Geography
Size snapshot: slightly smaller than West Virginia.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Croatia
EuropeGlobal Leader
With a global ranking of #8, Croatia leads in tourist arrivals. Test your knowledge of this global leader.
With a global ranking of #8, Croatia leads in tourist arrivals. Few places match this level of performance. Test your knowledge of this global leader.
45.2, 15.5 - Europe
Area
57K km²
Pop.
4.07M
Stats
130
Reality brief
Croatia is a country in Europe with a population of 4.07M and an area of 56,594 km². Life expectancy is 78.5 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
University Enrollment Rate
81.18%#23globally
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Human Development Index
0.89#41globally
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita
$42,631.32#49globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
$48,816.95#52globally
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
Life Expectancy
78.5 years#60globally
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Croatia
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Croatian (official) 95.2%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3.1% (including Bosnian, Romani, and more.
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Republic of Croatia.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Croatia
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Zagreb
Croatia
Famous94/100
Open city guide
Split
Split-Dalmatia, Croatia
Notable57/100
Open city guide
Osijek
County of Osijek-Baranja, Croatia
Notable54/100
Open city guide
Pula
Istria, Croatia
Notable54/100
Open city guide
Rijeka
Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia
Notable54/100
Open city guide
Zadar
Croatia
Notable54/100
Open city guide
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Elderly Population (%)
23.19%#9globallyTop stat
Share of the population ages 65 and older, from World Bank Open Data.
Smoking Rate
37%#9globallyTop stat
The percentage of people aged 15 and older who use tobacco products.
Tourist Arrivals
21.61M#8globallyTop stat
How many international tourists visit the country each year.
Coastline Length
5.8K km#23globallyTop stat
Total coastline length from CIA World Factbook.
Protected Land (%)
38.4%#21globallyTop stat
The percentage of land area designated as protected natural reserves or parks.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Ranks #12 globally in death rate
#1212.87 per 1kDeath Rate
The number of deaths per 1,000 people each year.
Ranks #13 globally in beer consumption
#134.2 L/person/yrBeer Consumption
Liters of beer consumed per person per year, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Has one of the highest suicide rate figures
#2315.68 per 100kSuicide Rate
Suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people, from World Bank Open Data.
Ranks #21 globally in hospital beds (per 1,000)
#215.6 per 1kHospital Beds (per 1,000)
The number of hospital beds available per 1,000 people.
Only ranks #197 in birth rate
#1978.5 per 1kBirth Rate
The number of babies born per 1,000 people each year.
Compared with the region
How Croatia Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Croatia
Europe avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $48,816.95
- Region avg
- $57,483.02
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Croatia$48,816.95
Europe$57,483.02
World$31,844.55
+53% above worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 78.5 years
- Region avg
- 80.0 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Croatia78.5 years
Europe80.0 years
World73.7 years
+6% above worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.89
- Region avg
- 0.89
- World avg
- 0.74
Croatia0.89
Europe0.89
World0.74
+20% above worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 83.63%
- Region avg
- 90.13%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Croatia83.63%
Europe90.13%
World70.29%
+19% above worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Croatia
Country briefing
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I.
