[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-109232-en":3,"doc-seo-109232-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":93},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},109232,8796095360427,"Lucas Martin","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d",8,"Research & Report","HIDDEN BURDENS, PERSISTENT GAPS - Housing Conditions and Energy Poverty in Croatia - Policy Note, May 2026","Croatia’s housing system faces structural pressures despite very high homeownership, with limited private rental supply and rising prices accelerating affordability stress. Persistent overcrowding and young adults living with parents reflect cultural factors, constrained affordability, and a thin rental market that can affect residential mobility and labor outcomes. Renovation activity remains too slow: most older homes have not improved energy efficiency, leaving many households in thermally inefficient dwellings. Energy poverty indicators also mask broader vulnerability tied to housing conditions, and upcoming policy changes and market pressures may intensify household burdens. Croatia’s reforms in legislation and funding require effective implementation to reach the most affected households and buildings.","Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized  \nHIDDEN BURDENS, PERSISTENT GAPS Housing Conditions and Energy Poverty in Croatia  \nNadia Belhaj Hassine and Francine Claire Fernandez  \nPub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure  \nPolicy Note, May 2026  \nKey Messages  \nCroatia's housing system faces important challenges despite high homeownership. Croatia's homeownership rate of 91 percent—with 83 percent of households owning outright—is among the highest in the EU, reflecting the large-scale housing privatization of the 1990s. The formal private rental market accounts for only 2 percent of households — well below the EU average of 21 percent — while reduced-price rental arrangements also remain limited. Housing prices have risen significantly faster than the EU average since 2015, and the expansion of shortterm rentals has contributed to reducing the supply of housing available for long-term residential use. These pressures are reflected in persistent overcrowding: 32 percent of Croatian households lived in overcrowded conditions in 2024—15 percentage points above the EU average—and 64 percent of adults aged 25–34 still lived with at least one parent, compared to an EU average of 30 percent, a pattern shaped by a combination of cultural factors, affordability constraints, and a thin rental market. These structural features of the housing market can also affect residential mobility, with potential implications for labor market outcomes.  \nCroatia has increased housing renovation activity in recent years, though important scope remains for further improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock. More than half of occupied dwellings were built in 1980 or earlier, and around 75 percent of these older homes have not undergone any energy efficiency improvement in the past five years, leaving a large share of households in thermally inefficient dwellings. As of 2023, around 29 percent of residents lived in homes that had undergone energy efficiency improvements in the previous five years, while the annual renovation rate—estimated at around 1 percent in 2021—remains well below the 3 percent target set under Croatia’s Long-Term Renovation Strategy for 2030. The challenge is more pronounced in urban multi-family buildings, where aging stock, fragmented ownership, and coordination barriers have slowed investment despite high aggregate energy consumption. Accelerating renovation in these segments would help improve household energy affordability while supporting Croatia’s broader climate and energy objectives.  \nHeadline energy poverty figures in Croatia mask a broader affordability challenge. While Croatia's multidimensional energy poverty rate stood at around 9 percent in 2023—below the EU average and down from 16 percent in 2015—expenditure-based measures point to a broader affordability challenge: nearly 20 percent of households spend more than twice the median income share on energy costs, and close to 13 percent appear to manage energy bills by reducing heating below adequate comfort levels. Rural households in poorly insulated older dwellings, relying heavily on wood-log heating, remain particularly exposed. These patterns suggest that energy vulnerability in Croatia extends beyond households captured by conventional energy poverty measures and is closely linked to the condition and energy performance of the housing stock. Looking ahead, the gradual withdrawal of temporary energy support measures and the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading System for buildings from 2028, compounded by recent global energy market pressures, may increase burden on households in inefficient homes, underscoring the importance of accelerating renovation as both a climate and household resilience priority.  \nCroatia has strengthened its legislative and policy framework for addressing housing affordability, building quality, and energy efficiency, but implementation will be critical to translating these reforms int","cbCaitB6wmUstOyT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitB6wmUstOyT","pdf",1488689,5,1,20,"English","en",105,"# Key Messages\n## Housing affordability pressures and persistent overcrowding\n## Energy renovation gaps and household energy vulnerability\n## Legislative and policy actions - implementation priorities","[{\"question\":\"Why does Croatia face persistent housing affordability challenges despite high homeownership?\",\"answer\":\"Croatia has a 91% homeownership rate, but private rental supply remains very limited and housing prices have risen faster than the EU average. These pressures contribute to overcrowding and younger adults continuing to live with parents.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main reasons energy vulnerability is linked to housing conditions in Croatia?\",\"answer\":\"Many occupied homes were built in 1980 or earlier, and about three-quarters of these older dwellings have not received energy efficiency improvements in the past five years. This leaves households in thermally inefficient homes, so energy costs and comfort management become harder.\"},{\"question\":\"Which recent policy steps aim to reduce housing and energy poverty in Croatia?\",\"answer\":\"Croatia adopted the National Housing Policy Plan (2025–2030), the Building Management and Maintenance Act (2025), and a 2026 Energy Efficiency Act that strengthens standards, monitoring, and introduces an Energy Poverty Reduction Programme. Implementation quality, coordination, and delivery capacity are highlighted as critical for results.\"}]","HIDDEN BURDENS, PERSISTENT GAPS - Housing Conditions and Energy Poverty in Croatia - Policy Note, May 2026 | PDF",1784478027,50,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":88,"head_meta":90,"extra_data":92,"updated_unix":29},"hidden-burdens-persistent-gaps-housing-conditions-and-energy-poverty-in-croatia-policy-note-may-2026","",{"@graph":37,"@context":87},[38,55,70],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,49,52],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":50,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":53,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":54},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/hidden-burdens-persistent-gaps-housing-conditions-and-energy-poverty-in-croatia-policy-note-may-2026/109232/",4,{"url":53,"name":13,"@type":56,"author":57,"headline":13,"publisher":59,"fileFormat":62,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":63,"datePublished":64,"encodingFormat":62,"isAccessibleForFree":65,"interactionStatistic":66},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":58},"Person",{"url":42,"name":60,"@type":61},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-04","2026-07-19",true,{"@type":67,"interactionType":68,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":69},"ViewAction",{"@type":71,"mainEntity":72},"FAQPage",[73,79,83],{"name":74,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":76},"Why does Croatia face persistent housing affordability challenges despite high homeownership?","Question",{"text":77,"@type":78},"Croatia has a 91% homeownership rate, but private rental supply remains very limited and housing prices have risen faster than the EU average. These pressures contribute to overcrowding and younger adults continuing to live with parents.","Answer",{"name":80,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":81},"What are the main reasons energy vulnerability is linked to housing conditions in Croatia?",{"text":82,"@type":78},"Many occupied homes were built in 1980 or earlier, and about three-quarters of these older dwellings have not received energy efficiency improvements in the past five years. This leaves households in thermally inefficient homes, so energy costs and comfort management become harder.",{"name":84,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":85},"Which recent policy steps aim to reduce housing and energy poverty in Croatia?",{"text":86,"@type":78},"Croatia adopted the National Housing Policy Plan (2025–2030), the Building Management and Maintenance Act (2025), and a 2026 Energy Efficiency Act that strengthens standards, monitoring, and introduces an Energy Poverty Reduction Programme. 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