Croatia’s worrying population decline is continuing, according to official statistics released on July 22, 2016.
The latest official statistics are out, and they make grim reading for those hoping for a reverse in Croatia’s declining population. According to HINA:
“In 2015, the number of deceased residents in Croatia was by 16,702 higher than the number of newborns, and in addition, 17,945 more people emigrated than immigrated according to the figures provided by the national statistical office (DZS).
This means that Croatia’s population shrank by nearly 35,000 (34,647) over last year.
In 2015, the number of newborn children stood at 37,666, which was by 5.2% fewer than in 2014.
On the other hand, the number of deceased persons increased by 6.6%.
The birth rate rate per 1000 was 8.9%, and the death rate per 1,000 inhabitants was 12.9%.
Many experts have been warning about negative effects of a decline in the population on the economic growth.
The number of newborn children in 2015 was the lowest in the past 25 years.”
The statitics only tell part of the story, however, as Croatia’s greatest population challenge remains how to encourage the sizable Croatian diaspora to return to the homeland. Croatia’s population of 4.2 million people is almost match by that of its diaspora, which is estimated at 3 million, with 1.2 million in the United States alone. A proposed Ministry of Demographic Revival was mooted by the outgoing government, but never put in place.
