The Sunday edition of the Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse published an extensive feature on Croatian youth entitled “Gehen oder Bleiben – Kroatiens junge Generation” (“To Leave or to Stay – Croatia’s Young Generation”).
In the article, author Barbara Schechtner uses the example of Split to illustrate the contrast between young Croatians considering emigration and digital nomads who are finding a new home in Croatia.
As an expert commentator, Assist. Prof. Ivan Perkov, Ph.D., from the Department of Sociology, discussed the social, economic, and historical circumstances that shape the lives of young people in Croatia.

Assistant Professor Perkov emphasized that youth emigration remains one of the key social challenges, especially in the economically weaker regions of the country:

“Emigration continues to be a persistent problem, particularly in Slavonia and Lika — Croatia’s economically weakest regions. The largest wave of emigration occurred between 2013 and 2015, when the effects of the global economic crisis were still strongly felt in Croatia, coinciding with our accession to the European Union, which suddenly liberalized the labour market.”

Although today’s generations are in a somewhat better position, he warns that their situation remains fragile:

“The situation is much better than ten years ago, when youth unemployment exceeded 50 per cent. It now stands at around 10 per cent, which is acceptable. However, the structure of the economy suggests that any slowdown in the global economy could quickly result in renewed difficulties.”

An increasing number of young people, he observes, are considering entrepreneurship and new forms of work, yet bureaucratic obstacles often discourage them:

“Many young people are thinking about entrepreneurship because they realise that traditional jobs are disappearing. However, bureaucracy often discourages them. Numerous administrative procedures in Croatia still originate from the socialist era, and starting a business involves lengthy and unnecessary administrative steps that are deeply demotivating.”

He adds that the legacy of the past continues to shape the social climate:

“We have a complex history that remains very present in everyday life. Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s, but at the cost of a defensive war that caused enormous damage. This deeply marked the youth of that time — my generation. We were, in a sense, a ‘war generation’. Although the topic of war plays a smaller role today, it still influences social relations.”

Reflecting on political participation, Perkov notes that young people in Croatia rarely engage in social movements:

“There are no strong youth movements in Croatia today — the last major student protest took place back in 2009. Young people are rarely politically active; on one hand, this shows that society is not going through deep crises, but on the other hand, it makes them more vulnerable to the influence of elites and leads to their interests often being overlooked.”

As one of the major obstacles to youth advancement, he highlights corruption and unequal access to opportunities:

“Corruption undermines all positive processes in society and is deeply rooted in Croatia. Those without connections often encounter closed doors when seeking employment or access to public funding.”

Finally, Perkov stresses that education is key to long-term societal change:

“Investing in teachers and quality education is the recipe for any society’s success. If we were to invest seriously in teachers, in twenty years we would have an excellent society. Unfortunately, the system does not encourage teaching excellence, and young people therefore cannot fully develop their potential.”

The article was published within the framework of the “Eurotours 2025” project, funded by the Austrian Federal Chancellery.
This year’s project theme is “Youth in Europe – Generation Confidence?”

Source: Barbara Schechtner, “Gehen oder Bleiben – Kroatiens junge Generation,” Die Presse (Presse am Sonntag), 19 October 2025.