 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 4 million worldwide | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States | c. 1.2 million[1] |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | c. 544,780 |
 Germany | c. 500,000 |
 Chile | c. 400,000[2][3] |
 Argentina | c. 250,000 |
 Australia | c. 164,360[4] |
 Austria | c. 150,719[5] |
| Religion | |
| HistoricallyRoman Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| European diaspora | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Croats |
|---|
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TheCroatian diaspora (Croatian:Hrvatsko iseljeništvo orHrvatsko rasuće)[6][7] consists of ethnicCroat people, their descendants, andCroatian citizens living outside ofCroatia. An excess of four million people are part of the Croatian diaspora. Thenationality laws of Croatia affords citizenship by birth, ancestry, and naturalization, growing the Croatian citizen population living abroad.
Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records andnaturalization, but upper-level estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of Croats.[8][9] Within neighboringSoutheast Europe, the largest community are with theCroats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of theconstituent nations of that country, amounting to about 545,000. Outside of these two regions, broaderEurope is home to around one million Croatians, with 1.7 million living overseas. The largest diaspora community is in the United States at 1.2 millionCroatian Americans, which significantly influenceCroatia–United States relations. In Western Europe, the largest group is found in Germany with a reported 228,000Croatian Germans as of 2006[update], with some estimates includingnaturalized citizens as high as 500,000. There are significant numbers of the diaspora in theIndo-Pacific, mainly inAustralia (165,000) andNew Zealand (up to 100,000).[10][11]
Bosnia and Herzegovina 544,780 (2013)
Serbia 39,107 (2021)
Montenegro 6,021 (2011)
Romania 4,842 (2021) Germany 500,000 Austria 150,719[13]
Belgium 7,000
Slovenia 35,642 (2002)[14]
Ireland 24,000 (2018)[15]
Switzerland 80,000
France 40,000
Hungary 25,730[16]
Italy 60,000
United Kingdom 10,000 (2001 UK Census)[17]
Poland 1,656
Portugal 464 (Croatian citizens only, excluding people with double citizenship)[18]
South Africa 8,000[21] United States 1,200,000 (2021)[1]
Canada 133,965[22] Argentina 250,000
Bolivia 5,000
Brazil 70,000 Chile 400,000[24][3]
Ecuador 4,000
Paraguay 41,502[25]
Peru 6,000
Uruguay 5,000
Venezuela 5,000 Australia 164,360 (2021)[26]
New Zealand 2,550[27] - 100,000 (est.)[28]
The United States has thelargest Croatian diaspora outside of Croatia. Croatians in Detroit first appeared around 1890, settling usually in the region of Russel. InIllinois the Croatians started concentrating mostly around Chicago. Although it was created a bit later, the Croatian settlement in Chicago became one of the most important ones in the United States. The settlement especially started developing after World War I and Chicago became the center of all Croatian cultural and political activities. It is calculated that there were roughly 50,000 Croats in Chicago in the 1990s, while there were altogether 100,000 Croats living in 54 additionalCroatian settlements in Illinois. There is a significant Croat population also inIndianapolis that settled during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. According to the 2005U.S. Community Survey, there were 401,208 Americans of full or partial Croatian descent.[29]
Pittsburgh has always had a sizeable Croatian population. The headquarters of theCroatian Fraternal Union (CFU) - the oldest and largest Croatian organization in the United States - is located in the eastern suburb of Monroeville, PA, established in the 1880s. The CFU publishes a weekly newspaper,The Zajednicar Weekly, in both English and Croatian. Most of the Croatians inPittsburgh originally settled in the early 1900s on the city's North Side. A neighborhood centered on East Ohio Street along the Allegheny River between Millvale and the North Shore was named Mala Jaska after an area in Croatia (northwest of Zagreb).
The broaderCroatian American community participate in a variety of bilateral organizations seeking to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Croatia. The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCACF) was established in 1993 to advance the diaspora within the U.S. while the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP) seeks to enhance joint economic synergy and public policy.[30][31] Many regional societies and clubs exist inWashington, D.C.,New York,California, andthe Midwest.
