As Croatia’s politicians continue to discuss the formation of a government on January 11, 2016, including a new proposed Ministry of Demographic Revival, TCN looks at where the main diaspora populations are in Croatian communities around the world.
Croatia has a population problem, according to the incoming government leadership, which advocating a new Ministry of Demographic Revival to look at ways of increasing the country’s population, which currently stands at about 4.2 million.
Croatia has, of course, a very large diaspora population all over the world, as various generations were forced to leave the country due for mainly economic and political reasons. But where did they go, and what are the current numbers of Croats living abroad? Exact numbers are hard to come by, but the number is thought to be over 3 million, a sizable number compared to the current population inside Croatia. If the new ministry could persuade a number of them to return, it would have filled part of its proposed mandate.
According to official statistics available (please not that all numbers are approximate), the main population centres are (please also note that the countries of former Yugoslavia are not included in these statistics):
– United States 1 200 000
– Germany 350 000
– Argentina 250 000
– Australia 250 000
– Canada 250,000
– Chile 200 000
– Austria 90 000
– Switzerland 80 000
– Italy 60,000
– France 40 000
– New Zealand 40 000
– Sweden 35 000
– Brazil 20 000
– Netherlands 10 000
– South Africa 8000
– Belgium 6000
– Peru 6000
– Bolivia 5000
– Paraguay 5000
– Uruguay 5000
– United Kingdom 5000
– Venezuela around 5000
– Ecuador 4000
– Norway 2000
– Luxembourg 2000
– Denmark 1000
The numbers relect different periods of emigration, which can roughly be described thus:
– From 1880 until the First World War: the United States, the countries of Latin America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
– From 1918 to World War II: Germany, France, Belgium
– After World War II, Argentina and other countries in Latin America, North America
– After 1965: Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada
– Since 1990: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand
