Retail sales in Croatia rose for the eleventh month in a row in December 2021, and at an even faster pace than in November, with the total annual volume of spending in 2021 up by more than 12 percent from 2020, the state statistics bureau said on Friday.

Retail sales increased in December by 1.4 percent from November 2021 and by 8.5 percent from December 2020, indicating a faster year-on-year growth than in November 2021, when it increased by 5.2 percent.

December was the 11th month in a row which saw a year-on-year increase in spending, after it had been shrinking for 11 months in a row amid the pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, from March 2020 to January 2021.

In December this year, the retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco products decreased by 0.2 percent year-on-year whereas sales of non-food products (apart from motor fuel), jumped by 13.5 percent on the year.

Retail turnover increased by 12.1 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 – when it had dropped by 5.5 percent compared to 2019.

In Q3 2021, Croatia’s GDP growth was 15.8 percent year-on-year, on the heels of Q2 2021, which saw 16.5 growth year-on-year. “Based on macroeconomic indicators, that growth continued in Q4,” state agency Hina said.