According to the 2025 data, Croatia is near the bottom of the European Union in terms of expected working life duration.

A person in Croatia can expect, on average, 35.1 years of activity in the labour market, which is 2.4 years less than the EU average. The data was published by Eurostat on 16 July, based on an indicator that estimates how many years a person could spend in the labour force from the age of 15.

Only 3 members have a shorter working life

Croatia ranked 24th among the 27 member states, meaning it has the fourth shortest expected working life duration in the Union. Only Bulgaria with 34.6 years, Italy with 33 years, and Romania with 32.7 years have worse results.

The European Union average is 37.5 years, which is 0.3 years more than in 2024. Compared to 2016, the expected working life duration in the EU has increased by 2.3 years.

Slovenia ahead of Croatia by 2.1 years

The difference is also visible in comparison with countries Croatia is often compared to. The expected working life in Slovenia is 37.2 years, or 2.1 years more than in Croatia.

In Austria, 39.1 years of activity in the labour market are expected, which is 4 years more than in Croatia. Germany, with 40.2 years, is ahead of Croatia by 5.1 years and belongs to the group of only 7 members where the expected working life reaches at least 40 years.

The figure does not represent the retirement age

Eurostat's indicator does not determine how long people would have to work, nor does it represent the statutory retirement age. The calculation includes life expectancy and current labour market participation rates, with the labour force consisting of employed and unemployed persons who actively participate in the labour market.

Croatia's result therefore does not mean that every citizen will work exactly 35.1 years. It shows that, according to current patterns, the overall presence of the population in the labour force is shorter than in most EU members, and especially in Slovenia, Austria, and Germany.