There were 1.7 million people employed in Croatia in 2025, a 1.1% increase on the previous year, according to the latest labour force survey published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.
The number of employed persons increased by 19,000 people compared with 2024, while the number of unemployed persons fell by 2,000, a decrease of 2.7%, bringing total unemployment to 87,000 people.
Employment rate
As the data showed, the employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 reached 68.8% in 2025. This represented an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared with the previous year. Over the same period, the unemployment rate for the same age group declined to 4.9%, down by 0.2 percentage points.
Within the employed population, employees accounted for 86.9% of the total, a share unchanged from 2024. Self-employed persons made up 12.5% of those in employment, a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points compared with the previous year. The remainder of the employed population consisted of assisting family members.
Male and female employment
For men aged 15 to 64, the activity rate stood at 59.0% in 2025. The employment rate was 55.9% and the unemployment rate was 5.4%. For women in the same age group, the activity rate was 49.4%, the employment rate was 47.2%, and the unemployment rate was 4.3%.
Across age groups, the largest active population was recorded in the 25 to 49 age group, with approximately 1.13 million persons. The 50 to 64 age group recorded approximately 510,000 active persons, while the 15 to 24 age group recorded approximately 117,000. The 65 and over age group recorded approximately 33,000 active persons.
The survey uses a labour force methodology aligned with Eurostat and the International Labour Organization. It provides estimates of Croatian labour market activity among the population aged 15 and over. Read more here.
