January 16, 2022 – Although the latest census shows that all Croatian counties, including the city of Zagreb, have fewer inhabitants than 10 years ago, the number of people with health insurance in Croatia still exceeds the number of its inhabitants is 209,000 and the number of voters exceeds the number of adults.

According to the first results of the census of 1021, Croatia has a maximum of 3,888,529 inhabitants while on January 3, 2022 it had up to 4,097,903 people with health insurance, indicates the daily Večernji List on Sunday.

After the census, it will also be necessary to bring order to the register of voters, which contains the names of 3,690,623 adults, which is impossible given the current number of residents of the country and the fact that according to the national statistics office estimates in 2020, there were more than 700,000 young people in Croatia.

Demographers had previously warned of the continuing problem of fictitious beneficiaries of the health insurance scheme, noting that they were most likely Croatian nationals – ethnic Serbs who had left Croatia, Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croats who had emigrated without having terminated their health insurance, as well as foreign nationals who own real estate on the coast.

There is no precise estimate of how many of these beneficiaries who do not reside in Croatia who use “free” health services and how many of them are emigrants and people only formally registered with Croatia. Croatian Health Insurance Institute, but the problem should now be solved, especially following the introduction of the population registers that exist in most EU countries. The EU has recommended that member countries compile population registers by the end of this year.

Even if the first results of the 2021 census leave no reason for optimism, it should be noted that in addition to the only county town, Čakovec, there are still smaller towns, as well as large and small municipalities, whose population size has increased over the last ten years. These are, among others, Solin, Sveta Nedelja, Dugo Selo, Krk and Biograd na Moru.

Among the municipalities whose population has increased, these are mainly large municipalities – Viškovo near Rijeka, Podstrana near Split and Župa Dubrovačka and Konavle in southern Dalmatia.

With regard to municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, compared to 2011, the number of inhabitants also increased in Poličnik, Sukošan, Pakoštane and Galovac, municipalities in the region of Zadar, Dugopolje and Bol on the island of Brač, municipalities close to Split, Omišalj and Malinska – Dubašnica on the island of Krk, Bilice near Šibenik, Tar – Vabriga in the county of Istria and Orehovica in the county of Međimurje.

Another positive example is that of Vis, the furthest island from the mainland, which in the last ten years has lost only seven inhabitants, due to its coherent and comprehensive demographic policy. The isolated municipality of Baška on the island of Krk, which pursues a proactive demographic policy, has lost only one inhabitant in the last ten years, explains Večernji List.

According to the Jutarnji List daily on Sunday, the results of the 2021 census will also have an effect on the number of councilors in local representative bodies.

In the next local elections, in 2025 and 2029, voters will elect 352 fewer councilors in local representative bodies, as the latest census shows that the Croatian population has decreased by almost 10% compared to 2011.

Under the Local and Regional Government Act, the number of councilors in local representative bodies is determined on the basis of the number of inhabitants of the different counties, towns and municipalities.