Croatia is a crescent-shaped country located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the separation has been hard on the people of Croatia as they struggle to maintain a strong, unified identity in the face of governmental transitions and poverty. Here is everything to know about the current state of poverty in Croatia. 

Economy

In 1991, Croatia transitioned from a communist governmental system into a free-market system that changed social and political conditions in the nation. In 2022, 20.9% of people were at risk of poverty. Poverty often hits the elderly harder – citizens aged 65 and up are in the greatest risk group where the poverty rate is 32.4%. 

The elderly comprise one-fifth of the population, and the pension system Croatia has in place is considerably stressed and unable to fulfill the basic needs of retired people. This often means that retirees have to rely on their working relatives for financial support and, ultimately, survival.

Economic growth in Croatia has recovered a bit since the global financial crisis in 2008, but recovery is slow and weak because of the late start they had in constructing a new economic system. The crisis inflicted long-lasting effects on Croatia, leaving them vulnerable to further financial disrepair.

Work and Education

Aside from the elderly, poverty in Croatia most actively hits the unemployed and those with poor education. That being said, employed people are still at risk for poverty, considering almost half of them are hardly making ends meet.

Half of the people who make an average income cannot afford any unexpected or luxurious expenses, and 5.7% of them cannot afford to sufficiently heat their homes in the bitter-cold winter months. Having a job does not save people from the fear and the pain that comes from impoverished status – harming the quality of life and access to necessary resources like education, nutritious food and medical aid. 

When it comes to poverty in Croatia, education is a vital issue. Skilled professionals are largely seeking employment elsewhere in the European Union (EU), while those left behind are often lacking in the education/skills necessary to fill the positions within Croatia. While primary/elementary school is free and required of Croatian children, any secondary school is optional and often too expensive for those living in poverty.

Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is another issue plaguing Croatia as agricultural stunting runs rampant. Croatia relies heavily on food importation as a means of feeding its people, which raises the expenses of quality food provisions.

Over the past decade, Croatia’s food insecurity rate has steadily increased until 2021. As of 2020, those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity stood at 11.4%, but the rate fell to 9.7% in 2021 thanks to Croatia’s Ministry of Agriculture implementing an emergency plan that provides more financial and land-management support to farmers.

Croatia’s population in rural areas continually decreases and leaves the plots to be small, fragmented and undeveloped. There is low productivity with extremely high labor costs and the administration in charge is currently slow and largely ineffective at solving the agricultural issues.

Looking Ahead

In 2022, the Croatian government adopted a national plan, the “National plan for fighting poverty and social exclusion,” to help ease the pain of poverty for their people. By 2030, the plan aims to reduce poverty in Croatia by 15% and to lower the percentage of those living at risk of poverty from 20.9% down to 17.8%.

The national plan is working to implement laws and policies that will support those living at the edge of poverty in Croatia, using methods like improving social welfare provisions and land management policy. Though the plan has kinks to work through in these beginning years, Croatia has already decreased the amount of youth that fall under the NEET (not in education, employment or training) category. 

Additionally, Croatia’s land has diverse and nearly perfect conditions to be lush with agriculture. After the outbreak of COVID-19 and the Ukrainian war challenged the global relationship with agriculture, Croatia has received the chance to rework how they use their land. Though the Ministry’s process to help farmers may appear to be slow, it is steady and already making a difference in the rate of food insecurity. 

Despite the political and social tensions affecting the lives of millions, Croatia’s people persevere. The poverty rate is declining as Croatia continues to work toward poverty relief. 

– Eden Ambrovich
Photo: Unsplash