Croatia (Republic of Croatia)

Croatia Republic of Croatia
Status	Independent State
Capital	Zagreb
Land Area	55 960km21
Location	Europe, Mediterranean
Population	4.4m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	77.50yrs (2017)3
GNI	$20 291 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	HR, HRV, 1915
Internet Domain	.hr6
Currency	Kuna (HRK)7
Telephone	+3858

1. Overview
2. Croatia National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

“The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands, along with a majority of Croatia's ethnic Serb population. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. In April 2009, Croatia joined NATO; Croatia signed the EU Accession Treaty in December 2011 and ratified the Treaty in January, 2012.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Croatia´s rare blend of glamour and authenticity make it Europe´s `it´ destination, where beaches vie for attention with cultural treasures, ancient architecture and time-tested folk traditions. Croatia has been touted as the `new this´ and the `new that´ for years since its re-emergence on the tourism scene, but it´s now clear that it´s a unique destination that holds its own and then some: this is a country with a glorious 1778km-long coast and a staggering 1244 islands. The Adriatic coast is a knockout: its sapphire waters draw visitors to remote islands, hidden coves and traditional fishing villages, all while touting the glitzy beach and yacht scene. Istria captivates with its gastronomic delights and wines, and the bars, clubs and festivals of Zagreb, Zadar and Split remain little-explored gems. Eight national parks showcase primeval beauty with their forests, mountains, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. You can end your journey in dazzling, historic Dubrovnik in the south - just the right conclusion to any trip. Best of all, Croatia hasn´t given in to mass tourism: there are pockets of unique culture and plenty to discover off the grid.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Croatia National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
42	UAE	42
43	Hungary	43
44	Latvia	44
45	Croatia	45
46	Argentina	45
47	Bahrain	47
48	Montenegro	48
49	Russia	49
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
39	Lithuania	65.5
40	Chile	65.4
41	Costa Rica	65.4
42	Croatia	64.4
43	Bulgaria	63.6
44	Mauritius	63.0
45	Greece	63.0
46	Romania	62.8
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #Croatia #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
169	Belgium	38.1
170	Switzerland	38.3
171	Canada	38.5
172	Croatia	39.7
173	Malta	39.9
174	France	40.5
175	Austria	40.5
176	Greece	41.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
34	Croatia	17.1%
35	Liechtenstein	17.1%
36	Cyprus	17.0%
37	Marshall Islands	16.6%
38	Ireland	16.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
78	Latvia	1.50
79	Czechia	1.50
80	Spain	1.50
81	Croatia	1.49
82	Dominican Rep.	2.51
83	Lithuania	1.49
84	Kazakhstan	2.52
85	Ukraine	1.48
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
27	Lebanon	17.8%
28	Cyprus	17.5%
29	Gambia	16.6%
30	Croatia	15.9%
31	Austria	15.6%
32	Spain	15.2%
33	Belize	15.0%
34	Latvia	15.0%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
41	Dominica	77.85
42	Panama	77.76
43	Poland	77.62
44	Croatia	77.50
45	Uruguay	77.35
46	UAE	77.12
47	Estonia	77.01
48	Mexico	76.97
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
119	Ireland	4.6m
120	Central African Rep.	4.6m
121	New Zealand	4.5m
122	Croatia	4.4m
123	Georgia	4.3m
124	Lebanon	4.3m
125	Palestine	4.3m
126	Liberia	4.2m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Croatia's population is predicted to fall to 4 185 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.49. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Croatia #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Croatia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Croatia comes in the best 20 in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₈. It does better than average in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₁₉ (but low for Europe), LGBT equality₂₀, opposing gender inequality₂₁, its Global Peace Index rating₂₂, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₃ (but bad for Europe), the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₄ (but bad for Europe), fighting corruption₂₅ (but low for Europe) and in supporting press freedom₂₆ (but high for Europe). Croatia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average when it comes to fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₇ and in eliminating modern slavery₂₈. Croatia has not been dealing with asylum seekers fairly, deporting some to Serbia without examining their cases₂₉ and returning others to Italy, therefore forcing other countries to bear an unfair portion, and damaging the lives of those seeking asylum.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Croatia

