Croatians abroad send record €2.87 billion back home – where the most came from

Croatians working abroad have long supported their families and communities back home, and new figures show their financial contribution has reached record levels.

According to data released by the Croatian National Bank, Croats living and working abroad sent back over €2.87 billion to Croatia in 2023 – the highest amount recorded since such statistics began in 2013.

As in previous years, the majority of remittances came from Germany, traditionally seen as the “promised land” for Croatian workers.

In 2023 alone, Croats in Germany transferred more than €1.1 billion back to Croatia – another record-breaking figure. To put this into perspective, this is nearly six times more than the €192 million sent from Germany in 2013, Novi list writes.

In second place was Ireland, with Croats there sending €312.7 million home, followed by the Netherlands with €285.6 million. These are also the highest amounts ever recorded from those countries.

Other notable contributors include:

• Austria: €225.5 million
• Slovenia: €147 million
• Switzerland: €120.2 million
• United States: €88.3 million
• Italy: €76.4 million
• United Kingdom: €49.9 million
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: €46.5 million

Meanwhile, foreign nationals working in Croatia also sent a record €1.2 billion to their home countries.

Workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina led the way, transferring €287.8 million abroad. They were followed by workers from Serbia (€149.6 million) and Nepal (€138 million), the latter more than doubling their remittance total from the previous year.

These record-breaking figures highlight the significant role of labour migration – both into and out of Croatia – in supporting families and fuelling economies across borders.