Population of Croatia

As of April 2025, the population of Croatia is 4 million. The number of inhabitants has decreased by 22 thousand in the last year, representing a decline of 0.56%. The median age of the population has increased in recent years, rising from 42.2 years in 2015 to 44.7 years in 2025. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 79.7 years and population density is 70.9 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Population Growth

The population growth rate of Croatia peaked in 1950, reaching around 0.97% annually, but has since declined to approximately -0.56% in 2025. The annual increase in the number of people has also decreased from a peak of around 38.42 thousand in 1954 to nearly -22.35 thousand in 2025.

Life Expectancy

In Croatia, life expectancy at birth has been increasing, with the indicator rising from 75.4 years in 2005 to 79.7 years in 2025, representing an increase of more than 4 years over the past 2 decades.

Most populous cities in Croatia

The cities of Croatia are mostly small, but 3 stand out with more than 100 thousand inhabitants. The most populous city is Zagreb, con una diferencia significativa sobre las demás, alcanzando approximately 663.6 thousand inhabitants. It is followed by Split, Split-Dalmatia with 149.8 thousand and Rijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar with 108 thousand.

These are the 20 most populous cities in Croatia: