Croatia

In brief

Croatia is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Zagreb. With 3.9 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 129th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 56,594 km². It shares land borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

GDP per capita stands at $27,104 (2025), 47th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years (2024). 58% of the population lives in cities.

History of Croatia

The Kingdom of Croatia emerged in the 10th century under King Tomislav and entered a union with Hungary in 1102. It then stayed within the Habsburg orbit until 1918, before joining the kingdom that became Yugoslavia. It declared independence on 25 June 1991; the war that followed lasted until 1995. Croatia joined NATO in 2009 and the European Union in 2013, then the euro and the Schengen area in 2023.

Geography of Croatia

Crescent-shaped Croatia runs along the Adriatic on a deeply indented coast scattered with more than a thousand islands. Inland, the Dinaric Alps separate the coast from the Pannonian plain in the north-east, watered by the Sava and the Drava.

Map of Croatia

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Flag of Croatia

The flag of Croatia is red, white and blue. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Blue34%
• Red34%
• White31%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red, white and blue, the pan-Slavic colours, bearing the coat of arms: a chequerboard of 25 red and white squares, the šahovnica, topped by a crown made of the shields of five historic regions.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Croatia” and “Flag of Croatia”.

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Fact file

Economy and society