Croatia will offer rewards to expats to persuade them to return

Some expats will be able to get up to 26,000 euros if they agree to return to Croatia. A measure aimed at slowing down the demographic decline and population aging observed in the country in recent years.

Croatia announced on Thursday financial incentives to persuade Croats who have emigrated to other European Union countries to return to their country, in order to curb the demographic decline and population aging observed in recent years.

These measures, which will come into effect on January 1, stipulate payment of up to €26,000 to Croatian expatriates residing in EU countries if they return to Croatia to set up a company. Similar measures are to be taken, under this program entitled “I choose Croatia”, for Croats who have moved for economic reasons within the country to encourage them to settle in sparsely populated rural areas.

250,000 Croatian expatriates

Prime Minister Andrei Plenkovic said these incentives “provide an impetus to return and financial resources”. “The demographic recovery is a vital issue for Croatia with its aging population,” he added. The government estimates that this program could encourage 4,000 to 4,500 people to return home.

According to official figures, more than 250,000 Croats have left the country since they joined the European Union in 2013, mostly in search of better living conditions in Germany, Austria or Ireland. Croatia has a population of about 4.2 million, according to the last population census in 2011.

According to experts, the population has decreased by about 10% since that date due to mass migration. It is scheduled to announce the results of the last population census in early 2022.