Bakar: population and statistics
Bakar has a population of 7,685 (2025) across 3.0 km², or 2,562 people per km². It ranks 86 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −4.2% between 2015 and 2025.
- 7,685 residents
- 3.0 km²
- 2,562 people/km²
Bakar in numbers
Key points
Among the 36 municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Bakar ranks No. 8 by population.
Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents: 524 in Bakar, compared with an average of 350 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 326 nationally.
Tourist nights per resident: 3.2 in Bakar, compared with an average of 66.3 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 78.7 nationally.
Population of Bakar over time
Bakar had 8,019 residents in 2015 and 7,685 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 7,634 |
| 2021 | 7,534 |
| 2022 | 7,458 |
| 2023 | 7,520 |
| 2024 | 7,622 |
| 2025 | 7,685 |
Did you know?
- “Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Tourist nights per resident”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 420 football pitches.
- Its population density is 22.8 times the national average.
- The nearest municipality is Kostrena, 3.2 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Rijeka (104,856 residents), 8.0 km away.
All indicators for Bakar
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 | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 45.7 years | 46.6 | 44.8 | ranked 199 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 23.9% | 25.8% | 22.9% | ranked 211 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 13.0% | 12.5% | 13.7% | ranked 350 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −4.5 ‰ | −7.7 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 170 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 15.2 ‰ | 9.1 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 108 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 11.6 ‰ | 8.7 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 104 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 3,814 | 208,353 | 2,390,500 | ranked 135 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 504 | 793 | 604 | ranked 403 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 4.9% | 11.0% | 7.9% | ranked 329 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 19.1% | 21.1% | 25.9% | ranked 443 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 96.9 m² | 84.1 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 329 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 36 | 932 | 16,654 | ranked 83 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 12.3 | 17.9 | 7.2 | ranked 175 of 546 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system (2021) | 99.7% | 99.9% | 99.0% | ranked 156 of 545 |
Energy
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 5.8% | 23.2% | 12.8% | ranked 359 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 60.4% | 64.6% | 31.3% | ranked 136 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 1.0% | 2.0% | 6.0% | ranked 520 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 16.0% | 14.0% | 19.5% | ranked 339 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 6.6% | 7.2% | 9.0% | ranked 423 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 9,575 € | 10,457 € | 7,821 € | ranked 78 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 12,473 € | 12,574 € | 11,010 € | ranked 84 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 7,510 € | 7,408 € | 6,391 € | ranked 28 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 527 | 526 | 456 | ranked 89 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 310 | 333 | 302 | ranked 237 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.6% | ranked 275 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 50.0% | 50.8% | 45.2% | ranked 144 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 3,996 | 93,107 | 1,262,193 | ranked 44 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 524 | 350 | 150 | ranked 10 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 62.7% | 38.8% | 55.5% | ranked 200 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 22,773 | – | 9,381 | ranked 175 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 2.9 | 59.1 | 1.6 | ranked 189 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 6.1% | 11.3% | 6.5% | ranked 291 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 24,565 | – | 303,422 | ranked 132 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 4,768 | – | 45,455 | ranked 131 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 3.2 | 66.3 | 87.2 | ranked 139 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 5.2 | 4.9 | 6.3 | ranked 102 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 93.8% | 89.4% | 92.2% | ranked 56 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 459 | – | 4,527 | ranked 134 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 60 | 875 | 1,506 | ranked 141 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 0.0% | 13.0% | 6.6% | ranked 117 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 0.0% | 22.7% | 7.1% | ranked 112 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.64 | 2.42 | 2.75 | ranked 343 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Bakar | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 5 | 135 | 1,794 | ranked 51 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 305 | 9,312 | 158,685 | ranked 90 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 40 | 35 | 35 | ranked 177 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 6 | 99 | 1,925 | ranked 59 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 450 | 18,300 | 291,355 | ranked 107 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 59 | 69 | 72 | ranked 419 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 6.3 | 8.2 | 6.3 | ranked 260 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 241 | 8,642 | 139,372 | ranked 87 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 31 | 33 | 28 | ranked 183 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 22.5% | 28.0% | 13.0% | ranked 77 of 545 |
Bakar: 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
−4.5 ‰ in 2024, compared with −8.8 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
15.2 ‰ in 2025, compared with 1.2 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
11.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with −1.9 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
36 in 2024, compared with 39 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
9,575 € in 2025, compared with 6,424 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
12,473 € in 2025, compared with 8,532 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
7,510 € in 2025, compared with 5,131 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
3,996 in 2024, compared with 3,222 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
19,064 in 2021, compared with 9,511 in 2014
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
24,565 in 2025, compared with 19,234 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
4,768 in 2025, compared with 3,128 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
459 in 2025, compared with 510 in 2018
Where is Bakar?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Kostrena3.2 km · 4,741
- Kraljevica5.5 km · 4,195
- Čavle5.6 km · 7,214
- Rijeka8.0 km · 104,856
- Jelenje9.6 km · 5,168
- Omišalj12 km · 3,104
- Viškovo14 km · 17,028
- Fužine14 km · 1,420
All municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Bakar?
Bakar has 7,685 residents (2025), ranking 86 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Bakar?
Bakar covers 3.0 km², with a density of 2,562 people per km².
Is the population of Bakar growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Bakar went from 8,019 to 7,685, a change of −4.2%.
Where is Bakar?
Bakar is in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Latitude 45.317, longitude 14.533.
Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents: what is the figure for Bakar?
In Bakar, “Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents” stands at 524 (2024), ranking 10 of 546 municipalities; the national median is 150.
Tourist nights per resident: what is the figure for Bakar?
In Bakar, “Tourist nights per resident” stands at 3.2 (2025), ranking 139 of 143 municipalities; the national median is 87.2.
Which municipalities border Bakar?
The nearest to Bakar are Kostrena (3.2 km), Kraljevica (5.5 km), Čavle (5.6 km), Rijeka (8.0 km), Jelenje (9.6 km).