World Factbook
Croatia
Republika Hrvatska
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
Languages
Croatian (official) 95.2%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3.1% (including Bosnian, Romani, Albanian, and Italian) unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s)
Knjiga svjetskih činjenica, nužan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Croatian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1 male(s)/female
total population
0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.71 male(s)/female
Birth rate
8.49 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
12.87 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
43.2 years
total
44.9 years (2025 est.)
female
47 years
Population
male
1,968,334
total
4,071,208 (2025 est.)
female
2,102,874
Nationality
note
note: the French designation of "Croate" to Croatian mercenaries in the 17th century eventually became "Cravate" and later came to be applied to the soldiers' scarves - the cravat; Croatia celebrates Cravat Day every 18 October
noun
Croat(s), Croatian(s)
adjective
Croatian
Tobacco use
male
33.6% (2025 est.)
total
32.8% (2025 est.)
female
32.1% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
58.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
13.8% (male 296,527/female 278,236)
15-64 years
63.1% (male 1,307,814/female 1,309,394)
65 years and over
23.1% (2024 est.) (male 399,090/female 559,055)
Ethnic groups
Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
55.9 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
21.5 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
2.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
34.4 (2025 est.)
Physician density
3.91 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.1% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
13.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
5.6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.43 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
8.5% national budget (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
8.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total
3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
8.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
-0.53% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.69 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
more of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated
Life expectancy at birth
male
74.6 years
female
81 years
total population
77.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
3.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
9.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
1.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
684,000 ZAGREB (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
24.4% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
29 years (2020 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
50.1% (2021 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
15 years (2022 est.)
total
16 years (2022 est.)
female
17 years (2022 est.)