March the 23rd, 2025 – One fifth of Croats are currently at risk of falling below the poverty line, with those over 65 in the highest risk category.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Croatia stood at 20.3 percent last year, with 21.7 percent of Croats at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This data was taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
The first percentage measures only income, while the second also includes a broader social situation. This puts Croatia among the countries where these figures are higher than elsewhere in Europe. That said, owing to the largely efficient system of social transfers, which includes pensions and social assistance, the final number of poor people is half what it could be.
“Overall, who are the poor in Croatia? Inactive and unemployed people. Inactive are those who aren’t looking for work, but would look for it if employment opportunities increased. Unemployed are all those registered with the Employment Service. In addition to them, there are also pensioners among the truly poor. Traditionally, statistics show that around 30 percent of Croats over 65 are considered to be poor,” said Predrag Bejaković, an independent economic analyst.
The unemployment problem is much better today than it was in previous years. Bejaković notes however that there are still people who are long-term unemployed and who need help to assert themselves on the labour market, because as he says, “work is the best way out of poverty.”
The average household in Croatia in 2024 had an annual income of 23,092 euros, but when this amount is adjusted for the number of members and their needs, it turns out that the average income per person is 13,411 euros, according to a CBS survey. However, the analyst emphasises: “This is about income poverty, which doesn’t necessarily mean that these people are also property poor. In Croatia, as elsewhere, the number of poor people isn’t checked based on property ownership.”
Economic conditions such as inflation have affected Croats and put more people at risk of poverty. The percentage of those suffering from severe material and social deprivation currently stands at two percent.
