Croatia’s registered unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in January 2026 from 4.6% in the previous month, marking the highest level since March 2025. The number of unemployed persons surged by 6.4% month-on-month to a ten-month high of 87.9 thousand. At the same time, total employment declined by 0.8% to 1.70 million, while the labor force edged down by 0.5% to 1.79 million. Paid employment in legal entities fell by 0.7%, mainly due to declines in accommodation and food service activities (-11%), wholesale and retail trade (-2.5%), electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (-1%), and agriculture, forestry and fishing (-0.9%). In contrast, employment increased in financial and insurance activities (1.3%), electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (1%), mining and quarrying (0.6%), and construction (0.3%). For comparison, the unemployment rate in January of the previous year was higher at 5.4%. source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics

Unemployment Rate in Croatia increased to 4.90 percent in January from 4.60 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Croatia averaged 14.81 percent from 1996 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 23.60 percent in January of 2002 and a record low of 3.80 percent in June of 2025. This page provides - Croatia Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Croatia Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on February of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Croatia increased to 4.90 percent in January from 4.60 percent in December of 2025. Unemployment Rate in Croatia is expected to be 4.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Croatia Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.40 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-01-20 10:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Dec 4.6% 4.5% 4.6%
2026-02-20 10:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Jan 4.9% 4.6% 4.6%
2026-03-20 10:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Feb 4.9%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 1719.00 1702.00 Thousand Sep 2025
Job Vacancies 20133.00 19580.00 Sep 2025
Job Vacancy Rate 1.50 1.50 percent Sep 2025
Productivity 106.20 106.00 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 87935.00 82625.00 Jan 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.90 4.60 percent Jan 2026
Wage Growth 9.80 9.70 percent Dec 2025
Wages 1494.00 1498.00 EUR/Month Dec 2025
Wages in Manufacturing 1358.00 1366.00 EUR/Month Dec 2025


Croatia Unemployment Rate
In Croatia, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
4.90 4.60 23.60 3.80 1996 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
Croatia Jobless Rate Hits 10-Month High
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in January 2026 from 4.6% in the previous month, marking the highest level since March 2025. The number of unemployed persons surged by 6.4% month-on-month to a ten-month high of 87.9 thousand. At the same time, total employment declined by 0.8% to 1.70 million, while the labor force edged down by 0.5% to 1.79 million. Paid employment in legal entities fell by 0.7%, mainly due to declines in accommodation and food service activities (-11%), wholesale and retail trade (-2.5%), electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (-1%), and agriculture, forestry and fishing (-0.9%). In contrast, employment increased in financial and insurance activities (1.3%), electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (1%), mining and quarrying (0.6%), and construction (0.3%). For comparison, the unemployment rate in January of the previous year was higher at 5.4%.
2026-02-20
Croatia Jobless Rate Highest in 8 Months
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in December 2025 from 4.5% in the previous month, marking the highest level since April. The number of unemployed persons increased by 1.9% month-on-month to a nine-month high of 82.6 thousand. Meanwhile, total employment declined by 1.0% to 1.72 million, while the labor force edged down by 0.9% to 1.80 million. Paid employment in legal entities fell by 1.0%, driven by declines in accommodation and food service activities (-4.0%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (-1.3%), construction (-1.3%), and manufacturing (-1.2%). In contrast, employment rose modestly in information and communication (0.1%) and human health and social work activities (0.2%). For comparison, the unemployment rate stood higher at 5.0% in December 2024.
2026-01-20
Croatia Jobless Rate at 7-Month High
Croatia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in November 2025 from 4.2% in the previous month. This marked the highest level since April, as the number of unemployed persons increased by 4.2% month-on-month to 81.1 thousand. Meanwhile, employment fell by 1.1% to 1.7 million, while the labor force decreased by 0.9% to 1.8 million. Among paid employment within legal entities, the largest gains were recorded in mining and quarrying (3.7%), wholesale and retail trade (0.2%), real estate activities (1.9%), and education (2.8%), while it declined in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (-4.5%), manufacturing (-4.1%), and professional, scientific, and technical activities (-1.4%). For comparison, the jobless rate for November of the previous year was higher at 5%.
2025-12-19