The Croatian Bureau of Statistics has published data on natural population development, which shows that the number of live births in 2023 fell by 5.1% compared to 2022 and the natural growth rate was negative at -5% (-19,105 people).

The negative natural change is also reflected in the vital index (live births per 100 deaths), which was 62.7.

All counties showed negative natural growth, with the highest value recorded in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County with -2,092 and a vital index of 45.1. Forty-three cities/municipalities had positive natural growth, 508 cities/municipalities and the city of Zagreb had negative natural growth and four municipalities had zero natural growth.

In 2023, there were 1,713 fewer births than in 2022. The total number of births in 2023 was 32,325, of which 32,170 were live births and 155 were stillbirths. Of the 32,170 live births, 16,355 were boys and 15,815 were girls. The birth rate (live births per 1,000 inhabitants) was 8.3 %.

Last year, 5,704 fewer people died (a decrease of 10%) than in 2022. Of the total number of deaths (51,275), 25,617 were men and 25,658 were women. The mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 inhabitants) was 13.3 %.

In 2023, 127 infants died, which corresponds to 0.25% of the total number of deaths, including 59 who died within the first six days of life. The infant mortality rate (number of deceased infants per 1,000 live births) was 3.9, compared to 4.1 in 2022. The lowest infant mortality rate was in Varazdin County (0.8) and the highest in Bjelovar-Bilogora County (9.1).

Last year, 17,306 marriages took place. The marriage rate (marriages per 1,000 inhabitants) was 4.5. There were 4,407 legally binding divorces. The divorce rate (number of divorces per 1,000 inhabitants) was 1.1.