The average net salaries of teachers, instructors, and professors in Croatia in the latest published data range from €1,575 for a primary school teacher to €3,376 for a full professor with permanent tenure at public higher education institutions.

The data is based on reports from the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, which published average and median salaries in schools for March 2026, as well as a report for the science and higher education system. The Ministry reported that the April salary was paid to employees of school institutions on May 11, 2026, and to employees in the science and higher education system on May 12, 2026.

The data refers to full-time employees

In the published tables, the Ministry states that the data for schools refers to employees working full-time. For public higher education institutions, it is stated that full-time employees are included, including employees with supplements for managerial positions.

In primary schools, the average net salary of a teacher is €1,575

According to data from the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the average net salary of a primary school teacher in March 2026 amounted to €1,575. The average gross salary for the same category amounted to €2,236.

Mentor teachers had an average net salary of €1,803, advisor teachers €2,055, and excellent advisor teachers €2,264. For the highest teaching rank, the average gross salary amounted to €3,312.

Median net salaries in primary schools were somewhat different from the average. The median for teachers amounted to €1,684, for mentor teachers €1,863, for advisor teachers €2,071, and for excellent advisor teachers €2,256. The median shows the amount around which the middle of the salary distribution lies, so it is often more useful for understanding a typical salary than the average itself.

In secondary schools, teaching salaries are higher than last year

In secondary schools, the average net salary of a teacher amounted to €1,712, while the average gross salary was €2,443.

A mentor teacher had an average net salary of €1,938, an advisor teacher €2,160, and an excellent advisor teacher €2,374.

Compared with March 2025, growth in secondary schools is more pronounced than in primary schools. The average net salary of a teacher rose from €1,608 to €1,712, which is an increase of 6.5%.

For mentor teachers, the salary rose from €1,829 to €1,938, or by 6.0%. An advisor teacher saw an increase from €2,010 to €2,160, which is 7.5%, while an excellent advisor teacher rose from €2,219 to €2,374, or by 7.0%. Data for March 2025 was also published in the report of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.

In primary schools, growth is more moderate

For primary schools, growth compared with March 2025 is around 3%. The average net salary of a teacher rose from €1,532 to €1,575, which is an increase of 2.8%. A mentor teacher recorded an increase from €1,758 to €1,803, or 2.6%. An advisor teacher rose from €1,997 to €2,055, which is 2.9%, while an excellent advisor teacher rose from €2,195 to €2,264, or by 3.1%.

In other words, in primary schools growth is visible, but it is not equal to what is seen in teaching ranks in secondary schools.

At public higher education institutions, the highest average net salary is €3,376

In the system of public higher education institutions, the highest average net salary was earned by full professors with permanent tenure. It amounted to €3,376, with an average gross salary of €5,071.

Full professors had an average net salary of €2,929, associate professors €2,559, and assistant professors €2,181. Among associate ranks, senior assistants had an average net salary of €1,852, while for assistants the average amounted to €1,461.

This means that in the published data, the range of average net salaries for teachers, instructors, and professorial ranks is from €1,575 to €3,376. If associate ranks at higher education institutions are also included, the lowest published average amounts to €1,461 and refers to assistants.

Professorial salaries grew by around 3% compared with last year

A comparison with the Ministry's data for March 2025 shows that salaries at public higher education institutions mostly grew by around 3%. For a full professor with permanent tenure, the average net salary rose from €3,271 to €3,376, which is an increase of 3.2%. For a full professor, the increase was from €2,835 to €2,929, or 3.3%.

An associate professor saw an increase from €2,480 to €2,559, which is 3.2%. An assistant professor rose from €2,116 to €2,181, or by 3.1%. For a senior assistant, the increase was from €1,799 to €1,852, which is 2.9%, while for an assistant the average net salary rose from €1,417 to €1,461, or by 3.1%. The report for March 2025 was published on the website of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.

The average does not mean that everyone has the same salary

The published amounts do not mean that every teacher, instructor, assistant, or professor receives exactly the stated amount. These are average and median salaries, and the actual salary of an individual employee may depend on the position, promotion, supplements, tax status, place of residence, and other payroll calculation elements.

Therefore, the Ministry's data is useful as a guideline for comparing groups and ranks, but it should not be read as a universal amount that applies to every employee in the system.

The latest reports of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth confirm that salaries in education and at public higher education institutions have increased compared with last year, but the growth is not the same in all parts of the system. The largest annual changes are seen among teachers in secondary schools, while in primary schools and at public higher education institutions the increases are more moderate.