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Croatia's population is declining: low birth rates and emigration are the big problems

2022-03-06T08:56:46.378Z


Croatia's population is declining: low birth rates and emigration are the big problems Created: 03/06/2022, 09:41 By: Aleksandra Fedorska View of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik from the small mountain Srdj. © Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL/Imago The number of inhabitants in Croatia has been declining for decades - also during Corona. Two aspects are particularly stressful for Croatian families. Zagreb


Croatia's population is declining: low birth rates and emigration are the big problems

Created: 03/06/2022, 09:41

By: Aleksandra Fedorska

View of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik from the small mountain Srdj.

© Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL/Imago

The number of inhabitants in Croatia has been declining for decades - also during Corona.

Two aspects are particularly stressful for Croatian families.

Zagreb - A census from last year showed that Croatia* now only has 3,888,529 inhabitants.

Ten years ago it was around nine percent more.

Since then, the country has had 400,000 fewer inhabitants, which is roughly the size of Croatian cities such as Split or Rijeka.

Population numbers are declining not only in rural areas but also in cities, which is particularly unusual given the demographic problems in the Western Balkans.

Along with Latvia*, Bulgaria* and Romania*, Croatia is one of the countries in the EU whose population is steadily declining.

Population decline in Croatia: causes and background

The Croatian Central Statistical Office has already announced alarming numbers for 2020.

A total of 63,611 Croatians died in 2019.

In no year since the Second World War have so many people died in Croatia in one year.

On the other hand, only 36,478 children were born.

This results in significant negative growth.

According to the Central Statistical Office, this trend continued.

Croatian media see the main reasons for childlessness in the insufficient job offer and lack of housing for young couples.

Croatia has an unemployment rate of seven percent.

The high mortality rate from the Corona pandemic* has certainly contributed to the devastating statistics, but there is also likely an increase in mortality from other diseases that could not be detected or treated in time due to the strain on the health system.

Population in Croatia: No compensation through immigration

From a demographic perspective, however, the question arises as to why immigration to Croatia is not compensating for or at least limiting the decline in population.

In 2020, 33,414 people immigrated to the Republic of Croatia from abroad and 34,046 people emigrated.

The migration balance of the population of the Republic of Croatia with foreign countries was negative and amounted to -632.

Of the total number of immigrants to the Republic of Croatia, 28.2 percent came from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Of the total number of emigrants from the Republic of Croatia, most emigrated to Germany (34.2 percent).

Unlike Poland and Lithuania, Croatia, despite being a member of the EU, has not become a country of immigration.

Although the number of immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been increasing continuously in recent years, it remained at a very manageable level during the pandemic years.

Video: Vacation in Croatia - The 5 most beautiful cities in Croatia

Population in Croatia: Hope from Bosnia and Herzegovina

"But, if we want to reverse depopulation, then we need to focus even more on migration because it's more effective in the short term," demography professor Ivan Čipin, from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb and head of the Center for Longitudinal Population Studies, told Croatian media.

Čipin sees the possibility of attracting more immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina as particularly promising, even if Croats are generally not known for their propensity for multiculturalism.

“Without the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021 we would probably have a record number of immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from Serbia, Kosovo and other countries in south-eastern Europe – mostly labor migrants – 90 percent of the immigrants were males between 20 and 49 years old.

They come here to work, mostly alone without families, and such immigration will not have a major impact on demographic processes, such as fertility," said the demographer.

In addition, the Croatian government announced a measure aimed at appealing to people with Croatian roots.

They would receive 200,000 kuna if they returned to Croatia to set up a business there.

At the same time, the government indicated that it expects around 4,500 returnees who would make use of these measures.

This number alone makes it clear that the decline in population in Croatia can hardly be effectively combated in this way.

Population decline in Croatia: Better living conditions are needed

The housing problem, which probably prevents many couples from having children, is a good example of how Croatia is dealing with its potential.

103,500 new homes have been built in the last ten years.

This could certainly relieve the domestic need, but these apartments were usually built in the tourist regions and are used as holiday homes for foreign tourists.

"What the state should be working on is removing the barriers that initially led to emigration," Čipin said.

He pointed out that corruption and nepotism are cited as triggers for emigration.

Something should therefore be changed in this area so that people no longer have to leave the country.

(Aleksandra Fedorska)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-03-06

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