Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.59323/k.16.2.9

Changes in the Ethnic Composition of Croatia (1991 – 2021) in the Context of the Aging Population Process

Dražen Živić orcid.org/0000-0002-5293-568X ; Institute of Social Sciences "Ivo Pilar", Zagreb, Croatia
Ivo Turk orcid.org/0000-0001-6090-1327 ; Institute of Social Sciences "Ivo Pilar", Zagreb, Croatia
Nikola Šimunić ; Institute for Migration Research, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

This paper investigates current changes in the ethnic composition of the
Croatian population by age. The statistical basis of the analysis consists of
the population censuses of 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021. The subject of the
analysis is the population that declared itself in terms of ethnicity in the
analyzed censuses, which means that the paper does not investigate the
ethnically unspecified population. The purpose of the research is to use a
comparative and descriptive method to determine the extent of the population aging process, with the aim of assessing the polarization between
ethnically declared population categories and the impact of aging on future
changes in the ethnic composition of the Croatian population. Considering
the current demographic trends in the natural and migratory population
change and bearing in mind the established indicators of population aging,
the majority of the ethnically declared population of Croatia is far advanced
in the aging process and is characterized by high old age, which represents
an extremely negative determinant of its future demographic development.

Keywords

ethnic composition ; age composition ; demographic aging ; depopulation ; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

337388

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/337388

Publication date:

2.11.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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