The risk estimate was done by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) based on the current economic situation and the stability of institutions and the incumbent government.
Sixty-five of the 150 countries are predicted to have a high or very high risk of social unrest next year, notably the Middle East, North Africa, South Europe, and the Balkans.
In the high risk group, alongside Croatia, are Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Brazil, Turkey, Ukraine, Jordan, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Haiti and Iran.
"A decline in income and high unemployment are not always followed by unrest. Only when economic problems are accompanied by other elements of vulnerability is there a high risk of instability," Laza Kekic of the EIU said, adding that such factors included income inequality, low social protection, ethnic tensions and a history of unrest.
"Recently, it seems that a decline in confidence in the authorities and institutions is especially important in causing unrest, a crisis of democracy," he added.
Among the countries with the highest risk of social unrest in 2014 are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Venezuela, Lebanon, Sudan, Argentina and Bolivia.
Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and Japan are among the countries with a very small risk of social unrest, while the United States, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Australia, Iceland and New Zealand are in the group of countries with a small risk.
The majority of the countries have a medium risk of social unrest in 2014, including Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary and Italy.