| variable | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 2.71 | 4.4 | -4.05 | 0.38 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| CPI % | 205.07 | 3.26 | 1.65 | 1.09 | 8.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 2.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 14.3 | 17.75 | 15.85 | 14.63 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Debt/GDP % | 29.57 | 38.27 | 52.35 | 76.32 | 60.9 | 57.4 | 55.9 | 56.5 | 56.9 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | 3.58 | -7.2 | -4.35 | 0.48 | 0.1 | -2.2 | -3.2 | -3.8 | -3.3 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent communist state consisting of six socialist republics, including Croatia, under the strong hand of Josip Broz, aka TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before Yugoslav forces were cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. The country joined NATO in 2009 and the EU in 2013. In January 2023, Croatia further integrated into the EU by joining the Eurozone and the Schengen Area.
Area: 56,594 sq km km2
Climate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Natural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Groups: Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)
Languages: Croatian (official) 95.2%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3.1% (including Bosnian, Romani, Albanian, and Italian) unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 79%, Orthodox 3.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other Christian 4.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.1%, agnostic 1.7%, none or atheist 4.7%, unspecified 3.9% (2021 est.)
Capital: Zagreb
Government type: parliamentary republic
Chief of state: President Zoran MILANOVIC (since 18 February 2020)
Head of government: Prime Minister Andrej PLENKOVIC (since 19 October 2016)
Description: Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski Sabor) - unicameral
upper-middle-income Balkan economy; newest euro user (introduced in 2023); increased investments from EU structural funds and tourism sector contributing to strong but moderating economic growth; declining energy prices and restrictive monetary policy easing inflation; historically low unemployment rate with labor shortages within services and manufacturing sectors
chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 3.4% (2024 est.), Industry: 19.8% (2024 est.), Services: 59.7% (2024 est.)
Export partners: Italy 14%, Germany 11%, Slovenia 11%, Bosnia & Herzegovina 6%, Austria 6% (2023)
Export commodities: ships, garments, electricity, packaged medicine, wood (2023)
Import partners: Italy 14%, Germany 14%, Slovenia 11%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5% (2023)
Import commodities: refined petroleum, cars, garments, natural gas, crude petroleum (2023)
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Military expenditure: 2025: 2% of GDP (2025 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.