Read the full Factbook note
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent communist state consisting of six socialist republics, including Croatia, under the strong hand of Josip Broz, aka TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before Yugoslav forces were cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. The country joined NATO in 2009 and the EU in 2013. In January 2023, Croatia further integrated into the EU by joining the Eurozone and the Schengen Area.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
- Climate
- Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
- Terrain
- geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
- Natural Resources
- oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
- Natural Hazards
- destructive earthquakes
- Size Comparison
- slightly smaller than West Virginia
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- Croatian (official) 95.2%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3.1% (including Bosnian, Romani, Albanian, and Italian) unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 79%, Orthodox 3.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other Christian 4.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.1%, agnostic 1.7%, none or atheist 4.7%, unspecified 3.9% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)
- Major Cities
- 684,000 ZAGREB (capital) (2023)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- parliamentary republic
- Capital
- Zagreb
- Capital Coordinates
- 45 48 N, 16 00 E
- Capital Timezone
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Republic of Croatia
- Name Origin
- name probably derives from the Croats, a Slavic tribe who migrated to the Balkans in the 7th century A.D., but that name may be related to the Russian word khrebet, meaning "mountain chain"
- Independence
- 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia); notable earlier dates: ca. 925 (Kingdom of Croatia established), 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes established, later became Yugoslavia)
- National Symbols
- red-and-white checkerboard
- National Anthem
- "Lijepa nasa domovino" (Our Beautiful Homeland)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 10 (8 cultural, 2 natural)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- upper-middle-income Balkan economy; newest euro user (introduced in 2023); increased investments from EU structural funds and tourism sector contributing to strong but moderating economic growth; declining energy prices and restrictive monetary policy easing inflation; historically low unemployment rate with labor shortages within services and manufacturing sectors
- Industries
- chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism
- Agricultural Products
- maize, wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, soybeans, sunflower seeds, potatoes, pork, grapes (2023)
- Export Partners
- Italy 14%, Germany 11%, Slovenia 11%, Bosnia & Herzegovina 6%, Austria 6% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- ships, garments, electricity, packaged medicine, wood (2023)
- Import Partners
- Italy 14%, Germany 14%, Slovenia 11%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- refined petroleum, cars, garments, natural gas, crude petroleum (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense4 facts
- Military Forces
- Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH): Croatian Army (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Croatian Navy (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM; includes Coast Guard), Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo, HRZ) (2025)
- Military Service
- 18-29 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 2008 but will be reinstated in 2026 when it will become mandatory for men aged 19-29 to undergo two months of basic military training (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 31.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 14.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 48.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 3.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- the national state-owned public broadcaster, Croatian Radiotelevision, operates 4 terrestrial TV networks, a satellite channel that rebroadcasts programs for Croatians overseas, and 6 regional TV centers; 2 private broadcasters with national terrestrial networks; 29 privately owned regional TV stations; multi-channel cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; state-owned public broadcaster operates 4 national radio networks and 23 regional radio stations; 2 privately owned national radio networks and 117 local radio stations (2019)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Lifestyle5 statsBest: #8
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #9
Smoking Rate
Suicide Rate
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Doctors (per 1,000)
Obesity Rate
Life Expectancy
Health Spending (% GDP)
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Demographics12 statsBest: #9
Elderly Population (%)
Death Rate
Median Age
Dependency Ratio
Population
Land Area
Population Density
Urban Population (%)
Teen Birth Rate
Fertility Rate
Birth Rate
Youth Population (%)
Environment9 statsBest: #13
Protected Land (%)
Renewable Energy (%)
Electricity Access (%)
CO2 Per Capita
Forest Coverage (%)
Total CO2 Emissions
Forest Area
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Irrigated Land
170 km²#133
Education & Future6 statsBest: #23
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #23
Coastline Length
5.8K km#23
Land Border Length
2.2K km#84
Lowest Elevation
0 m#104
Highest Elevation
1.8K m#135
Wealth & Economy10 statsBest: #44
Government Debt (% GDP)
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
GDP Per Capita
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
High-Tech Exports (%)
GDP (Nominal)
Youth Unemployment Rate
GDP Growth Rate
Unemployment Rate
Inflation Rate
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #50
Society & Equality2 statsBest: #54
Military & Defense2 statsBest: #78
Energy1 statsBest: #87
Electric Generating Capacity
5.52M kW#87
Keep exploring
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Where Croatia leads
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Share a country stat
Turn Croatia's strongest number into a challenge card.
Croatia
#23 in University Enrollment Rate
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Top 10% globally
81.18%
Frequently Asked Questions about Croatia
What is the population of Croatia?
Croatia has a population of 4.07M, ranking #129 globally by population.
What continent is Croatia in?
Croatia is located in Europe. It has an area of 56,594 km².
What is the life expectancy in Croatia?
Life expectancy in Croatia is 78.5 years, ranking #60 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Croatia?
Croatia's GDP per capita (PPP) is $48,816.95, ranking #52 globally.
What is Croatia known for in global statistics?
Croatia ranks particularly high in University Enrollment Rate (#23), Human Development Index (#41), GDP Per Capita (#49).
What is Croatia's Human Development Index?
Croatia has an HDI of 0.889, ranking #41 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is Croatia?
Croatia has a population density of 69.0 people per km², ranking #135 globally.