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Immigration 202470,39116th in the EU-27
Net migration 2024+31,394immigration − emigration
First-time asylum claims 202584523rd in the EU-27 · 0.1% UE
New citizenships 202479324th in the EU-27

Croatia ranks 16th in the EU-27 for regular immigration: in 2024 it registered 70,391 arrivals and 38,997 departures, for a net balance of +31,394. In 2025 first-time asylum applications came to 845, 0.1% of the EU total; citizenship acquisitions in 2024 numbered 793.

Regular migration

The series includes all citizenships — EU citizens moving between member states and returning nationals included — and counts those moving their usual residence for at least 12 months. Compared with 2019, immigration is up 87%.

Immigration Emigration

Regular migration, Croatia, by year · Eurostat
YearImmigrationEmigrationNet
202470,39138,997+31,394
202369,39639,218+30,178
202257,97246,287+11,685
202135,91240,424−4,512
202033,41434,046−632
201937,72640,148−2,422
201826,02939,515−13,486
201715,55347,352−31,799
201613,98536,436−22,451
201511,70629,651−17,945
201410,63820,858−10,220
201310,37815,262−4,884
20128,95912,877−3,918
20118,53412,699−4,165
20108,84613,017−4,171
200913,21312,355+858
200816,88310,638+6,245

Asylum applications

First-time applications for international protection lodged in Croatia in 2025 came to 845 (the 23rd-highest in the EU). The series peak remains 2022, with 2,665 applications.

First-time asylum applications, Croatia, by year · Eurostat
YearFirst-time claims
2025845
20241,000
20231,635
20222,665
20212,480
20201,535
20191,270
2018690
2017880
20162,140
2015140
2014380
20131,040
2012·
2011·
2010·
2009·
2008·

New citizenships

In 2024 citizenship acquisitions came to 793, the 24th-highest in the EU-27. It is a lagging indicator: today's new citizens typically immigrated several years ago.

Citizenship acquisitions, Croatia, by year · Eurostat
YearAcquisitions
2024793
2023654
2022753
2021702
20201,149
20191,121
2018853
2017688
20163,973
20151,196
2014686
2013960
20121,081
20113,269
20103,263
20095,297
20087,571

Who leaves

In 2024, 20,147 of the country's own citizens moved abroad (the 14th-highest in the EU). The true number is almost certainly higher: emigration is measured through de-registrations, and people who leave do not always deregister.

How to read these numbers. Regular migration follows the UN definition (residence ≥ 12 months) and also includes EU citizens and returning nationals. “First-time applications” exclude repeat claims in the same country. Emigration, based on de-registrations, is generally undercounted. Definitions in the glossary, sources and limits in the methodology.

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