Croatia vs Serbia
Croatia vs Serbia: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 3.4% a year in Croatia and 2% a year in Serbia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Croatia, by 1.4 percentage points, or 1.68 times that in Serbia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Croatia has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Serbia.
- In 2025, Croatia ranked 75 and Serbia ranked 102 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Croatia at 2.4% a year and Serbia at 3.5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Croatia | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3.8 | 4 |
| 2023 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| 2022 | 7.3 | 2.7 |
| 2021 | 12.6 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | -8.3 | -1 |
| 2019 | 3.1 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | 2.9 | 4.6 |
| 2017 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | 3.5 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| 2014 | -0.6 | -1.8 |
| 2013 | -0.1 | 0.5 |
| 2012 | -2.2 | -0.4 |
| 2011 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
| 2010 | -1.3 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | -6.8 | -3.1 |
| 2008 | 2 | 5.2 |
| 2007 | 5.1 | 7.8 |
| 2006 | 5.1 | 3.9 |
| 2005 | 4.3 | 5.9 |
| 2004 | 4.2 | 6.7 |
| 2003 | 5.6 | 4.6 |
| 2002 | 5.8 | 6.5 |
| 2001 | 3.1 | 6.8 |
| 2000 | 3.7 | 6.1 |
| 1999 | -0.9 | -10.3 |
| 1998 | 1.9 | 5.3 |
| 1997 | 6.6 | – |
| 1996 | 5.9 | – |
| 1995 | 6.6 | – |
| 1994 | 5.9 | – |
| 1993 | -8 | – |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Croatia | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.2 | 3.3 |
| 2027 | 2.3 | 4 |
| 2028 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
| 2029 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
| 2030 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
| 2031 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Croatia vs Serbia
Health
- Life expectancyCroatia: 78.6 years in 2023Serbia: 76.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCroatia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Serbia: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCroatia: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Serbia: 4.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterCroatia: 85.4% in 2007Serbia: 75.1% in 2022
- DepressionCroatia: 2.78% in 2017Serbia: 2.57% in 2017
- Suicide rateCroatia: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Serbia: 12.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCroatia: 3.9 million people in 2023Serbia: 6.77 million people in 2023
- Population growthCroatia: -0.34% a year in 2023Serbia: -0.44% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCroatia: 1.47 births per woman in 2023Serbia: 1.5 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCroatia: 57.8% in 2025Serbia: 62.6% in 2025
- Median ageCroatia: 44.8 years in 2023Serbia: 43.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCroatia: 22.8% in 2023Serbia: 22.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateCroatia: 2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Serbia: 0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCroatia: 2.02% of GDP in 2025Serbia: 2.76% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCroatia: $1.93B in 2025Serbia: $2.55B in 2025
- Military spending per personCroatia: $544 in 2025Serbia: $414 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCroatia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Serbia: 6.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCroatia: 20,000 people in 2020Serbia: 32,000 people in 2020
- National powerCroatia: 0.05% of world capability in 2022Serbia: 0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCroatia: 1.17% of the labour force in 2020Serbia: 1.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCroatia: 141 million TIV in 2025Serbia: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsCroatia: 53 million TIV in 2024Serbia: 39 million TIV in 2025