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Croatia #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
143	Belize	143
144	Haiti	144
145	Libya	145
146	Croatia	146
147	UAE	147
148	Central African Rep.	148
149	Bosnia & Herzegovina	149
150	Seychelles	150
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
55	Zambia	55
56	Lithuania	56
57	Ukraine	57
58	Croatia	58
59	Bangladesh	59
60	Seychelles	60
61	Philippines	61
62	Indonesia	62
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)22
Pos.		Lower is better22
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
32	Romania	1.63
33	Uruguay	1.63
34	Vietnam	1.64
35	Croatia	1.65
36	Costa Rica	1.66
37	Laos	1.66
38	Italy	1.69
39	Bulgaria	1.70
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₂. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₂ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₂.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)31
Pos.		Lower is better Score31
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
6	Portugal	0.00
7	Croatia	0.00
8	Benin	0.00
9	Mauritania	0.00
10	Slovenia	0.00
11	Costa Rica	0.00
12	Romania	0.00
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)32
Pos.		Lower is better %32
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
30	USA	65
31	Argentina	66
32	Chile	70
33	Croatia	70
34	Singapore	70
35	Montenegro	71
36	Greece	71
37	Italy	72
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)33
Pos.		Higher is better %33
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
42	Trinidad & Tobago	9
43	Albania	8
44	Dominican Rep.	7
45	Croatia	7
46	Kyrgyzstan	7
47	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49	Italy	6
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	93.4%
Muslim	1.4%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	5.1%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 94.9% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (7%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 95.2% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 70% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)₃₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Croatia #internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)36
Pos.		Higher is better36
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
42	Lithuania	77%
43	Latvia	76%
44	Lebanon	76%
45	Croatia	74%
46	Hong Kong	74%
47	Cayman Islands	74%
48	Macau	73%
49	Israel	73%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)37
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio37
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
74	Iran	0.1
75	Zambia	0.1
76	Panama	0.1
77	Croatia	0.1
78	Costa Rica	0.1
79	Serbia	0.1
80	Liechtenstein	0.0
81	Cyprus	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Croatia #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Croatia has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Croatia comes in the best 20 in number of organ donors₃₈. It does better than average for its adolescent birth rate₂₁ and in its immunizations take-up₃₉. Croatia does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₀, its alcohol consumption rate₄₀ (still low for Europe), the prevalence of overweight adults₄₁ and in its smoking rate₄₂. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for its suicide rate₄₃. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)40
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita40
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
129	Vietnam	8.4
130	Ukraine	8.6
131	Netherlands	8.7
132	Croatia	8.9
133	Cameroon	8.9
134	Canada	8.9
135	Rwanda	9.0
136	Iceland	9.1
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₄ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₅ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₆ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₇. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₄₈. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)38
Pos.		Higher is better pmp38
1	Spain	46.9049
2	Portugal	34.0149
3	Belgium	33.6249
4	Croatia	33.0049
5	USA	31.9650
6	Malta	30.00
7	Italy	28.50
8	France	26.84
9	Czechia	25.51
10	Austria	24.7049
11	UK	23.0551
12	Belarus	22.10
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)30
Pos.		Lower is better Rank30
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
86	Kyrgyzstan	86
87	Moldova	87
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)41
Pos.		Lower is better %41
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
136	France	59.5
137	Belgium	59.5
138	Lithuania	59.6
139	Croatia	59.6
140	El Salvador	59.9
141	Dominica	60.3
142	Morocco	60.4
143	Ireland	60.6
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₂. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₃. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₃ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₄ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₅. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₆. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₇.

Smoking Rates (2014)42
Pos.		Lower is better42
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
158	Switzerland	1 634
159	Serbia	1 644
160	Cyprus	1 688
161	Croatia	1 709
162	Japan	1 713
163	Hungary	1 759
164	Estonia	1 775
165	Ukraine	1 854
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)43
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k43
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
73	France	33.2
74	Moldova	35.7
75	Switzerland	36.2
76	Croatia	36.4
77	Estonia	37.9
78	Serbia	38.1
79	Finland	39
80	Belgium	39.1
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#Croatia #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)21
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100021
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
27	Bosnia & Herzegovina	8.6
28	Saudi Arabia	8.8
29	France	8.9
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
32	Canada	9.8
33	Kuwait	9.8
34	Portugal	9.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)39
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %39
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
48	Rwanda	96.1
49	Sao Tome & Principe	96.0
50	Malaysia	96.0
51	Croatia	95.9
52	Nicaragua	95.9
53	Tunisia	95.7
54	Japan	95.7
55	Portugal	95.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries