-T television channels.The HRT is also broadcasting a satellite TV channel.In 2020, there were 147 radio stations and 27 TV stations in Croatia.Cable television andIPTVnetworks are gaining ground. Cable television already serves 450 thousand people, around 10% of the total population of the country.
In 2010, 267 newspapers and 2,676 magazines were published in Croatia.The print media market is dominated by the Croatian-ownedHanza Mediaand Austrian-ownedStyria Media Groupwho publish their flagship dailiesJutarnji list,Večernji listand24sata. Other influential newspapers areNovi listandSlobodna Dalmacija.In 2020,24satawas the most widely circulated daily newspaper, followed byVečernji listandJutarnji list.
Croatiacompeted in theEurovision Song Contestas part ofYugoslaviasince 1961. The first and only victory Yugoslavia achieved in the competition was accomplished by the Croatian pop bandRivain 1989. Since its debut at the1993 contest, Croatia won two fourth places at the1996and1999contests, and one second place at the2024 contest, marking the country's best result to date as an independent nation.
Croatia's film industry is small and heavily subsidised by the government, mainly through grants approved by the Ministry of Culture with films often being co-produced by HRT.Croatian cinema produces between five and ten feature films per year.Pula Film Festival, the national film awards event held annually inPula, is the most prestigious film event featuring national and international productions.Animafest Zagreb, founded in 1972, is the prestigious annual film festival dedicated to the animated film. The first greatest accomplishment by Croatian filmmakers was achieved byDušan Vukotićwhen he won the 1961Academy Award for Best Animated Short FilmforErsatz(Croatian:Surogat).Croatian film producerBranko Lustigwon theAcademy Awards for Best PictureforSchindler's ListandGladiator.In addition to that, Croatian filmmakerNebojša Slijepčević[hr]got nominated for97th Academy Awardsin category forBest Live Action Short Filmfor his 2024 movieThe Man Who Could Not Remain Silent(Croatian:Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti), making it first Croatian nomination in that category, and first since it'sindependence.
Before and since itsindependence, Croatia has become a popular filming destination amongs international filming productions, and a lot ofblockbusterfilms and TV series have been filmed in Croatia including:Game of Thrones,Star Wars: The Last Jedi,Robin Hoodin Dubrovnik,Speak No EvilandSeason of the Witchin Istria,Infinity Poolin Šibenik,Canary Black,Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,Sophie's ChoiceandFiddler on the roofin Zagreb,Mamma Mia! Here We Go Againon island of Vis,Hercules,The Weekend Away,Blissin Split,The Peacemakerand many others.Croatia became international filming location due to its biodiversity, landscape that can accommodate every visual requirements and cheaper filming costs.In last 11 years there has been 122 projects for international films in Croatia, and €263 million spent as part of the Filming in Croatia which increased in last years due to high demand for its location.
Croatian traditional cuisine varies from one region to another. Dalmatia and Istria have culinary influences ofItalianand otherMediterranean cuisineswhich prominently feature various seafood, cooked vegetables and pasta, and condiments such as olive oil and garlic.Austrian,Hungarian,Turkish, andBalkanculinary styles influenced continental cuisine. In that area, meats, freshwater fish, and vegetable dishes are predominant.
There are two distinct wine-producing regions in Croatia. The continental in the northeast of the country, especially Slavonia, produces premium wines, particularly whites. Along the north coast, Istrian and Krk wines are similar to those in neighbouring Italy, while further south in Dalmatia, Mediterranean-style red wines are the norm.Annual production of wine exceeds 72 million litres as of 2017.Croatia was almost exclusively a wine-consuming country up until the late 18th century when a more massive beer production and consumption started.
There are 11 restaurants in Croatia with aMichelin starand 89 restaurants bearing some of the Michelin's marks.
There are more than 400,000 active sportspeople in Croatia.Croatia has a strong sporting tradition, and sport is an essential part of theeducational systemat all levels. Many young people engage in sports both within and outside of school, with many of these activities becoming a regular part of daily life as a form of recreation. In order to continue achieving success and further strengthen sports, theCroatian Parliamentadopted the first National Sports Program for the period 2019–2026 in 2019, based on the Sports Act, recognizing sport as an activity of special importance to the country.
There are approximately 12,500 active sports associations in Croatia. Football is the most popular sport, with around 1,500 registered clubs and about 127,000 active players. Like in many other European countries, sports in Croatia are funded through both public and private sources, including government and local budgets, sponsorships, memberships, and household contributions. In recent years, theEuropean Unionhas also provided increasing financial support.
The highest sports organization in the country is the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), established in 1991. The HOO oversees 86 national sports federations, 42 of which represent Olympic sports, while 44 are non-Olympic sports. Association football is the most popular sport. TheCroatian Football Federation(Croatian:Hrvatski nogometni savez), with more than 118,000 registered players, is the largest sporting association.
Football is the most popular sport in Croatia, its umbrella organization is theCroatian Football Federation. TheCroatian national football teamfirst participated inFIFA World Cupin1998, when they came in third, and kept participating in2002,2006,2014,2018and in the2022 FIFA World Cup. Croatian national football team made it to the finals in the2018 FIFA World Cup, when they eventually lost toFrance, becoming runners-up (2nd). The match was attended by 78,000 people inLuzhniki Stadium. Croatian footballerLuka ModrićreceivedGolden Ball. This achievement had major impact on Croatian sport and culture, gathering more than 550,000 fans inZagreb, when they came back fromRussia. Four years later, in2022, Croatia made it to 3rd place ofFIFA World Cup, making another achievement in Croatian Sport.Prva HNLfootball league attracts the highestaverage attendanceof any professional sports league. Inseason 2010–11, it attracted 458,746 spectators.
Croatian athletes competing at international events since Croatian independence in 1991 won 44Olympic medals, including 15 gold medals.Also, Croatian athletes won 16 gold medals at world championships, including four in athletics at the World Championships in Athletics.
Croatia has often been portrayed as an international force in handball, having won the gold at theOlympic Gamestwice, oneWorld Championship, and have played in the finals of theEuropean Championship, three times.The Croatian national team that won the1996 Olympicsgold medal. Croatia won their first major trophy at the2003 World Men's Handball Championship. During2025 World Men's Handball Championship,Croatia men's national handball teammade it to the finals, and took 2nd place, after loosing toDenmark. The event took place in Croatia, as well inDenmarkandNorway.
In tennis, they wonDavis Cupin 2005 and 2018. Croatia's most successful male playersGoran IvaniševićandMarin Čilićhave both wonGrand Slamtitles and have got into the top 3 of theATP rankings.Ognjen Cvitanwon theWorld Junior Chess Championshipin 1981. In waterpolo, they have three world titles.Iva Majolibecame the first Croatian female player to win the French Open when she won it in1997.
Croatia hosted several major sports competitions, including the2009 World Men's Handball Championship, the2007 World Table Tennis Championships, the2000 World Rowing Championships, the1987 Summer Universiade, the1979 Mediterranean Games, and severalEuropean Championships, including the2000,2018and2025 World Men's Handball Championship,2024 Men's European Water Polo Championship.
The governing sports authority is theCroatian Olympic Committee(Croatian:Hrvatski olimpijski odbor), founded on 10 September 1991 and recognised by theInternational Olympic Committeesince 17 January 1992, in time to permit the Croatian athletes to appear at the1992 Winter OlympicsinAlbertville, France representing the newly independent nation for the first time at theOlympic Games.
In November 1992, the first international connection linking Zagreb and Vienna became operational, making it the first internet in Croatia.
70% of the Croatia's population regularly uses the internet and 55% have been reported to have basic technological skills.
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