Croatia: cities by population
Croatia has a population of 3,822,345 (UN estimate, 2026), with Zagreb as its capital. The 50 largest of its 1,209 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
-12%
since 2000 (4,326,105)
-15%
projected by 2050 (3,234,160)
68
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Croatia
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zagreb | Zagreb | 663,592 |
| 2 | Split | Split-Dalmatia | 149,830 |
| 3 | Rijeka | Primorje-Gorski Kotar | 107,964 |
| 4 | Osijek | County of Osijek-Baranja | 75,535 |
| 5 | Zadar | Zadar | 67,309 |
| 6 | Sesvete | Zagreb | 55,313 |
| 7 | Pula | Istria | 52,220 |
| 8 | Slavonski Brod | Brod-Posavina | 45,005 |
| 9 | Karlovac | Karlovac | 41,869 |
| 10 | Varaždin | Varaždin | 36,187 |
| 11 | Šibenik | Šibenik-Knin | 31,115 |
| 12 | Velika Gorica | Zagreb County | 30,036 |
| 13 | Vinkovci | Vukovar-Srijem | 28,111 |
| 14 | Sisak | Sisak-Moslavina | 27,859 |
| 15 | Dubrovnik | Dubrovnik-Neretva | 26,922 |
| 16 | Bjelovar | Bjelovar-Bilogora | 24,392 |
| 17 | Koprivnica | Koprivnica-Križevci | 22,262 |
| 18 | Vukovar | Vukovar-Srijem | 22,255 |
| 19 | Solin | Split-Dalmatia | 20,996 |
| 20 | Zaprešić | Zagreb County | 18,768 |
| 21 | Samobor | Zagreb County | 16,911 |
| 22 | Đakovo | County of Osijek-Baranja | 16,875 |
| 23 | Požega | Požega-Slavonia | 16,867 |
| 24 | Čakovec | Međimurje | 15,078 |
| 25 | Metković | Dubrovnik-Neretva | 13,971 |
| 26 | Virovitica | Virovitica-Podravina | 13,486 |
| 27 | Petrinja | Sisak-Moslavina | 12,963 |
| 28 | Makarska | Split-Dalmatia | 12,809 |
| 29 | Kutina | Sisak-Moslavina | 12,012 |
| 30 | Rovinj | Istria | 11,629 |
| 31 | Dugo Selo | Zagreb County | 11,097 |
| 32 | Sinj | Split-Dalmatia | 10,771 |
| 33 | Križevci | Koprivnica-Križevci | 10,522 |
| 34 | Kastav | Primorje-Gorski Kotar | 10,202 |
| 35 | Trogir | Split-Dalmatia | 10,107 |
| 36 | Nova Gradiška | Brod-Posavina | 9,820 |
| 37 | Županja | Vukovar-Srijem | 9,153 |
| 38 | Podstrana | Split-Dalmatia | 9,129 |
| 39 | Poreč | Istria | 8,841 |
| 40 | Slatina | Virovitica-Podravina | 8,722 |
| 41 | Ivanić-Grad | Zagreb County | 8,452 |
| 42 | Knin | Šibenik-Knin | 8,262 |
| 43 | Čepin | County of Osijek-Baranja | 8,001 |
| 44 | Daruvar | Bjelovar-Bilogora | 7,440 |
| 45 | Ogulin | Karlovac | 7,374 |
| 46 | Našice | County of Osijek-Baranja | 7,307 |
| 47 | Kaštel Stari | Split-Dalmatia | 6,950 |
| 48 | Umag | Istria | 6,751 |
| 49 | Vodice | Šibenik-Knin | 6,592 |
| 50 | Kaštel Sućurac | Split-Dalmatia | 6,544 |
Twenty years earlier: Croatia in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 4,459,137.
Common questions
What is the population of Croatia?
Croatia has a population of 3,822,345, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 3,234,160 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Croatia?
Zagreb.