Croatia's economic activity picked up in Q3 2021, thanks to the prolonged tourist season the number of persons in work continued to grow in September at similar rates as in July and August, and the decline in unemployment accelerated, the Croatian Central Bank (HNB) Council said on Wednesday.

The HNB Council met to discuss current economic and financial trends.

The annual rise in consumer prices picked up from 3.1 percent in August to 3.3 percent in September, mostly on the back of the accelerated annual rise in energy prices. Core inflation was 1.9 percent in September.

The annual growth rate of bank lending in September remained at 4.1 percent as a result of a slowdown in the growth of corporate lending from 1.2 percent in August to 1.0 percent in September and a slightly acceleration in the growth of household lending from 4.6 percent to 4.7 percent.