Croatia lost nearly 64,000 pupils in 13 years; Slavonia hit hardest
ŠeR data show a 12.5% fall in pupil numbers over 13 school years; Vukovar‑Srijem County recorded the steepest drop.
Croatia has lost 63,918 pupils in primary and secondary schools over the last 13 school years, a decline equal to 12.5 percent of the total student population. The steepest falls are concentrated in parts of Slavonia.
Regional losses and a few gains
Data from ŠeR (School e-Register) of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth show that only the City of Zagreb and Istria County recorded an increase in pupil numbers during the period under review.
The largest proportional decrease occurred in Vukovar-Srijem County, where pupil numbers fell by 8,094 students, or 34.37 percent. Brod-Posavina County follows with a 31.41 percent reduction, equal to 6,504 fewer pupils, while Požega-Slavonia County saw a 31.23 percent drop, totalling 3,229 students lost.
Although the long-term decline is sizeable, the rate of loss has slowed markedly in recent years. Between the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 school years the number of pupils fell by 11,992; by contrast, the most recent year-on-year comparison, between 2025/2026 and 2026/2027, shows a decrease of 537 pupils.
Experts and local officials point to population ageing, migration and low birth rates as background drivers of the trend, while the slowdown in annual losses may reflect smaller cohorts entering schools and, in some areas, modest demographic stabilisation.
Photo: press material from the event