The relationship between Croatia's diasporic population and the nativeCroat of Bosnia and Herzegovina is complex. The Croat community in this region are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly speakingCroatian and identifying asCatholic. Thegeographical limits of land occupied by theCroat people and citizens of various Croatian states has changed significantlythroughout history. The status of the Croat community withinBosnia and Herzegovina as a "diaspora" as opposed to a simple ethnic dispersion of Croats is debated in modern ethnographic research.[32][33]Croatian nationality law affords citizenship to anyone living in Bosnia and Herzegovina of Croat descent, allowing for duel citizenship as well.[34] This consequently has grown Croatian citizenry living abroad and led to large scale immigration to Croatia and the broader European Union.[34]
Theborder between the two countries have changed drastically leading to ambiguity around the diasporic nature ofCroats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[35] Croatia is considered anation state while the community in Bosnia and Herzegovina is considered aconstituent nation of that country.[36] They are frequently referred to as Bosnian Croats, but since theWar in Bosnia and Herzegovina the number of Herzegovinian Croats exceeds the number in Bosnia.[37] The Croats maintain an unofficial capital inMostar, with the city being home to the largest Croatian population.[38][39]
There is no precise data regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina's population since the last war. The UNHCR conducted an unofficial census in 1996, but the data has not been recognized. Ethnic cleansing in the 1990s saw the vast majority of Croats resettle toFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This region directly borders the Croatian region ofDalmatia. It is estimated that there are approximately 600,000 Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to 2000 data from theCIA World Factbook, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ethnically 14.3% Croat.[40]
Croatians reportedly immigrated to Canada as early as 1541 when two Croatians from Dalmatia served on the crew of Jacques Cartier's third voyage to Canada.[41] There are approximately 114,880Canadians of Croatian ethnic origin as reported in the 2011 National Household Survey. The Croatian community is present in most major Canadian cities (includingToronto,Hamilton,Ottawa,Winnipeg,Vancouver,Calgary,Windsor, andMontreal, as well asMississauga andOakville) in the form of designated Croatian churches, parks, and other organizations.
Notable Croatian Canadian organizations include theCroatian Fraternal Union, the Croatian Canadian Folklore Federation (Vancouver), and the Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre (Calgary). Some of the more popular Croatian Canadian events are theCroatian-North American Soccer Tournament and the Canadian-Croatian Folklore Festival. Croatian Canadians have had a notable presence in the form of soccer teams all around Canada, one of the most famous clubs was the now defunctToronto Metros-Croatia, who are succeeded byToronto Croatia.
Croats are an important ethnic group inChile; they are citizens of Chile who were either born in Europe or are Chileans of Croatian descent deriving theirCroatian ethnicity from one or both parents. Chile has one of the largest communities of ethnicCroats outside theBalkans Peninsula and it is one of the most significant communities in theCroatian diaspora -- second only to that which is found in the United States. They are one of the main examples of successful assimilation of a non Spanish-speaking Europeanethnic group into Chilean society. Many successful entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and prominent politicians holding the highest offices in the country have been of Croatian descent.
The Croatian community first established itself in two provinces situated in the extreme ends ofChile:Antofagasta, in theAtacama desert of the north andPunta Arenas in thePatagonian region in the south. The massive arrival of Croats in Chile began in 1864 and the migration grew steadily until 1956 – reaching a number of more than 60,000.[42]
It is officially accepted that there are up to 380,000Chileans of Croatian descent (who clearly identify themselves as Chilean-Croats).[43]
Argentines of Croatian descent number over 250,000.[43] The most successful of all the Croats in Argentina was also one of the first to arrive. Nikola Mihanović came toMontevideo, Uruguay in 1867. Having settled inBuenos Aires, by 1909 Mihanović owned 350 vessels of one kind or another, including 82 steamers, owning, in that time, the biggest boat company in Argentina. By 1918, he employed 5,000 people, mostly from his nativeDalmatia which was then underAustro-Hungarian and Italian rule. Mihanović by himself was thus a major factor in building up a Croatian community which remains primarily Dalmatian to this day, although it contains people from other Croatian regions.
