Croatia’s registered unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in December 2025 from 4.5% in the previous month, marking the highest level since April.
The number of unemployed persons increased by 1.9% month-on-month to a nine-month high of 82.6 thousand.
Meanwhile, total employment declined by 1.0% to 1.72 million, while the labor force edged down by 0.9% to 1.80 million.
Paid employment in legal entities fell by 1.0%, driven by declines in accommodation and food service activities (-4.0%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (-1.3%), construction (-1.3%), and manufacturing (-1.2%).
In contrast, employment rose modestly in information and communication (0.1%) and human health and social work activities (0.2%).
For comparison, the unemployment rate stood higher at 5.0% in December 2024.