Croatia Population
Croatia had an estimated population of 3,876,200 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 130th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.05% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.26% a year.
Croatia at a glance
How Croatia's population is changing
Croatia's population is roughly stable: +0.26% a year, which works out to about +10,013 people per year, or +27 a day. Births (8.3 per 1,000) and deaths (13.2 per 1,000) alone would give −0.49% a year; net migration removes about 3,481 people a year (−0.09%). Roughly one in every 2,119 people on Earth lives in Croatia.
Population of Croatia since 1960
In 1960, Croatia had 4,140,181 people. By 2025 that was 3,876,200 — 6% smaller. The population peaked in 1990 at 4,777,368 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 7%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,140,181 | — |
| 1970 | 4,412,252 | +6.6% |
| 1980 | 4,599,782 | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 4,777,368 | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 4,468,302 | −6.5% |
| 2010 | 4,295,427 | −3.9% |
| 2020 | 3,914,206 | −8.9% |
| 2025 | 3,876,200 | −1.0% |
Croatia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Croatia at about 1,227,886 people in 1800; the UN estimates 3,848,164 in 2025 (3× 1800) and projects 2,141,436 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1990 at 4,835,067 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,227,886 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,597,319 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,493,105 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 3,864,992 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 4,326,105 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 3,848,164 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 3,234,155 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 2,624,398 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 2,141,436 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Croatia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 3,876,200. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zagreb | 623,091 | UN urban centre | 16.07% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Split | 190,315 | UN urban centre | 4.91% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Rijeka | 115,993 | UN urban centre | 2.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Osijek | 69,790 | UN urban centre | 1.80% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Zadar | 65,529 | UN urban centre | 1.69% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Pula | 52,220 | GeoNames settlement | 1.35% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Slavonski Brod | 45,005 | GeoNames settlement | 1.16% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Karlovac | 41,869 | GeoNames settlement | 1.08% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Varaždin | 36,187 | GeoNames settlement | 0.93% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Šibenik | 31,115 | GeoNames settlement | 0.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Croatia compares
Croatia has almost the same population as Georgia (3,935,766).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Croatia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #128 |  Panama | 4,571,189 | +18% | compare → |
| #129 |  Georgia | 3,935,766 | +2% | compare → |
| #131 |  Eritrea | 3,607,003 | −7% | compare → |
| #132 |  Mongolia | 3,568,978 | −8% | compare → |
Compare Croatia with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Croatia
Land neighbours (5)
Hungary 9,514,251 · 2.5× the population · compare
Serbia 6,549,143 · 1.7× the population · compare
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,140,095 · 1.2× smaller · compare
Slovenia 2,130,986 · 1.8× smaller · compare
Montenegro 623,129 · 6.2× smaller · compare
Croatia's 5 neighbours together hold 21,957,604 people — 5.7× Croatia's population. The most populous is Hungary (9,514,251).
In its region
Croatia is the 35th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.4% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Croatia
Cities
Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Pula, Slavonski Brod, Karlovac — all Croatia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Croatia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.