{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close 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 under the strong hand of Marshal Josip Broz, aka TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Yugoslav forces, dominated by Serb officers, were mostly 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 April 2009 and the EU in July 2013.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "45 10 N, 15 30 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Europe" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "56,594 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "55,974 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "620 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly smaller than West Virginia" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "2,237 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km; Hungary 348 km; Montenegro 19 km; Serbia 314 km; Slovenia 600 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation" } }, "Climate": { "text": "Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast" }, "Terrain": { "text": "geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Dinara 1,831 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Adriatic Sea 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "331 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "23.7% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 16% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "34.4% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "41.9% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "240 sq km (2012)" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "Danube (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 kmThough still one of the wealthiest of the former Yugoslav republics, Croatia’s economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war. The country's output during that time collapsed, and Croatia missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Between 2000 and 2007, however, Croatia's economic fortunes began to improve with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6%, led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable.
Croatia experienced an abrupt slowdown in the economy in 2008; economic growth was stagnant or negative in each year between 2009 and 2014, but has picked up since the third quarter of 2014, ending 2017 with an average of 2.8% growth. Challenges remain including uneven regional development, a difficult investment climate, an inefficient judiciary, and loss of educated young professionals seeking higher salaries elsewhere in the EU. In 2016, Croatia revised its tax code to stimulate growth from domestic consumption and foreign investment. Income tax reduction began in 2017, and in 2018 various business costs were removed from income tax calculations. At the start of 2018, the government announced its economic reform plan, slated for implementation in 2019.
Tourism is one of the main pillars of the Croatian economy, comprising 19.6% of Croatia’s GDP. Croatia is working to become a regional energy hub, and is undertaking plans to open a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal by the end of 2019 or early in 2020 to import LNG for re-distribution in southeast Europe.
Croatia joined the EU on July 1, 2013, following a decade-long accession process. Croatia has developed a plan for Eurozone accession, and the government projects Croatia will adopt the Euro by 2024. In 2017, the Croatian government decreased public debt to 78% of GDP, from an all-time high of 84% in 2014, and realized a 0.8% budget surplus - the first surplus since independence in 1991. The government has also sought to accelerate privatization of non-strategic assets with mixed success. Croatia’s economic recovery is still somewhat fragile; Croatia’s largest private company narrowly avoided collapse in 2017, thanks to a capital infusion from an American investor. Restructuring is ongoing, and projected to finish by mid-July 2018.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$107.11 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$116.89 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$113.64 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "2.94% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "2.7% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "3.14% (2017 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$26,500 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$28,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$27,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$60.687 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "0.7% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "1.4% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "1.1% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "BBB- (2019)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Ba1 (2020)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "BBB- (2019)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "3.7% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "26.2% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "70.1% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "57.3% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "19.5% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "20% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "51.1% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-48.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "maize, wheat, sugar beet, milk, barley, soybeans, potatoes, pork, grapes, sunflower seed" }, "Industries": { "text": "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" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "1.2% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "1.656 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "1.9%" }, "industry": { "text": "27.3%" }, "services": { "text": "70.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "8.07% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "9.86% (2018 est.)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "21.1%" }, "male": { "text": "18.7%" }, "female": { "text": "25% (2020 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "18.3% (2018 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017": { "text": "30.4 (2017 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2014": { "text": "32.1 (2014 est.)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "2.7%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "23% (2015 est.)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "25.24 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "24.83 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "77.8% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "82.3% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "46.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "$1.597 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "$1 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2020": { "text": "$23.66 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Exports 2019": { "text": "$31.07 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$30.71 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "Italy 13%, Germany 13%, Slovenia 10%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9%, Austria 6%, Serbia 5% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "refined petroleum, packaged medicines, cars, medical cultures/vaccines, lumber (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2020": { "text": "$27.59 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Imports 2019": { "text": "$31.39 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$31.32 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "Italy 14%, Germany 14%, Slovenia 11%, Hungary 7%, Austria 6% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "crude petroleum, cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, electricity (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$18.82 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$14.24 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$48.263 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$51.176 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "kuna (HRK) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "6.2474 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "6.72075 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "6.48905 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "6.8583 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "5.7482 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "12.2 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "15.93 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "3.2 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "8.702 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "4.921 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "45% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "40% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "16% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "14,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "55,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "71 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "74,620 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "73,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "40,530 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "35,530 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "1.048 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "2.577 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "172.7 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "1.841 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "1,300,105 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "31.67 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "4,375,699 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "106.6 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "Croatia’s telecom market improved through partnership with the EU in 2013, opening a competitive market in mobile and broadband and conducive regulatory environment; one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the Balkans, covering most remote areas; local lines are digital; international operator investment provides relatively high broadband penetration; tests for 5G technologies in 2020 (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line teledensity has dropped somewhat to about 32 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions are about 107 per 100 (2020)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 385; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable provides connectivity to Albania and Greece; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic project, which consists of 2 fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik (2019)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "the national state-owned public broadcaster, Croatian Radiotelevision, operates 4 terrestrial TV networks, a satellite channel that rebroadcasts programs for Croatians living abroad, and 6 regional TV centers; 2 private broadcasters operate 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)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".hr" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "3.27 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "78.32% (2020 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "1,030,973 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "25.11 (2020 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "2 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "18" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "2,093,577 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "530,000 mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "9A" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "69 (2013)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "24" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "2" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "6" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "3" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "3" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "10 (2017)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "45" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "1" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "6" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "38 (2013)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "1 (2013)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "2410 km gas, 610 km oil (2011)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "2,722 km (2014)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "2,722 km 1.435-m gauge (980 km electrified) (2014)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "26,958 km (includes 1,416 km of expressways) (2015)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "785 km (2009)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "354" }, "by type": { "text": "bulk carrier 14, general cargo 32, oil tanker 16, other 292 (2021)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split" }, "oil terminal(s)": { "text": "Omisalj" }, "river port(s)": { "text": "Vukovar (Danube)" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH): Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM, includes Coast Guard), Air Force and Air Defense Forces; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2021)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "2.79% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "1.83% of GDP (2020)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.65% of GDP (2019)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "1.57% of GDP (2018)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "1.67% of GDP (2017)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia have approximately 15,000 active duty personnel (10,000 Army; 1,500 Navy; 1,500 Air force; 2,000 joint/other) (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the inventory of the Croatian Armed Forces consists mostly of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years, it has acquired a limited number of more modern weapon systems from some Western suppliers, including France and the US (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2021)", "note": "note - as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Croatia officially became a member of NATO in 2009" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Disputes - international": { "text": "dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Croatia and Slovenia have each claimed sovereignty over Piranski Bay and four villages, and Slovenia has objected to Croatia's claim of an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic Sea; in 2009, however Croatia and Slovenia signed a binding international arbitration agreement to define their disputed land and maritime borders, which led to Slovenia lifting its objections to Croatia joining the EU; Slovenia continues to impose a hard border Schengen regime with Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013 but has not yet fulfilled Schengen requirements
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "stateless persons": { "text": "2,910 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 736,622 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-January 2022); flows slowed considerably in 2017; Croatia is predominantly a transit country and hosts about 340 asylum seekers as of the end of June 2018" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "drug trafficking groups are major players in the procurement and transportation of of large quantities of cocaine destined for European markets
" } } }