May the 11th, 2026 – There’s currently a record number of Croats allegedly returning home, with the latest government data demonstrating a rising trend throughout 2025 and 2026.
According to reports from Vecernji list, an impressive 18,000 Croatian citizens who had temporarily left the country registered their return back in 2025 (if we’re looking at precise figures, they stand at 17,741 according to Ministry of the Interior data/MUP and their information on changes of residence). This represented a very clear increase compared to around 13,000 registered back in 2024.
According to the latest (and somewhat encouraging) data from the Ministry of Demography and Immigration and other sources, over 17,000 Croatian citizens returned to Croatia for various purposes regarding residence, or at least registered as having done so, just last year. It seems as if this cautiously positive trend is continuing into 2026.
Many returnees are young families, often returning from the likes of Germany, Austria, and Ireland. Motivations frequently include family ties, a sense of security and a gradually increasing quality of life in Croatia, alongside improving economic conditions and government support measures. Though for very many, nothing Croatia could do would ever be enough of a reason to come back.
measures from the croatian government
The I Choose Croatia/Biram Hrvatsku programme went from being heavily scoffed at to now continuing to gain strong interest from Croats abroad. In 2025 alone, 716 applications were approved (703 of them being exactly returnees from abroad). From the start of the measure until early April 2026, a total of 1,632 applications from returnees were approved. The state has provided over 26 million euros in support for these businesspeople, who have in turn created more than 2,340 new jobs in Croatia during that period.
Under the I Choose Croatia/Biram Hrvatsku measure, there’s a non-refundable grant for returnees of up to 7,000 euros (this refers to returnees arriving from EEA countries, Switzerland, UK, Americas, Australia, New Zealand) who meet the conditions (at least 12 months of work abroad over the last 24 months, and registration as unemployed upon return, as well as other things).
This can be combined with self-employment grants of up to 20,000 euros (higher amounts for green/digital projects, manufacturing, or construction), for a potential total payout from the government of €27,000.
Other support within this particular programme include a five-year income tax exemption for qualifying returnees (Croatian citizens or descendants who lived abroad for at least two years), funding for recognition and the professional translation of all sorts of foreign degrees, language courses, and housing assistance.
despite these measures, many will never come back
It’s true that these figures are encouraging, but the majority of Croats who have left are clear in that they’d never make a permanent return journey. That being said, this is still at least somewhat a reversal of long-term emigration trends that have dogged Croatia for many decades now. While emigration strongly continues (with around 35,000 registered temporary departures from Croatia registered in 2025 alone), the growing number of returns, particularly of skilled and entrepreneurial individuals, signals improving opportunities in Croatia. It’s important to note that the majority of returnees highlight emotional and family reasons, combined with practical financial incentives, and not so much because Croatia has suddenly become the land of milk and honey.
