Since 1999 when the law was adopted, the state and public sector invested 1.5 billion kuna annually on average into the 50 inhabited islands and the peninsula of Peljesac.
According to a 2011 census, 132,756 residents lived on those islands and on the peninsula of Peljesac.
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.
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.
Of those 1.7 billion kuna invested in the islands in 2016, 1.3 billion were non-repayable funds, and 432 million kuna were in loans approved by the Croatian development bank HBOR, according to the report forwarded to the national legislature.
The agency from SMEs and investments set aside 12 million kuna for the islands two years ago.
(EUR 1 = HRK 7.4)