Vela Luka: population and statistics
Vela Luka has a population of 3,723 (2025) across 42.8 km², or 87.0 people per km². It ranks 188 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −7.0% between 2015 and 2025.
- 3,723 residents
- 42.8 km²
- 87 people/km²
Vela Luka in numbers
Key points
Among the 22 municipalities in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Vela Luka ranks No. 8 by population.
Share of nights by foreign tourists: 75.7% in Vela Luka, compared with an average of 92.6% in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and 91.6% nationally.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: 18.6% in Vela Luka, compared with an average of 23.2% in Dubrovnik-Neretva County and 33.9% nationally.
Population of Vela Luka over time
Vela Luka had 4,004 residents in 2015 and 3,723 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,805 |
| 2021 | 3,767 |
| 2022 | 3,748 |
| 2023 | 3,737 |
| 2024 | 3,737 |
| 2025 | 3,723 |
Did you know?
- “Share of nights by foreign tourists”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality”: lower than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system”: higher than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 5,994 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Blato, 6.2 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Makarska (14,408 residents), 44 km away.
All indicators for Vela Luka
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 47.2 years | 43.8 | 44.8 | ranked 110 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 29.1% | 22.5% | 22.9% | ranked 81 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 12.8% | 15.4% | 13.7% | ranked 373 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −7.0 ‰ | −2.4 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 275 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 3.2 ‰ | 9.4 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 271 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 12.1 ‰ | 11.4 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 97 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 3,494 | 73,746 | 2,390,500 | ranked 146 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 926 | 637 | 604 | ranked 118 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 18.5% | 6.8% | 7.9% | ranked 154 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 29.7% | 23.3% | 25.9% | ranked 201 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 95.0 m² | 89.6 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 368 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 19 | 402 | 16,654 | ranked 123 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 15.0 | 16.7 | 7.2 | ranked 154 of 546 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system (2021) | 100.0% | 99.9% | 99.0% | ranked 1 of 545 |
Energy
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 5.1% | 8.1% | 12.8% | ranked 372 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 72.5% | 80.7% | 31.3% | ranked 85 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 5.3% | 3.4% | 6.0% | ranked 298 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 11.3% | 7.4% | 19.5% | ranked 445 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 5.5% | 6.5% | 9.0% | ranked 472 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 7,422 € | 9,402 € | 7,821 € | ranked 346 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 10,283 € | 10,865 € | 11,010 € | ranked 404 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 6,774 € | 7,310 € | 6,391 € | ranked 166 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 430 | 555 | 456 | ranked 353 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 347 | 285 | 302 | ranked 144 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 5.8% | 5.0% | 4.6% | ranked 214 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 45.6% | 50.2% | 45.2% | ranked 259 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 680 | 35,314 | 1,262,193 | ranked 172 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 182 | 303 | 150 | ranked 219 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 18.6% | 23.2% | 55.5% | ranked 515 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 176,813 | – | 9,381 | ranked 91 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 46.0 | 74.0 | 1.6 | ranked 112 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 15.3% | 18.7% | 6.5% | ranked 101 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 162,914 | – | 303,422 | ranked 90 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 26,755 | – | 45,455 | ranked 91 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 43.8 | 84.7 | 87.2 | ranked 106 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 6.1 | 3.9 | 6.3 | ranked 77 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 75.7% | 92.6% | 92.2% | ranked 137 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 2,897 | – | 4,527 | ranked 94 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 778 | 928 | 1,506 | ranked 104 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 24.3% | 22.5% | 6.6% | ranked 15 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 5.2% | 8.9% | 7.1% | ranked 80 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.48 | 2.83 | 2.75 | ranked 429 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Vela Luka | Dubrovnik-Neretva County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 1 | 58 | 1,794 | ranked 189 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 120 | 4,954 | 158,685 | ranked 218 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 32 | 42 | 35 | ranked 326 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 1 | 63 | 1,925 | ranked 351 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 228 | 9,294 | 291,355 | ranked 231 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 61 | 79 | 72 | ranked 398 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 6.9 | 8.3 | 6.3 | ranked 222 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 142 | 4,280 | 139,372 | ranked 135 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 38 | 37 | 28 | ranked 63 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 20.0% | 26.9% | 13.0% | ranked 112 of 545 |
Vela Luka: indicators over time
Indicators available for several years. Hover over or tap a chart to read the value for each year.
Natural change per 1,000 residents
−7.0 ‰ in 2024, compared with −13.9 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
3.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.5 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
12.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.2 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
19 in 2024, compared with 33 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
7,422 € in 2025, compared with 4,674 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
10,283 € in 2025, compared with 6,684 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
6,774 € in 2025, compared with 4,554 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
680 in 2024, compared with 782 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
148,475 in 2021, compared with 134,108 in 2014
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
162,914 in 2025, compared with 169,651 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
26,755 in 2025, compared with 29,767 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
2,897 in 2025, compared with 2,945 in 2018
Where is Vela Luka?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Blato6.2 km · 3,422
- Smokvica15 km · 841
- Jelsa21 km · 3,846
- Lastovo25 km · 738
- Stari Grad28 km · 3,037
- Korčula32 km · 5,581
- Hvar32 km · 4,219
- Bol34 km · 1,769
All municipalities in Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Vela Luka?
Vela Luka has 3,723 residents (2025), ranking 188 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Vela Luka?
Vela Luka covers 42.8 km², with a density of 87 people per km².
Is the population of Vela Luka growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Vela Luka went from 4,004 to 3,723, a change of −7.0%.
Where is Vela Luka?
Vela Luka is in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Latitude 42.961, longitude 16.719.
Share of nights by foreign tourists: what is the figure for Vela Luka?
In Vela Luka, “Share of nights by foreign tourists” stands at 75.7% (2025), ranking 137 of 143 municipalities; the national median is 92.2%.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: what is the figure for Vela Luka?
In Vela Luka, “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality” stands at 18.6% (2021), ranking 515 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 55.5%.
Which municipalities border Vela Luka?
The nearest to Vela Luka are Blato (6.2 km), Smokvica (15 km), Jelsa (21 km), Lastovo (25 km), Stari Grad (28 km).