Zagreb, 2 January 2025 (Hina/MIA) — In Croatia, 32,170 children were born in 2023, the fewest since 2014, while 51,275 people passed away. Due to this negative natural population growth, Croatia lost 19,105 inhabitants, according to the report by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS).

The number of 16,355 boys and 15,815 girls born in 2023 is the lowest in the ten-year period from 2014 to 2023, according to the DZS.

The highest number of newborns in the said period was in 2014, with 39,566 births.

From 2015 to 2021, the number of births ranged between 35,800 and 37,500 to drop below 34,000 in 2022 and further below 33,000 in 2023.

As for the number of deaths, the only year with fewer deaths than the previous one was 2014 (50,839). The highest number of deaths occurred in 2021, when 62,712 persons passed away in Croatia.

Natural population growth has been negative in all years. The worst was in 2021, with a decrease of 26,204. The negative rate of natural increase was also pronounced in 2020 and 2022.

In 2023, nearly a half of newborns were firstborns 

A more detailed overview of birth data for 2023 shows that the highest number of children born were firstborns (45.1%). Second-born children make up 34%, while third-born and subsequent children account for 20.9%.

The average age of mothers at first childbirth has been steadily increasing for many years. For example, in 1968, it was 22.8 years, while in 2023, it rose to 29.7 years. A little over 53% of children born in 2023 (17,266) were delivered by women between the ages of 30 and 39.

The total fertility rate in the same year was 1.46, which is well below the replacement level fertility of 2.1, according to the DZS.

Regarding the educational background of mothers, the highest number have completed a master's university degree, 10,428, and a vocational high school program lasting four or more years, 8,679.

One in four babies born out of wedlock

Broken down by marital status of parents, 23,788 children were born within marriage, while the number of children born out of wedlock was 8,382.

The highest proportion of children born out of wedlock is in the Međimurje County, with 522.1 per 1,000 live births.

Women live seven years longer than men

Statistics on deaths show that in 2023 men died on average at the age of 73.7, while women lived seven years longer, passing away at an average age of 80.7.

In 2023, as in previous years, the leading cause of death were cardiovascular diseases (34.5% of men and 43.3% of women).

As for marriages, 17,306 were concluded in Croatia that year, which is a 4.2% decrease compared to 2022. The only year with fewer marriages in the 2014-2023 period was 2020, with just over 15,000 marriages.

Furthermore, 48.5% of couples entered into a civil marriage, while 51.5% chose a religious marriage.

On the other hand, 4,407 divorces were recorded, which amounts to 254.7 per 1,000 concluded marriages, the lowest since 2014. The 2023 year was also the third consecutive year in which fewer than 300 divorces per 1,000 concluded marriages were recorded.

The highest percentage of divorces, 31%, occurred after 20 or more years of marriage, and the average duration of marriages that ended in divorce was 15.2 years.