Zagreb County is the most attractive place to live for the local population, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS), which publishes migration data within Croatia and abroad every year.
According to DZS data, in 2023, as data for 2024 is not yet available, as many as 4,431 people moved to Zagreb County, of which 2,081 people moved from other counties across Croatia, and 2,350 from abroad. This county has the highest positive migration balance within Croatia, meaning it has the largest difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants in 2023.
Although all other counties are far behind Zagreb County, Istria has secured second place with a positive migration balance of 471, while Zadar County is in third place with a positive balance of 323 residents.
In fourth place by migration balance is Šibenik-Knin County with 127, and fifth is Krapina-Zagorje County with 119 residents. Also in the positive are Karlovac and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties with positive migration balances of 89 and 35 residents, respectively.
These counties are the only ones in Croatia with a positive migration balance regarding internal migration, making them the most attractive to Croatians. This has been the case for years, specifically since 2021.
However, the difference is evident in the year of the coronavirus pandemic. That infamous 2020, which deviated from the norm in every way, saw the City of Zagreb have the second-largest positive migration balance, after Zagreb County, with a surplus of as many as 933 residents. Zadar was in third place (+290), Istria in fourth (+249), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar in fifth (+29), while Varaždin County took sixth place (+15). All other counties had a negative migration balance.
Looking at the previous years, from 2020 to 2023, the City of Zagreb is in the negative, but before 2020, the main Croatian city was the absolute winner in migration balance among the counties. For instance, in 2019, its positive migration balance was 3,309, while in 2018 it stood at 3,413 residents, and in 2017, the balance was positive by 4,102 residents. Other counties were approximately at the same levels, meaning the largest deviations are seen in the capital city, which has become less attractive for local residents since the pandemic, while its surroundings, namely Zagreb County, are the absolute winner of internal migrations.
