Croatia: Average net salary in January was 1,511 euros

(Patria) - The average monthly net salary paid per employee in legal entities in Croatia for January this year was 1,511 euros, which is nominally 8.5% higher year-on-year, and realistically 4.9% higher, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) released on Friday.

Compared to the December 2025 salary, the average net salary for January this year was nominally 1.1% higher, and realistically 0.8% higher.

The highest average monthly net salary for January this year was paid in air transport, amounting to 2,352 euros, and the lowest in clothing manufacturing, amounting to 986 euros.

According to the DZS report, the median net salary for January 2026 was 1,304 euros, meaning that half of the employees earned less, and half earned more than that amount.

Compared to December 2025, the median salary in January was 1.9% higher, and compared to the same month last year, it was 8.7% higher.

The distribution of net salaries by deciles shows that ten percent of employees had a January salary up to 859 euros, twenty percent up to 950, and 30 percent up to 1,048 euros. Forty percent of employees had a January salary up to 1,169 euros, followed by the median salary of 1,304 euros.

Sixty percent of employees had a salary up to 1,464 euros, and 70 percent up to 1,644 euros. This means that the average salary is between these two indicators, meaning that about two-thirds of employees had a salary lower than the average.

The average monthly gross salary per employee in legal entities for January 2026 was 2,114 euros, which is nominally 1.3% higher and realistically 1% higher compared to December 2025.

On an annual level, the average gross salary was nominally 9.8% higher and realistically 6.2% higher.

As with net salaries, the highest average monthly gross salary for January 2026 was in air transport, amounting to 3,432 euros, and the lowest in clothing manufacturing, amounting to 1,311 euros.

In January this year, there were an average of 174 paid hours, which is 3.9% less compared to December 2025.

The highest number of paid hours was in water transport (187), and the lowest in social work activities without accommodation (163).

The average monthly net salary per hour for January this year was 8.46 euros, which is 5.2% higher compared to December 2025, and 13% higher compared to January last year.