According to preliminary data from the Croatian National Bank (HNB), 2.85 billion euros in direct foreign investments arrived in Croatia during the first three quarters of last year. If foreign investments continued at the same pace in the last quarter of last year, it can be assumed that the final data for 2022 will be approximately at the level of the record 3.9 billion euros achieved in 2021.
The largest portion, 2.4 billion euros, of direct foreign investments realized in the first nine months of last year relates to so-called circular direct investments, which are investments where the direct investor directs their domestic financial resources abroad and then reinvests them back into the domestic economy. In other words, the majority of last year’s foreign investments were made by companies already operating in Croatia, using money earned in Croatia.
Foreign investors primarily invested in wholesale trade (excluding trade in motor vehicles and motorcycles), that is, in distribution and logistics. In this sector, 712 million euros were invested in the first three quarters, which is just a continuation of the trend from the previous year when 791 million euros were invested in wholesale trade from abroad. Following this are financial services, mainly banks, in which their foreign owners invested 529 million euros. A significant increase in foreign investments is recorded in the accommodation sector, which received 241 million euros, almost double the amount invested in the entire year of 2021.
