Croatia Import Trade Data: $42.55B in 2023, Down 3.5%

Italy and Germany Anchor Croatia's Import Network

Croatia imported $42.55 billion worth of goods in 2023. That was down 3.5% from $44.11 billion the year before. Italy and Germany were virtually tied at the top of the supplier list. Italy provided 14.5% of the total, worth $6.18 billion. Germany followed closely at 14.2%, worth $6.05 billion. Together the two countries supplied more than a quarter of everything Croatia bought from abroad. Slovenia ranked third, supplying 11.5% ($4.89 billion). The top three suppliers combined for 40.2% of total import value. The same three countries, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia, also rank among Croatia's top export markets. That reflects how deeply Croatia's goods trade runs through its immediate neighbors in both directions. That dual role, buyer and seller for the same set of neighbors, is typical of a small economy embedded in the EU single market. Goods often cross the border more than once, first as inputs, later as finished products.

Hungary supplied 6.4% ($2.73 billion), and Austria followed at 5.5% ($2.36 billion). Poland and Netherlands were almost tied for sixth place. Each supplied close to 4.0% of the total, worth $1.69 billion apiece. The Netherlands' presence at that rank is a little less obvious than the rest of the list. Rotterdam functions as one of Europe's largest transshipment hubs, and goods bound for Central and Southeast European markets often pass through Dutch ports before reaching their final buyer. Some of what shows up as a Dutch import may have originated somewhere else entirely. Bosnia & Herzegovina supplied 3.3% ($1.39 billion), just ahead of China at 3.2% ($1.38 billion). Serbia rounded out the top ten at 2.7% ($1.15 billion). China is the only top ten supplier from outside Europe. Its presence shows how far global supply chains now reach, even into a small Adriatic economy like Croatia's.

Fuel and Vehicles Lead a Diversified Import Mix

Mineral fuels, mineral oils, and related distillation products topped Croatia's import categories in 2023. They were worth $6.87 billion, accounting for 16.1% of total value. Analysis from the Institute of Central Europe notes that Croatia has no domestic crude oil processing of real scale, which makes fuel imports necessary to meet demand. The country's only refinery, at Rijeka, still needs a steady supply of imported crude to keep running. Crude reaches Rijeka mainly by sea and through the regional Adria pipeline, the same network that supplies refineries in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Hungary. Croatia sits near the entry point of that pipeline, which shapes how much crude the country needs to bring in even before accounting for its own refining capacity. That dependency helps explain why mineral fuels sit so far ahead of every other import category, worth nearly double the next largest one.

Machinery and mechanical appliances followed at 8.7% ($3.70 billion). Vehicles were close behind at 8.2% ($3.48 billion). Sales data from the Croatian new car market show 2025 volumes reaching an all-time record of 69,140 units. Foreign brands led every spot on the list, among them the Skoda Octavia and the Volkswagen T-Cross. Croatia has no mass-market domestic car manufacturer of its own. Nearly every vehicle on its roads first arrived as an import. Electrical machinery and equipment added a further 7.9% ($3.35 billion). Pharmaceutical products contributed 4.3% ($1.85 billion), and plastics 3.8% ($1.62 billion). Apparel and clothing accessories took 2.6% ($1.13 billion), just ahead of iron and steel, also at 2.6% ($1.09 billion). Iron or steel articles followed at 2.5% ($1.06 billion). Aluminium and articles of aluminium closed out the top ten at 2.0% ($849.50 million). Beyond fuel and transport equipment, the list leans toward inputs for domestic manufacturing and everyday consumer goods. Plastics, pharmaceuticals, apparel, and metals sit close together near the bottom of the top ten, rather than any single specialized industry dominating the import bill.

A Five-Year Import Climb That Cooled in 2023

Croatia's imports climbed through most of the past five years before easing in 2023. The total stood at $28.00 billion in 2019. It dipped to $26.10 billion in 2020, as the pandemic curbed demand. It then jumped to $33.74 billion in 2021, as activity rebounded. Imports climbed further to $44.11 billion in 2022. They slipped back to $42.55 billion in 2023, a 3.5% decline. That marks the first annual pullback across the five-year span, even as the total remains well above pre-pandemic levels. Energy and commodity prices spiked in 2022 before cooling in 2023. That swing likely shaped both years' totals, given how large a share fuel imports hold. Set against the $24.67 billion Croatia exported in 2023, this import total leaves the country with a goods trade gap of roughly $17.88 billion. That gap is typical for a small, trade-open economy that imports fuel, machinery, and vehicles while exporting a narrower mix of processed goods. Tourism receipts are recorded separately from goods trade, but they are widely understood to be the main channel that finances a gap of this size for Croatia. That pattern is common among Mediterranean and Adriatic economies with a large travel sector relative to their industrial base. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories moved year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.