As of mid-2023, Croatia's population was 3,853,200, down 0.06% on the year, but since the end of 2022, the number of immigrants turned the trend around and the population increased by 0.06%, per the national statistical office (DSZ).

The male population increased by 0.4%, notably in the 25-29 age group (+3.5%), which could be due to migration trends, Dubravka Rogić-Hadžalić of the DSZ has told Hina.

The population estimate by mid-2023, which the DZS published on Friday, was calculated based on data from the 2021 census, natural trends and the migration balance, she said.

Croatia has less and less younger and more and more older inhabitants. After WWII, there were two to three times as many births as today.

The increase in some age groups is also due to the immigration of foreign workers, Rogić-Hadžalić said.

The situation on the labour market requires the immigration of men, mainly in the 25-29 age group, due to significant demand in services and construction.

A comparison of the population’s age in mid-2023 and mid-2022 shows an increase in the 70-74 age group (+3.45%) and among those 75 and over (+1.60%), which confirms the populating ageing trend.

The younger population is decreasing, -1.36% among children up to the age of four, -1.34% in the 5-9 age group, and -1.32% in the 10-14 cohort. A consequence of the decrease in the younger population is fewer live births for many years ahead.

DZS data show that last year Croatia saw the lowest number of births since records are kept, more marriages and fewer deaths, which somewhat improved the negative population growth situation.

Rogić-Hadžalić estimates the population trend will be increasingly stable, saying the Croatians who emigrated will not come back that easily, while immigrants depend on the migration policy and the approval of work permit quotas.

As of mid-2023, Croatia had 1,985,200 women and 1,868,000 men.