Poverty often prevents people from exercising many human rights, including access to housing, social and healthcare services, education and employment. People living in poverty also frequently face social stigma and discrimination. Social exclusion is an even broader concept, encompassing not only the economic but also the social, cultural, political and other dimensions of an individual’s life.

To raise awareness of the negative impact of poverty and the need to combat it effectively, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Social Exclusion is observed on 17 October at the initiative of the United Nations.

According to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics for 2025, Croatia’s overall at-risk-of-poverty rate decreased compared with the previous year, standing at 19.5% (20.3% in 2024), while 20.7% of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion (21.7% in 2024).

However, the at-risk-of-poverty rate, a key poverty indicator, does not show how many people are actually living in poverty, but rather how many have an income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. Many people, almost a third of the population, still cannot afford, for example, a one-week annual holiday away from home (32.6%) or an unexpected financial expense (31.2%).

While the slight decline in the overall rates of people at risk of poverty and those at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Croatia is encouraging, the risk of poverty among people aged 65 and over unfortunately continues to rise.

The at-risk-of-poverty rate for people aged 65 and over stands at 39.4%, compared with 37% a year earlier and 34.8% in 2023. For older people living alone, the rate is almost twice as high, with nearly two in three (64.4%) at risk of poverty, compared with 61.4% a year earlier and 59.9% in 2023.

Reducing poverty and the risk of poverty and social exclusion must therefore be a social policy priority, particularly during a period of persistently high inflation and almost daily price increases affecting all areas of people’s lives. Particular attention must be paid to older people, who are already among the most vulnerable groups in society.

Social benefits must also be increased so that they genuinely enable people in vulnerable financial circumstances to live in dignity and find a way out of poverty.

Specifically, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold in 2025 was €752.83 per month for a single-person household and €1,581 per month for a household comprising two adults and two children under the age of 14. By contrast, the guaranteed minimum benefit in 2025 amounted to €160 for a person living alone (€150 in 2024) and €528 for a household comprising two adults capable of work and two children (€420 in 2024). Although these beneficiaries are also entitled to support with housing costs and an allowance for vulnerable energy consumers, social benefits clearly remain well below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. The Ombudswoman therefore recommended that the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy adjust the guaranteed minimum benefit in line with increases in the cost of living and expand eligibility for the benefit.

In its 2025 Country Report for Croatia, the European Commission also found that, despite rising living standards, income inequality is unfortunately increasing. It further noted that, alongside rising employment, the number of people exposed to the risk of poverty and social exclusion is also growing, with persistent regional disparities and additional vulnerability among certain social groups, particularly older people and persons with disabilities.

It is therefore necessary to continue strengthening the social welfare system as a whole. It must be centred on the people who use it, well organised, adequately resourced and accessible to everyone in need of support throughout Croatia, particularly in rural and isolated areas and on the islands.

Further information on poverty, discrimination on the grounds of property status and their impact on human rights, as well as the Ombudswoman’s recommendations for better protection of these rights, is available in the Ombudswoman’s 2025 Annual Report.