The second wave of Croat immigration was far more numerous, totalling 15,000 by 1939. Mostly peasants, these immigrants fanned out to work the land inBuenos Aires province,Santa Fe,Chaco andPatagonia. This wave was accompanied by a numerous clergy to attend their spiritual needs, especiallyFranciscans.
If the first two waves had been primarily economic, the third wave after the Second World War was eminently political. Some 20,000 Croatian political refugees came to Argentina, and most became construction workers on Peron's public works projects until they started to pick up some Spanish. Today, many descendants of the Croatian immigrants still know Croatian, although different than the modern-day Croatian language.[44]
The largest number of Croats arrived in Paraguay between 1860 and 1920. In those years, Croats emigrated mainly from the Dalmatian coast, predominantly from southern Dalmatia (islands and Boka Kotorska). Their main motivation for emigration was economic. The first Croat in Paraguay was Ivan the Baptist Marchesetti, a missionary of the Society of Jesus, a native of Rijeka, who served in the Jesuit missions in Paraguay from 1757 until his death in Paraguay (1767). Most of the Croats living in Paraguay are descended from these early immigrants. In the beginning, they were engaged in trade, pharmacy, small trades, mechanical works, gunsmiths, river navigation, rural jobs such as selling wood, construction, animal husbandry, professional jobs, etc.
According to the statistical study conducted in 2022, approximately 41,502 Croatian descendants live in the Republic of Paraguay.[25] The majority of Croats settled in urban and semi-urban areas, some were landowners,lumberjacks, wholesalers. Croats and their descendants were scattered in all areas of the country, and according to our demographic study by place of birth, the largest number of Croatian descendants live in the eastern part of the country. The largest number of Croats live in the cities of Asunción, Concepción, Encarnación, San Lorenzo, Luque, Presidente Franco and the surrounding areas of each of them.
The first records of Croatian settlers in Uruguay date back to the 18th century. The oldest in this regard is the will of Šimun Matulić, from 1790, which states that he was born on the island ofBrač, during theRepublic of Venice and that after his death he left several individuals with Croatian surnames to look after his properties in colonialMontevideo.[45]
In the late 19th century, there was considerable immigration of Croatians to Uruguay, mainly from the region ofDalmatia.[46] Most of them settled inMontevideo, however, small communities were established in towns such asConchillas andCarmelo.[46] In 1928 theHogar Croata de Montevideo (Spanish for 'Croatian Home of Montevideo') was founded with the aim of spreading the culture and the language, as well as bringing together immigrants and their descendants.[47] For much of the 20th century, theSociedad Yugoslava Bratstvo del Uruguay (Spanish for 'Yugoslav Bratstvo Society of Uruguay') was composed ofethnic Croats, as well asMontenegrins,Serbs,Bosnians andSlovenes, but ceased to exist in the 1990s due to theYugoslav Wars.[48]
The Croatian community is present in most major Colombian cities, includingBogotá,Cali andBarranquilla. There are approximately 5,800Colombians of Croatian ethnic origin as reported.
Croatian immigration to Venezuela dates back to the late nineteenth century, and was characterized by the individual arrival of merchant seamen. UntilWorld War I, only a few Croats settled in Venezuela, nevertheless it was in the period ofWorld War II when the Croatian families that escaped from thegovernment of Tito began to settle in the country. Most of these immigrants came from present-day Croatian territory, particularly from the coastal and inland areas ofDalmatia. Others came fromBosnia and Herzegovina.[49]
The majority of the members of the Croatian community settled inCaracas andValencia and, to a lesser extent, in other cities of the interior:Maracay,Maracaibo,Mérida and in localities of theYaracuy state, where some joined the work in the sugar industry.[50] Also, several forest technicians arrived that later contributed to the establishment of the School of Forestry Engineering at theUniversity of the Andes. A large percentage of the Croatians were artisans, who later became small entrepreneurs, and many were professionals, especially engineers and technicians, who had outstanding performance in Venezuela.[51]
Croatia has been a significant source ofmigrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2016, 133,264 persons resident in Australia (0.6%) identified themselves as having aCroatian ancestor. In 2006, there were over 50,000 Croatian-born Australians, with 70% arriving before 1980. This community is quickly ageing and almost half of Croatian-born Australians were over the age of sixty in 2006. However,Croatian language and culture continues to be embraced amongst younger generations and descendants of post-war immigrants. In 2001, theCroatian language was spoken by 69,900 people in Australia.
