Various ministries, public agencies and institutions invested 1.8 billion kuna in the islands in 2014 and 1.5 billion kuna in 2015, which has been the average annual amount of investments since 1999 when the relevant legislation was passed.
In 2015, the largest portion of investments was directed to projects aimed at improving the connectivity of islands with the mainland, with HRK 345 million being spent on subsidised passengers and vehicle transport between islands and the mainland.
In addition, HRK 310 million was earmarked for the improvement of road infrastructure and HRK 177 million was spent on local utilities whereas 217 million kuna was given to facilitate the local economy and HRK 175 million for tourist trade.
For instance, in 2015 there were 51 subsidised ferry and boat lines for islands and 11.7 million passengers plus three million cars were transported that way in that year.
Croatia has 78 islands, 524 islets and 642 reefs in its part of the Adriatic sea. Of those islands, 50 are permanently or occasionally inhabited, and the state subsidies were spent on the transport to and from 44 inhabited islands.
According to a 2011 census, 132,756 residents lived on those islands and on the peninsula of Peljesac.
There are the four islands connected by bridges to the mainland -- Krk, Pag, Vir and Ciovo -- and their population increased by 10.3% from the previous census in 2001 to 42,245 inhabitants in 2011.
All other islands had 82,710 inhabitants on the aggregate, down 2.1% compared to 2001.
Some municipalities and towns on the islands saw a rise in their population in the period from 2011 to 2014, for instance, the municipality of Solta on the island with the same name saw an increase from 1,770 to 1,990, and Pasman on the island of Pasman saw a rise from 2,131 to 2,275 etc.
(EUR 1 = HRK 7.5)