Roma in Croatia

The Republic of Croatia is a multinational country. Apart from Croats, there are 22 different national minorities living in Croatia, including the Roma. According to the last census in 2011, Croatia has a total of 16,975 Roma, or 0.40% of the total population.

Situation of the Roma

The most important legal document that defines not only the Roma but all national minorities in Croatia is the Croatian Constitution. The Constitution defines 22 national minorities in Croatia.

Demographical data

According to the collected data, there are 16,975 members of Roma minority in Croatia. That data is not 100% correct due to the possibility of the Roma people to declare themselves as other nationalities (Croatian or Serbian for example).

Socio-economic status

The position of the Roma and their living conditions have been on the margins of social interest for years, which contributed to the significant deterioration of the quality of their life in relation to the average quality of life of the majority population.

History

The Roma have lived, where Croatia is now, for more than six centuries. The first written document in which the Roma are mentioned dates from 1362, from Dubrovnik. In the Middle Ages, the Roma population was tied to the cities.