If you lived in Spain instead of Croatia, you would:

Health

live 5.0 years longer

In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 50.3% less likely to be obese

In Croatia, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 52.8% more spent on your healthcare

Croatia spends $3,229 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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be 44.4% less likely to die by suicide

Croatia has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 42.5% more money

Croatia has a GDP per capita of $27,104 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Croatia, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 36.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Croatia, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 21.7% fewer children

In Croatia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.5% more likely to have internet access

In Croatia, approximately 83.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 12.2% more on education

Croatia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 29.0% more on healthcare

Croatia spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 14.9% less coastline

Croatia has a total of 5,835 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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Safety

be 56.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Croatia, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 32.5% more home broadband

Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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use 15.9% more electricity

Croatia uses 4,484 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 28.6 times more strain on fresh water

Croatia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 67.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Croatia, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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