The latest data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics show that wages in Croatia have risen strongly and that the country is no longer near the bottom of the European ranking. On the contrary, Croatia overtook the Czech Republic in the first half of 2025, which had for years been regarded as a stable economy with high incomes. The average gross salary in Croatia is now about one hundred euros higher than in the Czech Republic, and a significant shift has also occurred in terms of real growth, since wages grew faster than inflation, writes Jutarnji list.

Wages in constant growth

In June of this year, the average net salary in Croatia amounted to 1,444 euros, which is almost 10 percent more than in June last year. When inflation is taken into account, this means real growth of almost six percent. The highest earnings are still achieved by employees in air transport, where the salary averages 2,279 euros, while at the bottom are workers in the textile industry with 926 euros. The median salary, which perhaps best reflects the real situation, amounted to 1,233 euros.

Change in the growth structure

Unlike previous years, when wage growth was led mostly by the public sector, state-owned companies, utility services, and the private sector have now come to the forefront. The biggest growth is recorded in energy and water supply, with increases greater than 15 percent, while in manufacturing, construction, trade, and transport, wages rose by more than 12 percent.

Race with the neighbors

According to an analysis by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, Croatia has climbed to third place in terms of gross salary among ten observed countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Slovenia still leads with an average gross salary of 2,464 euros, and Poland is second with 2,076 euros. Croatia, with 1,968 euros, has overtaken the Czech Republic, where the average gross salary amounts to 1,871 euros. At the bottom are Bulgaria and Slovakia, with salaries up to 400 euros lower than Croatia's.

Minimum wage and regional context

The minimum gross wage in Croatia now amounts to 970 euros. In Slovenia it is significantly higher, 1,278 euros, while in Poland it is 1,100 euros. The Czech Republic is below Croatia, with 841 euros, and the lowest minimum wages are in Hungary and Romania. Although the Czech Republic still has greater overall economic development than Croatia, its wage growth is slowing, while Croatia has noticeably accelerated over the past few years.

The question of productivity

Experts warn that wage growth in Croatia has recently been outpacing productivity growth. According to analyst Elizabeta Sabolek Resanović from RBA, due to the shortage of labor, companies decided to retain existing employees despite the slowing economy, which further strengthened the labor market but also reduced its efficiency. Croatia is thus, alongside high wage growth, faced with the challenge of how to align further economic development with the need for greater productivity.