From October 2025 through September 2026, low-carbon sources supplied more than half of Croatia’s electricity consumption, at about 56%. Hydropower was the largest domestic source at 28%, followed by wind at 15%, solar at 9% and biofuels at roughly 5%. Fossil fuels supplied about 17%, mostly gas at 12% and coal at 5%. Net imports covered another 27% of consumption; the supplied data do not identify their generation mix, so they should not be classified as either clean or fossil electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Croatia?

Croatia’s electricity consumption is growing: the latest 2026 figure reached about 5,250 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 5,100 kWh in 2025 by 144 kWh, or nearly 3%. That growth is welcome as electrification and AI increase demand for electricity. However, low-carbon electricity generation has not kept pace with its own historical peak. At about 2,920 kWh per person, it was 196 kWh, or around 6%, below the 2023 record of 3,120 kWh. This shortfall is concerning: Croatia needs stronger clean electricity growth alongside rising consumption.

Suggestions

Croatia can build on its substantial wind generation while accelerating solar deployment and considering new nuclear capacity, including through regional cooperation. Denmark, where wind supplies 59% of electricity, and Lithuania, at 41%, illustrate how much further wind can grow. Nearby solar examples are especially relevant: North Macedonia generates 40% of its electricity from solar, while Hungary generates 23%, compared with Croatia’s roughly 9%. Nuclear also deserves a central place in long-term planning: neighboring Slovenia generates 40% of its electricity from nuclear, Hungary 30% and Slovakia about two-thirds. Learning from these regions could help Croatia expand a diverse, low-carbon electricity supply and reduce reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and air pollution.

History

The supplied history shows large year-to-year swings in Croatia’s hydropower generation. In the 1990s, increases of about 1.6 TWh in 1991 and 2.2 TWh in 1996 were followed by a 2 TWh decline in 1997 and a 1.3 TWh recovery in 1999. The 2000s brought further alternating gains and declines, including a 2.2 TWh increase in 2004 and a 1.9 TWh fall in 2007. Volatility became particularly pronounced in the 2010s: generation rose by 1.7 TWh in 2010, fell by 4.1 TWh in 2011 and rebounded by 3.7 TWh in 2013, with further sizable fluctuations through 2019. More recently, gains of 1.4 TWh in 2021 and 2.7 TWh in 2023 alternated with declines, including falls of 1.4 TWh in 2024 and 1.2 TWh in 2025. Those recent losses underscore the importance of expanding wind, solar and nuclear electricity to sustain clean generation growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.