Croatia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Croatia. Controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia -- some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks. Mother's mean age at first birth is 29 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Croatia
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia
Geographic coordinates 45 10 N, 15 30 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Natural Resources oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower
Natural Hazards destructive earthquakes
Irrigated Land 171 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Dunav (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 2,237 km
Border Countries Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km; Hungary 348 km; Montenegro 19 km; Serbia 314 km; Slovenia 600 km
Coastline 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)
Climate Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast
Area
Total Area
Land Area 55,974 sq km
Water Area 620 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Dinara 1,831 m
Lowest point Adriatic Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 331 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 23.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 16% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 34.4% (2018 est.)
Other 41.9% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

More of the population lives in the northern half of the country, with approximately a quarter of the populace residing in and around the capital of Zagreb; many of the islands are sparsely populated

People and Society

In Croatia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Croat 91.6%, Serb 3.2%, other 3.9% (including Bosniak, Romani, Albanian, Italian, and Hungarian), unspecified 1.3% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -0.46% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 13.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 7.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 5.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.46 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.71 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 50.8% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Croatian | Croat(s), Croatian(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 79%, Orthodox 3.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other Christian 4.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.1%, agnostic 1.7%, none or atheist 4.7%, unspecified 3.9% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 13.8% (male 296,527/female 278,236)
15-64 years 63.1% (male 1,307,814/female 1,309,394)
65 years and over 23.1% (2024 est.) (male 399,090/female 559,055)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 56.5
Youth dependency ratio 22.1
Elderly dependency ratio 34.4
Potential support ratio 2.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 45.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 43.2 years
Female 47 years
Urbanization
Urban population 58.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.05% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 684,000 ZAGREB (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.71 male(s)/female
Total population 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 8.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 8.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 77.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 74.6 years
Female 81 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 98.4% of population
Improved: total total: 99% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 1.6% of population
Unimproved: total total: 1% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk intermediate (2023)
Vectorborne diseases tickborne encephalitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 9.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 3.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 36.9% (2020 est.)
Male 37.6% (2020 est.)
Female 36.1% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Croatia

Want to know more about Croatia? Check all different factbooks for Croatia below.

Croatia is found in Southeast Europe