Novalja: population and statistics
Novalja has a population of 4,401 (2025) across 95.7 km², or 46.0 people per km². It ranks 162 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +18.3% between 2015 and 2025.
- 4,401 residents
- 95.7 km²
- 46 people/km²
Novalja in numbers
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Lika-Senj County, Novalja ranks No. 4 by population.
Dwellings per 1,000 residents: 3,838 in Novalja, compared with an average of 1,254 in Lika-Senj County and 622 nationally.
Employees with pay per 1,000 residents: 913 in Novalja, compared with an average of 489 in Lika-Senj County and 500 nationally.
Population of Novalja over time
Novalja had 3,719 residents in 2015 and 4,401 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,672 |
| 2021 | 3,722 |
| 2022 | 3,824 |
| 2023 | 4,051 |
| 2024 | 4,285 |
| 2025 | 4,401 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Lika-Senj County for “Population change over 10 years”.
- Number 1 in Lika-Senj County for “Employed share of residents aged 15 and over”.
- “Dwellings per 1,000 residents”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Employees with pay per 1,000 residents”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Tourist nights per resident in the year”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 13,403 football pitches.
- Its population density is 2.4 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Novalja
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 | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 45.5 years | 46.7 | 44.8 | ranked 210 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 26.3% | 26.2% | 22.9% | ranked 130 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 13.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% | ranked 273 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −7.9 ‰ | −10.1 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 318 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 33.4 ‰ | 17.8 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 22 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 25.2 ‰ | 16.2 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 28 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 14,122 | 51,907 | 2,390,500 | ranked 23 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 3,838 | 1,254 | 604 | ranked 3 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 49.2% | 13.5% | 7.9% | ranked 6 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 6.9% | 38.7% | 25.9% | ranked 543 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 93.0 m² | 89.0 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 399 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 148 | 265 | 16,654 | ranked 18 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 121.6 | 23.0 | 7.2 | ranked 13 of 546 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system (2021) | 100.0% | 98.6% | 99.0% | ranked 1 of 545 |
Energy
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 3.8% | 4.7% | 12.8% | ranked 410 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 79.9% | 21.0% | 31.3% | ranked 30 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 4.0% | 10.5% | 6.0% | ranked 359 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 5.8% | 12.5% | 19.5% | ranked 534 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 6.8% | 7.8% | 9.0% | ranked 408 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 9,705 € | 8,472 € | 7,821 € | ranked 71 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 7,151 € | 11,318 € | 11,010 € | ranked 543 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 5,929 € | 6,226 € | 6,391 € | ranked 367 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 913 | 489 | 456 | ranked 3 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 264 | 371 | 302 | ranked 441 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 2.6% | 4.8% | 4.6% | ranked 452 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 49.4% | 43.8% | 45.2% | ranked 157 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 1,268 | 11,997 | 1,262,193 | ranked 123 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 296 | 278 | 150 | ranked 85 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 7.3% | 21.5% | 55.5% | ranked 540 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 1,676,947 | – | 9,381 | ranked 14 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 455.0 | 74.2 | 1.6 | ranked 7 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 21.7% | 11.5% | 6.5% | ranked 48 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 1,890,591 | – | 303,422 | ranked 11 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 303,399 | – | 45,455 | ranked 14 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 429.6 | 224.4 | 87.2 | ranked 9 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 6.2 | 5.6 | 6.3 | ranked 73 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 91.8% | 92.5% | 92.2% | ranked 76 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 30,462 | – | 4,527 | ranked 5 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 6,922 | 3,800 | 1,506 | ranked 5 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 4.2% | 4.6% | 6.6% | ranked 85 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 27.3% | 22.1% | 7.1% | ranked 33 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.39 | 2.43 | 2.75 | ranked 475 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Novalja | Lika-Senj County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 2 | 16 | 1,794 | ranked 111 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 196 | 1,502 | 158,685 | ranked 135 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 45 | 34 | 35 | ranked 91 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 4 | 42 | 1,925 | ranked 117 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 291 | 3,010 | 291,355 | ranked 177 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 66 | 69 | 72 | ranked 343 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 6.3 | 5.6 | 6.3 | ranked 260 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 149 | 1,249 | 139,372 | ranked 129 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 34 | 29 | 28 | ranked 127 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 20.2% | 17.5% | 13.0% | ranked 109 of 545 |
Novalja: 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
−7.9 ‰ in 2024, compared with −9.4 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
33.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.9 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
25.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 1.9 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
148 in 2024, compared with 157 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
9,705 € in 2025, compared with 6,030 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
7,151 € in 2025, compared with 4,949 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
5,929 € in 2025, compared with 4,023 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
1,268 in 2024, compared with 477 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
1,460,813 in 2021, compared with 1,114,918 in 2012
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
1,890,591 in 2025, compared with 1,603,840 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
303,399 in 2025, compared with 254,778 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
30,462 in 2025, compared with 29,987 in 2018
Where is Novalja?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Kolan9.0 km · 880
- Karlobag15 km · 823
- Pag18 km · 3,358
- Rab25 km · 7,219
- Perušić29 km · 1,929
- Povljana29 km · 726
- Vir32 km · 3,646
- Mali Lošinj33 km · 7,940
All municipalities in Lika-Senj County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Novalja?
Novalja has 4,401 residents (2025), ranking 162 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Novalja?
Novalja covers 95.7 km², with a density of 46 people per km².
Is the population of Novalja growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Novalja went from 3,719 to 4,401, a change of +18.3%.
Where is Novalja?
Novalja is in Lika-Senj County. Latitude 44.550, longitude 14.883.
Dwellings per 1,000 residents: what is the figure for Novalja?
In Novalja, “Dwellings per 1,000 residents” stands at 3,838 (2021), ranking 3 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 604.
Employees with pay per 1,000 residents: what is the figure for Novalja?
In Novalja, “Employees with pay per 1,000 residents” stands at 913 (2025), ranking 3 of 546 municipalities; the national median is 456.
Which municipalities border Novalja?
The nearest to Novalja are Kolan (9.0 km), Karlobag (15 km), Pag (18 km), Rab (25 km), Perušić (29 km).