Croatia

parliamentary republic

name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the city's name means "beyond the bank (or ditch)"; za in Old Croat means "beyond," and greb means "bank" or "ditch," relating to the city's original site above the Sava River

chief of state: President Zoran MILANOVIC (since 18 February 2020) head of government: Prime Minister Andrej PLENKOVIC (since 19 October 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and approved by the Assembly most recent election date: December 2024 (first round) and January 2025 (second round) election results: 2025: Zoran MILANOVIC elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Zoran MILANOVIC (SDP) 74.6%, Dragan PRIMORAC (independent) 25.3% 2019: Zoran MILANOVIC elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Zoran MILANOVIC (SDP) 52.7%, Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC (HDZ) 47.3% expected date of next election: 2029

legislature name: Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski Sabor) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 151 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 4/17/2024 parties elected and seats per party: Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) (55); Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) (37); Homeland Movement (DP) (11); We Can! – Political Platform (Možemo!) (10); Bridge (Most) (7); Other (20) percentage of women in chamber: 33.1% expected date of next election: April 2028 note: of the 151 seats, 140 members come from 10 multi-seat constituencies, with 3 members in a constituency for Croatian diaspora; voters belonging to recognized minorities elect an additional 8 members from a nationwide constituency: the Serb minority elects 3 members, the Hungarian and Italian minorities elect 1 each, the Czech and Slovak minorities elect 1 jointly, and all other minorities elect 2

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and vice president, 25 civil department justices, and 16 criminal department justices) judge selection and term of office: president of Supreme Court nominated by the president of Croatia and elected by the Sabor for a 4-year term; other Supreme Court justices appointed by the National Judicial Council; all judges serve until age 70 subordinate courts: Administrative Court; county, municipal, and specialized courts note: an 11-member Constitutional Court has jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues, but it is outside the judicial system

history: several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1990 amendment process: proposed by at least one fifth of the Assembly membership, by the president of the republic, by the Government of Croatia, or through petition by at least 10% of the total electorate; proceedings to amend require majority vote by the Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; passage by petition requires a majority vote in a referendum and promulgation by the Assembly

AIIB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EMU, EU, FAO, G-11, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 2% of GDP (2021 est.)

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH): Croatian Army (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Croatian Navy (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM; includes Coast Guard), Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo, HRZ) (2025) note: the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for internal security, including law enforcement (Croatia Police) and border security

18-29 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 2008 but will be reinstated in 2026 when it will become mandatory for men aged 19-29 to undergo two months of basic military training (2025) note: as of 2024, women comprised about 14% of the military's full-time personnel

the Armed Forces of Croatia (OSRH) are responsible for the defense of Croatia s sovereignty and territory, contributing to international humanitarian, peacekeeping, and security missions, and providing assistance to civil authorities for such missions as responding to disasters, search and rescue, anti-terrorism, and internal security in times of crisis if called upon by the prime minister or the president; Croatia joined NATO in 2009, and the OSRH participates in NATO missions, including its peacekeeping force in Kosovo and the Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Eastern Europe; it also contributes to EU and UN missions; the OSRH trains regularly with NATO and regional partners the OSRH was established in 1991 from the Croatian National Guard during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-95); during the war, the ground forces grew to as many as 60 brigades and dozens of independent battalions, and a single military offensive against Serbian forces in 1995 included some 100,000 Croatian troops; in 2000, Croatia initiated an effort to modernize and reform the OSRH into a small, professional military capable of meeting the challenges of NATO membership (2025)

150 Kosovo (KFOR/NATO); also has a few hundred personnel participating in several other EU, NATO, and UN missions (2025)

$164.825 billion (2024 est.) $158.769 billion (2023 est.) $153.693 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$42,600 (2024 est.) $41,100 (2023 est.) $39,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

3.8% (2024 est.) 3.3% (2023 est.) 7.3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3% (2024 est.) 7.9% (2023 est.) 10.8% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

75.6% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$46.601 billion (2024 est.) $45.064 billion (2023 est.) $41.907 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$49.86 billion (2024 est.) $46.811 billion (2023 est.) $46.769 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

5.3% (2024 est.) 6.1% (2023 est.) 7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $32.487 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $33.715 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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

maize, wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, soybeans, sunflower seeds, potatoes, pork, grapes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 4,071,208 (2025 est.) male: 1,968,334 female: 2,102,874

-0.53% (2025 est.)

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)

8.49 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

12.87 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 77.7 years (2024 est.) male: 74.6 years female: 81 years

urban population: 58.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)

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.

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.)

oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

refugees: 29,927 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 758 (2024 est.)

45 (2025)

total: 2,617 km (2020) 980 km electrified

total: 384 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 10, general cargo 32, oil tanker 14, other 328

total subscriptions: 4.72 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 83% (2023 est.)