Croatia named among 20 countries with highest quality of life in new global ranking

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Croatia has been placed among the 20 countries with the highest quality of life in a new international ranking, coming ahead of a number of larger and wealthier European countries.

Croatia ranked 20th with an index score of 181.7 points in the latest Quality of Life Index published by World Population Review.

Luxembourg topped the ranking with 218.2 points, followed by the Netherlands. Denmark and Oman shared third spot. Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Austria, Germany and Australia were next in the top 10. 

New Zealand, Sweden, USA, Estonia, Qatar, Japan, Spain, Slovenia and Croatia made up the top 20.

The ranking, however, measures a particular set of factors and should not be interpreted as a universal measure of living standards.

World Population Review uses Numbeo’s Quality of Life Index, which incorporates several elements of everyday life, including purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, the relationship between property prices and incomes, commuting time, pollution and climate.

Croatia scores strongly in some of these areas, particularly safety, climate and relatively low pollution levels, according to the data cited in the report.

The ranking therefore provides a different perspective from measures based primarily on national income, productivity or gross domestic product per capita.

Croatia’s position also comes at a time when the country is experiencing continued changes in its cost of living, housing market, tourism sector and labour market.

The ranking also highlights the difference between measuring economic prosperity and assessing broader day-to-day living conditions.

Croatia was ranked ahead of countries like Canada, Italy and France.