ZAGREB, June 17 (Hina) - According to a population census conducted on April 1 - 15, 2001, Croatia has a total of 4,437,460 residents, of whom 3,977,171 (89.63 percent) declared to be of Croat nationality. There are 331,383 (7.47
percent) members of national minorities, of whom Serbs account for 201,631 or 4.54 percent.
ZAGREB, June 17 (Hina) - According to a population census conducted
on April 1 - 15, 2001, Croatia has a total of 4,437,460 residents, of
whom 3,977,171 (89.63 percent) declared to be of Croat nationality.
There are 331,383 (7.47 percent) members of national minorities, of
whom Serbs account for 201,631 or 4.54 percent. #L#
Around three percent of the population falls in the category of
others or those who did not state their nationality.
Compared to the previous census in 1991, the total population has
decreased by 6.1 percent, the head of the National Bureau of
Statistics, Marijan Gredelj, told reporters on Monday.
Reference to religious affiliation indicated that the majority are
Catholics, 87.83 percent, followed by the Orthodox, who account for
4.42 percent of the population. The Muslim religious community
accounts for 1.28 percent of the population, while agnostics or
those who did not express their religious affiliation account for
2.99 percent; 2.22 percent stated they were not believers.
The majority of the population falls into the age category of
between 20 and 64, which makes 60.2 percent of the population.
People older than 65 account for 15.63 percent of the population.
The structure of education qualifications indicates that the
majority of the population has completed secondary (47.06 percent)
or primary school (21.75 percent); 15.76 percent of the population
have incomplete education; the academically educated account for
7.82 percent; 4.08 percent have completed institutions of higher
education, and 2.86 percent did not attend any school.
According to the census, there is not one city with a population of
one million. Zagreb, being the largest city, has a population of
779,145.
The average population density in Croatia is 78.4 residents per
square kilometre. The most densely populated county is the City of
Zagreb, while Lika-Senj County has the lowest population density.
Gredelj said that the census was conducted according to Croatian
legislation, and the recommendations of the European Commission,
UN, and the EU Statistics Office.
Over 25,000 people conducted the census that included Croatian
citizens, foreigners, and people with or without citizenship who
had residence in Croatia at the time of the census.
Asked about the registration of refugees, Gredelj told journalists
that refugees were registered in the country where they gained
refugee status. If they were without formal refugee status and
resided in Croatia, they were incorporated in Croatia's
population, he said.
(hina) sp sb rml