Although the endemic emigration resulted in some 150,000 Croatians moving out of the country from 2013 to 2017, some regions of the country, like Istria in the northwest, or the capital Zagreb, still have population growth. In terms of cities outside the capital, Dubrovnik topped the list in terms of newcomers over the past seven years.

According to the most recent data by the state statistics bureau, in spite of the negative overall trends, some 62,000 people moved into the country from abroad since 2013, mainly thanks to the development of the tourist industry in the coastal areas.

This is reflected in the fact that nine out of ten cities with the largest number of newcomers are on the seaside, with Samobor, a town 20 kilometres west of Zagreb, the sole exception to the rule, according to a report published by the website Gradonacelnik.hr which covers small town communities and local administration topics.

The city posted a record high number of newcomers in the period from 2011 to 2017 was Dubrovnik, with a net immigration of 1,545 people. Second-ranked Kastela, near the major Adriatic city of Split, recorded a net immigration of 1,345, followed by the towns of Solin, Vodice, and Umag in Istria, the town of Krk on the eponymous island of Krk, Porec, Novalja on the island of Pag, Supetar on the island of Brac, and Samobor.

Out of all the cities in the country, Dubrovnik not only attracted the largest number of new residents from other parts of Croatia, but people immigrating to it from abroad also outnumbered its residents leaving the country.

Asked to comment, Dubrovnik mayor Mato Frankovic said that he was pleased with the encouraging population trends in his city.

“Dubrovnik offers a lot of opportunities for employment and for personal growth for both individuals and young families. The biggest challenge here, though, is housing. So the city developed a house building scheme which offers ten-year controlled rent contracts, after which the apartment can be bought from the city, and we recently launched the construction of the first 43 flats using that scheme. Housing will remain to be the single biggest issue here, and I expect it to be alleviated a bit after a new student dormitory is built, because this will free up some apartments for incoming people who come here for jobs in the thriving tourist industry,” Frankovic said.

Novalja on the northern Adriatic island of Pag ranked eighth terms of newcomers with nearly 400 new residents in the 2011-17 period, but that number puts it second in terms of population percentage, right behind the town of Vis on the island of Vis. In Novalja, this translates to 10.8 population growth over six years.

After Vis and Novalja, all the other towns with the largest population increase in terms of percentage are also small-sized coastal or island towns – Supetar, Krk, Nin, Stari Grad, Novigrad, Vodice, Hvar, and Komiza, according to Gradonačelnik.hr.

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