REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA
Introduction
Though women comprise 51.6% of the Croatian population, inequalities between women and men are still evident. Major barriers to better inclusion of women in traditionally male professions include deep-rooted prejudices, a lack of female role models, and insufficient guidance for girls and women.
The Republic of Croatia adopted several national initiatives aligned with EU directives, such as Digital Croatian Strategy, the National Gender Equity Plan or a Regulation on the conditions for exercising students’ rights to state scholarships in STEM. These strategic documents try to define, develop and implement key measures which will provide better equity among genders in the Republic of Croatia. Some of these include: education, new study programs, internships, research support, start-up opportunities, training. entrepreneurship, and work-life balance.
However, as the gender gap remains significant, major initiatives supported by international entities, such as Women4aGreenEU, are required to achieve the final goal.
Some of the major gender-related indicators on the state level can be found below:Â
Population, by sex, mid-2023 estimate:
51,6% women vs. 48,4% men
International migration of population:
Immigrants: 31,5% women vs. 68,5% men
Emigrants: 36,9% women vs. 63,1% men
Students enrolled in higher education institutions: 58,4 % women vs. 41,6% men (A.Y. 2023/2024)
Students who completed university or professional study at higher education institutions:Â 61,6% women vs. 38,4% men (2023)
Doctors of science:Â 60,1% women vs. 39,9% men (2024)
Employment in legal entities, by activity, 2024 average
- Renewable energy (including green technologies): 24% women vs. 76% men
- Information and communication (including engineering): 35,9% women vs. 64,1% men
To get insight into the full report, please visit the following site: https://web.dzs.hr/zim25/ (Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, 2025)
Croatian strategic gender equity documents
Digital Croatian Strategy: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2023_01_2_17.htmlÂ
National Gender Equity Plan: https://ravnopravnost.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/NPRS%202027%20APRS%202024/Nacionalni%20plan%20za%20ravnopravnost%20spolova,%20za%20razdoblje%20do%202027..pdfÂ
Regulation on the conditions for exercising students’ rights to state scholarships in STEM: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2023_06_70_1167.html
More on the topic
EIGE publishes Gender Equality Index 2025
Croatia has advanced in the EU Gender Equality Index ranking compared to 2024. Croatia continues to make long-term progress according to this year’s Index, scoring 57.1 points and ranking 21st in the EU. This result is an improvement on last year, when it ranked 24th. Croatia’s best results are in the area of time (69.6 points), particularly in care (61.1 points) and social activities (79.3 points), where it ranks 9th in the EU. However, the biggest challenges remain in the area of power, where Croatia ranks 23rd with 21.8 points, mainly due to the results in social power (8.9 points). The greatest improvement was in the area of money, which increased by 5.3 points since 2020, mainly due to growth in financial resources (+9.7 points).
In education, the proportion of women with tertiary education reaches 52%, significantly higher than the 30% for men. The share of women in tertiary education overall has increased by 13 percentage points since 2015, while the share for men has risen by 6 percentage points. Women make up 78% of graduates in education, health and social care, humanities, and arts, compared to 22% for men. In contrast, women represent 39% of graduates in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), compared to 61% for men. Since 2015, the share of women in STEM has increased by 4 percentage points, making it one of the highest in the EU.
A decline was recorded in the area of health (83.1), which fell by 2.5 points compared to 2020. In the area of work, the full-time equivalent employment rate increased for both women and men, but the gap remains: 45% for women and 55% for men. Women are still less likely to reach management positions, but horizontal segregation has decreased – the share of women in the ICT sector has increased to 22% (an improvement of 6 points compared to 2015).
In terms of income, women earn 84% of their partners’ income, while men earn on average 32% more than their partners. In terms of power, women constitute 16% of ministers, 34% of members of parliament, and 27% of board members of the largest listed companies. In sports organisations, women hold 9% of management positions.
All the above results show that Croatia has achieved significant and visible progress in certain areas; however, it is necessary to continue taking measures for a more even distribution of care, better representation of women in decision-making, and reduction of economic inequalities.
Data acquired by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Office for Gender Equity (available at: https://ravnopravnost.gov.hr/vijesti/eige-objavio-indeks-ravnopravnosti-spolova-za-2025-godinu/3793)Â