Croatian Diaspora

Croatian diaspora refers to the Croatian communities that have formed outside Croatia. Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records and naturalization, but (highest) estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of Croats.

About four million Croats live in Croatia. The largest community outside of Croatia are the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the constitutive nations of that country, amounting to about 650,000.

The Croatian diaspora outside of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina amounts to close to a million elsewhere in Europe, and to about 1.5 million overseas. The largest overseas community is reported from the United States and Chile, with about 400,000 members. In Western Europe, the largest group is found in Germany. The German census reports 228,000 Croats in Germany as of 2006, but estimates of the total number of people with direct Croatian ancestry (including naturalized German citizens) range as high as 450,000.

Read more about Croatian Diaspora:  Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe, Overseas