The Poverty Watch for the year 2023, prepared by CAPN, aims to raise public awareness of the priorities that characterize poverty in Croatia, primarily through the perspective of persons experiencing poverty in Croatia as well as to provide insight into some of the problems they face in Croatia.
This year, the growth of inflation (rising prices of goods and services) as well as – already
chronic – problems related to the affordability of housing have had a significant impact on the
quality of life of Croatian citizens. In addition to the consequences of the Pandemic and
earthquakes in 2020 (in Zagreb and Petrinja), significant problems related to the cost of food, healthcare services, education services, transportation and accommodation continue to persist.
The impact on price growth was also influenced by Croatia’s accession to the Schengen Area
and the Eurozone on January 1, 2023, adopting the euro as the official currency. Despite the
government’s efforts to prevent price increases during the conversion from former currency
kuna to the euro, we’ve witnessed a rise in prices for goods and services, which merchants and
service providers often attribute to the increase in inflation. When considering all of these
factors, the cost of living is significantly higher than it was last year.
