Croatia vs Portugal development indicators, 2024

Demography and Health

Croatia has a slightly higher birth rate compared to Portugal, at 8.3 per 1,000 people versus 8.1. However, Croatia's death rate is significantly higher at 13.3 compared to Portugal's 11.2, indicating a potential demographic challenge. Life expectancy at birth in Croatia is lower than in Portugal, at 78.5 years compared to 82.3 years, reflecting better health conditions in Portugal. Croatia also shows higher mortality rates for children under five, with 4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to Portugal's 3.2. Both countries have a similar prevalence of undernourishment, at 2.5% of the population. Croatia faces challenges with net migration, experiencing a loss of 5,186 residents, while Portugal gains a significant number of 20,648. The healthcare system in Croatia, measured by physicians per 1,000 people (3.6) is less resourceful compared to Portugal's 5.8. Croatia also has a higher suicide mortality rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people against Portugal's 11.5. Generally, these indicators suggest that Portugal outranks Croatia in terms of health outcomes and demographic stability.

Economy

As of 2024, Croatia’s GDP per capita stands at $23,931, which is notably lower than Portugal’s GDP per capita of $28,844. In terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), the gap narrows slightly, with Croatia at $48,575 compared to Portugal at $50,617. Croatia relies heavily on exports, with exports of goods and services making up 49.8% of its GDP, while Portugal's figure is lower, at 46.5%. However, Croatia's imports are also higher at 52.9% of GDP compared to Portugal's 44.7%, indicating a trade imbalance. The inflation rate in Croatia is slightly higher at 3% than Portugal's 2.4%. Overall, while both countries have competitive economies, Portugal exhibits stronger economic indicators across almost all key parameters.

Trade and Investment

Croatia has managed to attract a net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to 5% of its GDP, which is better than Portugal's 4.3%. Croat high-technology exports are valued at $1.7 billion, significantly lagging behind Portugal, which boasts $4.2 billion in high-technology exports, highlighting Portugal's technological edge. Croatia's current account balance is at a deficit of -1.1% of GDP, contrasting with Portugal’s positive figure of 2.2%. These figures indicate that while Croatia is attracting FDI efficiently, it still needs to strengthen its trade performance and technological export capacity to balance its economy effectively.

Governance and Institutions

In terms of governance, Portugal generally performs better than Croatia. Portugal's control of corruption score is 0.7, while Croatia scores 0.2. Similarly, Portugal shows higher effectiveness in government, with a score of 1.0 compared to Croatia's 0.7. Moreover, Portugal's political stability and absence of violence score is 0.7, while Croatia's score is lower at 0.6. The rule of law and regulatory quality are also stronger in Portugal, 1.1 and 0.8, respectively, compared to Croatia’s 0.4 and 0.6. This suggests that Portugal's institutions may provide a more stable environment for growth and civil governance.

Infrastructure and Technology

Current metrics show that both Croatia and Portugal have room for improvement in infrastructure and technological indices. The logistics performance index shows Croatia at 3 and Portugal at 3.6, indicating a higher quality of trade and transport-related infrastructure in Portugal. Internet usage among the population is higher in Portugal at 85.8% compared to Croatia's 83.2%. Furthermore, Croatia’s research and development expenditure of 1.4% of GDP is lower than Portugal’s 1.7%, which may hinder innovation and technological growth in Croatia.

Environment and Sustainability

In terms of sustainability, Croatia generates higher per capita greenhouse gas emissions at 6.5 tons of CO2 equivalent compared to Portugal’s 5 tons. However, Croatia excels in renewable energy consumption, with 34.1% of its total energy coming from renewable sources versus Portugal's 32.3%. The level of water stress in Croatia is considerably lower than in Portugal, at only 1.5% compared to Portugal's 12.3%, suggesting better management of freshwater resources. Both nations face environmental challenges but have adopted different approaches toward sustainability, with Croatia demonstrating a stronger presence in renewable energy consumption while Portugal excels in overall emissions management.