The vast majority of Croatians in Australia are Christians, mostlyCatholics while there areProtestant,Greek Catholic andSeventh-Day Adventists, as well as a small minority adhering toIslam. There are Croatian-speaking Catholic congregations in most major cities. InMelbourne, there are congregations inSt Albans,Taylors Lakes,Hillside andAvondale Heights.[52] InSydney there are congregations inBlacktown,St John's Park,Summer Hill,Mona Vale,Botany,Chatswood West andSouth Hurstville.[53] InAdelaide, there are Croatian-speaking congregations inNorth Adelaide andAdelaide CBD[54] and inCanberra and rural New South Wales there are regular services atFarrer,Evatt andBatemans Bay.[55]Balcatta andNorth Fremantle host Croatian services inPerth.[56] St Nikola Tavelic Church inClifton Hill is an important religious and cultural centre for Melbourne's Croatian community. There is a CroatianSeventh-Day Adventist congregation located inSt Albans, in Melbourne's western suburbs as well as one inSpringvale,[57] while there is also Croatian Adventist congregation inDundas - in Sydney's north-west. In addition, Melbourne's localCroatian Muslim community has established the Croatian Islamic Centre inMaidstone also in Melbourne's west. These Muslims are descendants of those who converted to Islam after theOttoman conquest of the Balkans. Melbourne's 35,000 Croatians were initially concentrated in the inner suburbs though now most live in the Western suburbs particularly in theCity of Brimbank where a Croatian mayor (Brooke Gujinovic) was elected in 1999. There are around 90 Croatian sporting, religious or cultural clubs or organisations operating in Melbourne. In Sydney, there are over 30,000 Croatians, with a large concentration residing inSt John's Park and surrounding suburbs. Furthermore, there is a high concentration of Croatians inGeelong, where the community has a significant influence, particularly inBell Park where over 15% of the population speaks Croatian at home.
It is likely that the first Croat in Sydney was Stefano Posich, who was born inSicily to Croatian parents and migrated to Australia in 1813. Croats first immigrated to Australia during theVictorian gold rush of the 1850s. During this time, Croats were counted as Austrians because much of Croatia was a part of theHabsburg Empire. Croatians were not recorded separately (from otherYugoslavs) until the 1996 Census. In 1947, at least 5,000 Croatians were residing in Australia - mainly from the coastal region ofDalmatia. Between 1890 and World War II, at least 250 Croatians settled in Melbourne. Since then, thousands of Croatians have arrived after World War II as displaced persons or economic migrants. Many Croatians found work in manufacturing and construction. a substantial amount of Croats came to Australia during the 1960s and 1970s due to high unemployment, limited economic opportunities and anti-Croatian sentiment in Yugoslavia - many of these immigrants came to Australia under family reunion programs. Many Croatian Australians were born in former Yugoslav states such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatian people are visible in all parts of Australian society, but they have made a big impact in the sporting arena with many football clubs being formed by immigrants, two of the more famous and most successful beingMelbourne Knights FC andSydney United. Both clubs have played in Australia's top league theNSL and Melbourne Knights winning the championship back to back in the season 1994/5 and 1995/6.Sydney United has produced the largest number of full Australian internationals. The Croatian community holds theAustralian-Croatian Soccer Tournament which has been held annually since 1974. It is the largest 'ethnic' based soccer competition in Australia as well as the oldest national soccer competition in the nation. Some famous Croatian-Australian football players to represent Australia areMark Viduka,Jason Čulina,Mark Bresciano,Zeljko Kalac,Josip Skoko,Tony Popovic all who ironically lined up against Croatia in the2006 World Cup in Germany, playing against Australian-born Croatian internationalJosip Šimunić. A total of 47 Croatian Australians have gone on to play for the Australian national team, including 7 who captained the national team. Other notable Croatian Australians include actorEric Bana, former Archbishop of AdelaideMatthew Beovich, politicianJohn Tripovich, rugby league coach and former playerIvan Cleary, tennis playerJelena Dokic and television presenterSarah Harris amongst others.
