Croatia: crime and justice

How much crime is there in Croatia?

Police in Croatia recorded 39,489 criminal offences in January to August 2026, 3.89% fewer than in the same months of 2025, according to the Ministry of the Interior's overview of basic security indicators. General crime fell 5.79% to 29,931 offences, while drug crime rose 22.7% and cybercrime 29.9%.

The ministry reports a clearance rate of 68.42% for all offences, meaning the share solved in the period. Monthly overviews are listed on its statistics page. Recorded crime depends on reporting and police activity as well as on how much crime occurs.

Official sources: MUP: Basic security indicators, January-August 2026 (XLSX, Croatian) · MUP: Statistics and road safety bulletins

How many murders are there in Croatia?

Police recorded 15 murders in Croatia in January to August 2026, against 26 in the same period of 2025, according to the Ministry of the Interior's security indicators. Attempted murders rose from 49 to 82. For full years, Eurostat reports 39 intentional homicides in 2024, a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 people.

The ministry's figures count offences recorded under the Criminal Code articles on murder; Eurostat uses the international ICCS definition of intentional homicide, so the counts are not identical. With small numbers, rates change a lot from year to year.

Official sources: MUP: Basic security indicators, January-August 2026 (XLSX, Croatian) · Eurostat: Police-recorded offences by offence category

How many people are in prison in Croatia?

4,965 people were held in Croatian prisons in 2024, 128.56 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to Eurostat. The official prison capacity was 4,052 places, so prisons held more people than their official capacity. In 2023 there were 4,445 prisoners.

The count includes both sentenced prisoners and people held on remand. The Ministry of Justice runs the prison system and publishes information on it on its website.

Official sources: Eurostat: Prison capacity and number of persons held

How many people are convicted of crimes in Croatia?

Public prosecutors decided on crime reports against 48,746 adults in 2025, 1.7% fewer than in 2024, according to the DZS release on adult perpetrators of criminal offences. The number of people accused rose 9.5% and the number convicted rose 6.7%.

Property crime was the most common, at 46.9% of people reported and 27.3% of those convicted. The most frequent sentence was a suspended prison term (79.4%), followed by unsuspended imprisonment (18.7%). DZS publishes separate releases for juveniles and for companies.

Official sources: DZS: Adult Perpetrators of Criminal Offences, 2025

What is the murder rate in Croatia?

The latest figure from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, for 2023, is 0.7 per 100,000. Since 2005 it has ranged from 0.6 per 100,000 (2018) to 1.7 per 100,000 (2006). Europe & Central Asia median: 1.0 per 100,000; Croatia is 31st highest of 35. Of 79 countries with 2023 data, 70th highest.

How many women are killed in Croatia?

In 2023, the homicide rate for women in Croatia was 0.4 per 100,000, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Its high point since 2005 was 2010, at 1.4 per 100,000; its low point was 2018, at 0.4 per 100,000. Europe & Central Asia median: 0.7 per 100,000; Croatia is 30th highest of 36. World rank, highest first: 69th of 78.

How many men are murdered in Croatia?

The latest figure from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, for 2023, is 0.9 per 100,000. Its high point since 2005 was 2008, at 2.3 per 100,000; its low point was 2018, at 0.8 per 100,000. Across Europe & Central Asia the middle value was 1.3 per 100,000, and Croatia placed 28th highest of 36. World rank, highest first: 65th of 78.