Croatia
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 86.5% GDP in 2020 — now 56.3%.
Government debt
56.3% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
48% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
3% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
19.2% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
381k
2024
Tax rates
What Croatia takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
31.4% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
30%
2024
Corporate tax rate
18%
2024
Standard VAT rate
25%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Croatia is 28.7% cheaper than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 71.3 | -28.7% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 103.7 | +3.7% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 44.0 | -56.0% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 95.4 | -4.6% |
| Transport | 84.6 | -15.4% |
| Health | 66.4 | -33.6% |
| Education | 62.8 | -37.2% |
| Clothing & footwear | 96.1 | -3.9% |
| Recreation & culture | 86.3 | -13.7% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 88.8 | -11.2% |
| Household furnishings | 95.1 | -4.9% |
| Communication | 111.0 | +11.0% |
| Miscellaneous | 74.0 | -26.0% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 63.1 | — |
| 2012 | 68.9 | +5.8 |
| 2013 | 79.5 | +10.6 |
| 2014 | 83.2 | +3.7 |
| 2015 | 82.8 | -0.4 |
| 2016 | 79.3 | -3.5 |
| 2017 | 76.2 | -3.1 |
| 2018 | 72.8 | -3.4 |
| 2019 | 70.9 | -1.9 |
| 2020 | 86.5 | +15.6 |
| 2021 | 78.2 | -8.3 |
| 2022 | 68.5 | -9.7 |
| 2023 | 60.9 | -7.6 |
| 2024 | 57.4 | -3.5 |
| 2025 | 56.3 | -1.1 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |