According to the National Youth Programme 2023-2025, 'youth' in the Republic of Croatia refers to persons aged between 15 and 30 years old.

According to the 2021 Census data, youths make up 15.8% of Croatia’s total population, comprising 613 761 individuals. Table 1 presents the demographic distribution of youth in the Republic of Croatia, categorised by age and gender.

Table 1. Youth population in the Republic of Croatia, by age and sex (2021 Census data)

Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics

However, the share of young people in the general population has been decreasing. Between 1953 and 2001, this percentage fell from 27.7% to 20.3%. Moreover, according to the 2011 Census data, there was 652 428 children (aged 0-14 years old) in Croatia, a number that further declined to 554 056 children as per the 2021 Census. These figures indicate a continuing decrease in the number of young people within the general population.