Croatia vs Lithuania development indicators, 2024

Demography and Health

Croatia has a crude birth rate of 8.3 per 1,000 people, which is higher than Lithuania's 7.2. However, Croatia also experiences a higher crude death rate of 13.3 compared to Lithuania's 12.9. In terms of life expectancy, Croatians live to an average of 78.5 years, while Lithuanians have a slightly shorter life expectancy of 77 years. The under-5 mortality rate in Croatia is 4.6 per 1,000 live births, which is significantly better than Lithuania's 3.4, illustrating Croatia's strengths in infant mortality. The suicide mortality rate in Croatia is notably lower at 15.7 per 100,000 population compared to Lithuania's alarming rate of 22.1, indicating a significant disparity in mental health challenges between the two countries. Additionally, both nations have similar levels of undernourishment at 2.5% of the population.

Economy

Croatia's GDP per capita stands at $23,931, which is lower than Lithuania's $29,386. When adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP), Croatia's GDP per capita is $48,575 while Lithuania's is $54,414, maintaining the trend of Lithuania having a stronger economic standing. In terms of inflation, Croatia faces a higher annual consumer price inflation rate of 3% compared to Lithuania’s 0.7%. Exports as a percentage of GDP are significantly lower for Croatia at 49.8% compared to Lithuania’s impressive 74.1%, while imports also reflect a similar pattern with Croatia at 52.9% versus Lithuania at 68.9%. Foreign direct investment inflows are slightly more favorable to Croatia at 5% of GDP, whereas Lithuania follows closely at 4.2%. The unemployment rate in Croatia is at 6.1%, relatively lower than Lithuania’s 6.8%.

Trade and Investment

The exports of goods and services constitute a much larger percentage of Lithuania's GDP compared to Croatia's, with Lithuania leading at 74.1% against Croatia's 49.8%. This suggests that Lithuania has a more export-oriented economy. On the foreign direct investment front, Croatia's net inflows represent 5% of GDP, ranking 25th globally, while Lithuania’s position is slightly lower with 4.2% and a rank of 34. The current account balance is more favorable for Lithuania, standing at 2.5% of GDP compared to Croatia's -1.1%, highlighting a better trade balance for Lithuania.

Governance and Institutions

In governance, Lithuania shows stronger performance with a control of corruption score of 0.8 compared to Croatia’s 0.2. Furthermore, Lithuania excels in government effectiveness (1.1) and regulatory quality (1.3), outperforming Croatia which has scores of 0.7 and 0.6 respectively. Rule of Law in Lithuania is also superior at 1.3 versus Croatia’s 0.4. Despite being ranked lower, political stability is relatively comparable, with Croatia at 0.6 and Lithuania at 0.7 for absence of violence and terrorism. The indices illustrate that Lithuania has generally better governance metrics, indicating stronger institutions and public trust.

Infrastructure and Technology

In terms of logistics performance, Lithuania outperforms Croatia with a score of 3.5 compared to Croatia's 3. This suggests that Lithuania has a more developed trade and transport infrastructure. Internet usage is higher in Lithuania, with 88.5% of the population having access compared to 83.2% in Croatia, indicating a more connected digital landscape in Lithuania. Patent applications are slightly more numerous in Lithuania, with 81 applications compared to Croatia's 77, reflecting a more innovative environment in Lithuania.

Environment and Sustainability

Both countries have similar renewable energy consumption rates, with Croatia at 34.1% and Lithuania at 33.2% of total final energy consumption. However, Croatia shows better management of water resources, with a water stress level of 1.5 compared to Lithuania’s 1.8. This could imply that Croatia is more effective in retaining its freshwater resources. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, Croatia emits 6.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per capita, lower than Lithuania’s 7.2, indicating Croatia's relatively better environmental performance in terms of emissions. Research and development expenditure as a percentage of GDP is also higher in Croatia at 1.4% compared to Lithuania's 1.1%, suggesting that Croatia invests more in innovation related to sustainability.