April the 11th, 2026 – Around 100,000 children in Croatia are currently at real risk of poverty. Given Croatia’s very small population which is always decreasing, this is extremely concerning.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as many as 100,000 children across Croatia live at risk of poverty, which is a particularly dramatic figure from last year’s in depth survey on poverty rates.
This alarming finding was discussed at a session of the parliamentary committee for family and youth, at which it was pointed out that a total of around 754,000 people in Croatia currently live at risk of poverty, as reported by Danica.hr.
What is most concerning of all is that almost one third of families with one parent and children are at risk of poverty in Croatia. Last year, the poverty risk threshold for a single-member household was 753 euros per month, while for a household with two adults and two children under the age of 14 it stood at around 1,580 euros per month. Those who earned less live at serious risk of falling entirely below the poverty line.
In other words, with current high prices and inflationary woes, this means that everyone below that threshold is already considered poor in Croatia today. That is an incredibly concerning number of people, with prices likely to continue spiralling.
The Ombudsman for Children, Tatjana Katkić-Stanić, warned that poverty among children across Croatia today cannot be solved solely with financial assistance. She mentioned, for example, vouchers for a certain amount that would allow children to choose a sports activity that often has to be paid for in sums of about 50 euros per month, on average.
Ivica Rubil from the Institute of Economics, however, pointed out that tax breaks often do not actually even begin to help the most vulnerable families and individuals. He suggested a higher child allowance and a guaranteed minimum wage, because the poorest in society often do not benefit much from lower VAT rates whatsoever.
