Croatia

Croatia is located on the Balkan Peninsula, with a coastline on the Adriatic Sea, adjacent to Italy. It is one of the new states to emerge from the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The long period of civil war did tremendous damage to the region's infrastructure, and the economy is struggling to rebound. Foreign investment has increased, and the picturesque countryside now draws up to 6 million tourists a year.

The population is 4,493,000. The death rate of 11.57 per 1,000 is higher than the birth rate of 9.63 per 1,000, with the population declining by 0.035 percent annually. Median age is 40.6 years. Life expectancy is 71.26 years for males and 78.75 years for females. Gross national income is $8,060 per person, with a total poverty rate of 11 percent. Most Croatians work in industry or services, with less than 3 percent working in agriculture. Unemployment is between 14 and 17 percent.

Mortality from communicable disease is just 1 percent annually. All Croatians have access to clean water and sanitation. HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is less than 0.1 percent. In 2006, there were 54 new HIV cases, 16 new AIDS cases, and 6 AIDS-related deaths. Croatia has some of the lowest rates of sexually transmitted disease infections in Europe. Tuberculosis also has a low prevalence, with 31 new cases per 100,000 people.

Croatians have several risk factors for the development of noncommunicable disease. About 30 percent smoke daily. About 17 percent of males and 15 percent of females are obese. Physical inactivity and low consumption of fruits and vegetables are common. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Croatia, causing 53 percent of all deaths. Ischemic diseases account for 20 percent of deaths and cerebrovascular disease for 16 percent. Cancer is responsible for 23 percent of deaths.

Alcohol consumption is also high, averaging 11 liters per person per year (compared with an average 9.4 liters in other parts of the European Union [EU]). This is believed to be a contributory factor in many unintentional accidents, especially road accidents. Mortality from unintentional accidents is 58 per 100,000, higher than the EU average. Traffic injuries are also higher, at 384 per 100,000, compared with the EU average of 297 per 100,000.

Neuropsychiatric disorders affect about 2 percent of the population. Mortality from suicide or self-in-flicted causes is 20 deaths per 100,000, about two times higher than the EU average.

Children's health has rebounded from the war years, and child mortality has dropped to about 6 deaths per 1,000 for children under 5. All but 4 percent of children are immunized for all major vaccinepreventable [Page 458]diseases. Malnutrition rates are negligible, but obesity is becoming more common among the young. Although the exact number is not known, there are a large number of Croatian children living in orphanages and state-run institutions. A recent public service campaign by the government has been successful in getting children into foster homes.

Croatia has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in Europe. Abortion rates for women overall have dropped sharply since the prewar years, falling from 882 abortions per 1,000 live births in 1985 to 295 abortions per 1,000 live births in 1997. The total fertility rate is 1.41 children per woman. Maternal mortality is just 8 deaths per 100,000 live births.

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