SinceCroatian independence in the 1990s, an official embassy has been opened in Canberra while consulates have been established in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.
The first Croat to settle inNew Zealand is believed to be Pauvo Lupis (Paul) who deserted his Austrian ship in the late 1800s. Although Croats had contact with New Zealand and a few had settled the propermigration waves began when theAustro-Hungarian Empire allowed Italian wine and oil into the Empire's territories for a substantially less duty, thus rendering peasants and farmers bankrupt. This treaty was the beginning of many events which causes migration mainly fromDalmatia. There were 5,000 migrants of Croatian descent between 1890 and 1914, prior to World War I. A further 1,600 migrated during the 1920s before the onset of the Great Depression. Another 600 in the 1930s, prior to World War II. Between 1945 and 1970, 3,200 migrated to New Zealand. Arrivals during the 1990s fled theconflict in former Yugoslavia.
The main destination for settlers was theNorthland gum fields where the young boys were sent to digKauri tree gum from swamps. Until the 1950s, the gum was used to varnish wooden furniture and the likes. Here on these fields, Croats were treated as outcasts by the British Empire and called 'Austrians' because of the passport they carried. They were looked at with suspicion, mainly because they would share profits and send money back to their villages inDalmatia. Many British settlers who worked the same fields resented the Dalmatian gum-diggers, whom they nicknamed "Dallies", a term which is still occasionally used. On these fields as outcasts, theCroatian immigrants were thrown together with the other outcasts, the nativeMāori people who having many of the same view points and coming from villages themselves got on extremely well.
Many Croatian men marriedMāori women as they came to New Zealand as bachelors before a bride could be sent from their home village. The localMaori called themTarara because they spoke inCroatian very fast. Many Māori nowadays refer to themselves as Tarara and carry Croatian family names.Miss New Zealand 2010Cody Yerkovich (spelled in Croatian asJerković) is an example of the Māori Croatian mix Tarara.
In modern times, Croatian immigrants have continued to arrive, with many starting their own business with the abundance of good soil and land. Many turned to work similar to what they did back inDalmatia, such as vineyards, orchards and fishing. Some notable companies in the wine industry are Delegat, Nobilo, Selak, Villa Maria, Montana and Kuemue River Wines, all owned by Croatian families.
In fishing, there are two big companies, the first being Talley's Seafood founded in 1936, by Ivan Peter Talijancich (spelled Talijančić in Croatian) established Talley's inMotueka, New Zealand, and the second being Simunovich (spelled Šimunović in Croatian) Fisheries Limited which has thrived and become a large company from deep sea scampi.
In sport, many small clubs and associations have come and gone. However,Central United (formerly Central Croatia SC) formed in 1962; the club is still going to this day. The football club, formed by a group of young Croatian immigrants from Dalmatia, played initially in the lower division of the Northern League before rising to become one of New Zealand's top football clubs by the late 1990s.
Central United FC were the New Zealand champions in 1999, 2001 and were runner-up in 1998. Central United FC also won the Chatham Cup in 1997, 1998, 2005 and 2007 and were runners-up in 2000 and 2001. Their home ground is atKiwitea Street Stadium, inSandringham (Auckland).
Some notable former players are:
Other notable New Zealanders of Croatian descent include singerLorde (real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor), historianJames Belich, golferFrank Nobilo, rugby playerFrano Botica, motor racing driversRobbie Francevic andPaul Radisich, tennis playerMarina Erakovic, architectIvan Mercep, artistMilan Mrkusich, and musiciansPeter andMargaret Urlich.
...4.5 million Croats and people of Croatian heritage live outside of the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina...
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