# Croatia and Hungary compared

Croatia and Hungary side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 4 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/hrv-vs-hun
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Croatia: c. 925 — Tomislav is the first Croatian ruler titled king
- Hungary: 1000 — Stephen I is crowned and founds the Christian kingdom of Hungary

## Economy

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $93 B | 2024 | $223 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $24,050 | 2024 | $23,292 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.8% | 2024 | 0.6% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 3.0% | 2024 | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 104.9% | 2024 | 146.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3.9 m | 2024 | 9.6 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | 2024 | 76.7 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 57.5% | 2024 | 70.5% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.5 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 68.2 | 2024 | 56.4 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 75.8 | 2024 | 73.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 65.1 | 2024 | 61.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 59.4 | 2024 | 60.1 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 63.5 | 2024 | 60.3 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 50.9 | 2024 | 48.7 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 7.1% | 2023 | 6.4% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.91 | 2022 | 3.46 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 5.6 | 2024 | 3.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 90.0% | 2024 | 99.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 87.3% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 98.2% | 2001 | — | — |
| Education spending | 4.1% | 2021 | 3.8% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 101.2% | 2023 | 102.9% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 105.0% | 2023 | 107.4% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 81.2% | 2023 | 60.5% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 1.4% | 2023 | 1.4% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 2,440 | 2023 | 4,567 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 83.6% | 2024 | 93.8% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 122 | 2024 | 105 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 11.7% | 2024 | 22.6% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 55,960 km² | 2023 | 91,260 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 34.8% | 2023 | 22.4% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 26.6% | 2023 | 55.7% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.8 | 2024 | 4.5 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 34.1% | 2021 | 15.3% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.7% | 2021 | 0.4% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.3% | 2021 | 0.2% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.2% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Croatia | Observed | Hungary | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.8% | 2024 | 2.2% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $1.6 B | 2024 | $4.7 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 20,000 | 2020 | 46,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/HRV.md and https://terralore.co/country/HUN.md.

## Entangled histories (4 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1102: **Personal union with Hungary** — King Coloman of Hungary was crowned king of Croatia and Dalmatia, joining the crowns in a personal union; Croatian tradition records the terms in the Pacta conventa, under which Croatia kept its Sabor and its ban. (from the Croatia chronicle; sources: Croatia in Europe through the Ages: Development of the State; Croatia: History)
- 1847: **Croatian made the official language** — The Croatian Sabor adopted Croatian in place of Latin as the official language, a milestone of the national revival and a response to the imposition of Hungarian. (from the Croatia chronicle; sources: Croatia: The Croatian national revival)
- 1868: **The Croatian-Hungarian Settlement (Nagodba)** — Within the Dual Monarchy created in 1867, the Nagodba granted Croatia-Slavonia limited autonomy under its own ban and Sabor, though real authority remained with Budapest. (from the Croatia chronicle; sources: Croatia: History)
- 1 Dec 1918: **Entry into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes** — After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the Croatian lands joined Serbia and Montenegro in the new South Slav kingdom proclaimed on 1 December 1918, later renamed Yugoslavia. (from the Croatia chronicle; sources: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; Croatia: History)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/HRV/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/HUN/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Croatia and Hungary compared", terralore.co/compare/hrv-vs-hun, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.
