ZAGREB, 28 Jan 2022 - Last year, 63,611 people died in Croatia, which is 10,866 or 20.6% more than the average number of deaths in the 2015-2019 period, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Friday.

During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia, from March 2020 to December 2021, the death rate increased by 16.9% compared with the 2015-2019 average.

According to provisional data, 7,313 people died in Croatia in December 2021, which is an increase of 57.6% on the five-year average for the same month. The largest number of deaths in a single month (7,608) was recorded in December 2020, up by 63.9% compared with the five-year average for the same month.

A DZS chart showed that the number of deaths in several months of 2020 and 2021 was above the average for the 2015-2019 period.

During the five-year period, people mostly died in January (5,485 on average), March (4,797), December (4,641) and February (4,615). On the other hand, during the two pandemic years, the number of deaths started to rise considerably in October (4,826 in 2020 and 4,764 in 2021), culminated in December and then started to decline in February.

The DZS also released provisional data on marriages, showing that there were 19,946 marriages in 2021, down by 0.6% from the average for the 2015-2019 period.

During the pandemic, the number of marriages between March 2020 and December 2021 fell by 12.9% compared with the five-year average for the same period.  

The sharpest deviation from the average was recorded during the first lockdown in spring 2020, when wedding parties were subject to strict epidemiological restrictions. The five-year average for April was 1,695 marriages, compared to a mere 288 in April 2020.

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ZAGREB, 17 Dec 2021 - Prices of consumer goods and services in Croatia, as measured by the consumer price index, increased by 4.8% in November 2021 compared with November 2020, their highest rise since February 2013, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Friday.

Compared with October 2021, consumer prices rose by 0.7%.

The highest year-on-year price increase was observed in transport, of 12.9%. It was largely generated by fuel price increases, of 26.6% on an annual level, reflecting increases in global prices of crude oil.

All other categories also recorded annual price increases. Prices of food rose by 6.0% and those of alcoholic drinks and tobacco by 5.6%.

Compared with October, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 1.5% and of clothing and footwear by 1.3%, while prices of recreation and culture fell by 0.02%.

In the year to November 2021, the average annual inflation rate reached 2.3%.

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ZAGREB, 13 Dec 2021 - A total of 1,031 building permits were issued in Croatia in October 2021, which is an increase of 12.1% compared with October 2020, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Monday.

By type of construction, 891 permits (86.4%) were issued for buildings and 140 permits (13.6%) were issued for other structures, such as roads, railways, pipelines, bridges, and sports grounds.

The number of building permits issued for buildings was 17.9% higher than in October last year, while the number of building permits issued for other structures was 14.6% lower.

The value of works envisaged by the building permits issued was HRK 2.98 billion, which is 1.8% less than in October 2020 when their value was HRK 3 billion.

The building permits issued in October 2021 provided for the construction of 1,809 apartments, which is 4% more than in the same month last year.

In the year to October 2021, a total of 8,725 building permits were issued, up by 13.8% year on year. The value of works envisaged by the permits issued was HRK 25.9 billion, an increase of 13.8%.

By type of construction, 7,401 permits were issued for the construction of buildings (+16.2%), while 1,324 permits were issued for other structures (+1.8%).

The building permits issued in the first ten months of 2021 envisaged the construction of 13,732 apartments (+17.3%).

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, 21 Oct 2021 - Croatia ran a consolidated general government deficit of HRK 27.85 billion in 2020, which was 7.4% of GDP, while the public debt to GDP ratio increased to 87.3%, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported on Thursday. 

By comparison, the general government budget ran a surplus of HRK 1.2 billion or 0.3% of GDP in 2019, of HRK 864 million or 0.2% of GDP in 2018, and of HRK 2.8 billion or 0.8% of GDP in 2017.

Last year's deficit was mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic activity and because of state aid to the economy.

The consolidated general government debt reached HRK 330.23 billion in 2020, or 87.3% of GDP, ending the multi-year trend of decline.

By comparison, the consolidated public debt was HRK 293.2 billion or 71.1% of GDP in 2019, HRK 286.6 billion or 73.3% of GDP in 2018, and HRK 285.4 billion or 76.7% of GDP in 2017. 

Deficit growth is driven by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic

The 2020 deficit was largely influenced by the budget balance deficit, which amounted to HRK 21.98 billion or 5.8% of GDP, increasing by HRK 22 billion from the previous year.

The DZS said that the high deficit was the result of a decline in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a considerable impact on the fall in tax revenues and social contributions. On the other hand, the government took long-term measures on the expenditure side of the budget to protect jobs and finance the costs of healthcare.

In 2020, taxes on production and imports totaled HRK 70.7 billion, down by 13% compared with 2019, while current taxes on income and wealth amounted to HRK 24.7 billion, a decrease of 7.4% compared with the previous year. Revenues from net social contributions fell by 4.8% to HRK 45.07 billion.

The 2020 deficit was also generated by the poor financial result of extrabudgetary beneficiaries and public companies as well as by the increase in subsidies and welfare and employment allowances.

Last year, interest expenses totaled HRK 7.4 billion, down by 17.5% compared with 2019, when they amounted to HRK 8.97 billion.

On the other hand, investment increased by 19.3% to HRK 21.3 billion. However, capital transfer expenses reached HRK 942 million, which contributed to the deficit growth.

The primary general government deficit, which shows the difference between revenues and expenditures without interest expenses, was HRK 20.45 billion or 5.4% of GDP, compared with the primary general government surplus of HRK 10.17 billion in 2019.

The government debt to GDP ratio up by 16.2 pp

In 2020, the general government debt increased by HRK 37 billion or 12.6% from 2019, of which HRK 33 billion was generated by net borrowing and the rest by the depreciation of the kuna-euro exchange rate.

The trend of the decreasing Maastricht debt to GDP ratio, which began in 2013, was suddenly reversed by the COVID-19 crisis. In 2020, the general government debt to GDP ratio rose by 16.2 percentage points from 2019 to 87.3%, as a result of the government's increased need for borrowing and the GDP decline caused by the drop in economic activity.

The DZS submits a report on the budget deficit and general government debt to the European Commission twice a year, in April and October. Based on such reports, the Commission decides whether EU member states meet the Maastricht criteria, namely that their general government deficit to GDP ratio is below 3% and that general government consolidated debt is below 60% of GDP.

The Croatian parliament amended the 2021 budget in June, projecting growth of 5.2%, a consolidated general government deficit of 3.8% of GDP (HRK 15.3 billion), and a public debt to GDP ratio of 86.6%.

(€1 = HRK 7.504808)

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