Cres: population and statistics
Cres has a population of 2,880 (2025) across 291.5 km², or 9.9 people per km². It ranks 246 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +1.8% between 2015 and 2025.
- 2,880 residents
- 291.5 km²
- 10 people/km²
Cres in numbers
Key points
Among the 36 municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Cres ranks No. 23 by population.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: 9.0% in Cres, compared with an average of 38.8% in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 33.9% nationally.
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents: 29.9 ‰ in Cres, compared with an average of 8.7 ‰ in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 4.9 ‰ nationally.
Population of Cres over time
Cres had 2,829 residents in 2015 and 2,880 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,719 |
| 2021 | 2,736 |
| 2022 | 2,729 |
| 2023 | 2,746 |
| 2024 | 2,789 |
| 2025 | 2,880 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County for “Average nights per arrival”.
- Number 1 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County for “Share of beds in campsites”.
- “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Employees with pay per 1,000 residents”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 40,826 football pitches.
- Its population density is 11.4 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for Cres
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 | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 46.7 years | 46.6 | 44.8 | ranked 134 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 24.9% | 25.8% | 22.9% | ranked 177 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) | −4.3 ‰ | −7.7 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 157 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 34.7 ‰ | 9.1 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 20 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 29.9 ‰ | 8.7 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 12 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 3,929 | 208,353 | 2,390,500 | ranked 129 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 1,447 | 793 | 604 | ranked 47 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 33.5% | 11.0% | 7.9% | ranked 48 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 19.4% | 21.1% | 25.9% | ranked 438 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 80.7 m² | 84.1 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 522 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 0 | 932 | 16,654 | ranked 445 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 28.0 | 17.9 | 7.2 | ranked 97 of 546 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system (2021) | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.0% | ranked 98 of 545 |
Energy
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 5.1% | 23.2% | 12.8% | ranked 372 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 78.3% | 64.6% | 31.3% | ranked 42 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 6.7% | 2.0% | 6.0% | ranked 250 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 10.5% | 14.0% | 19.5% | ranked 464 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 7.0% | 7.2% | 9.0% | ranked 396 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 10,496 € | 10,457 € | 7,821 € | ranked 29 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 10,373 € | 12,574 € | 11,010 € | ranked 388 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 7,609 € | 7,408 € | 6,391 € | ranked 20 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 668 | 526 | 456 | ranked 13 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 316 | 333 | 302 | ranked 220 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 1.6% | 4.0% | 4.6% | ranked 518 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 57.7% | 50.8% | 45.2% | ranked 10 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 915 | 93,107 | 1,262,193 | ranked 149 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 328 | 350 | 150 | ranked 65 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 9.0% | 38.8% | 55.5% | ranked 539 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 906,960 | – | 9,381 | ranked 32 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 336.9 | 59.1 | 1.6 | ranked 16 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 25.9% | 11.3% | 6.5% | ranked 26 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 948,175 | – | 303,422 | ranked 28 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 133,950 | – | 45,455 | ranked 39 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 329.2 | 66.3 | 87.2 | ranked 14 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 7.1 | 4.9 | 6.3 | ranked 27 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 93.2% | 89.4% | 92.2% | ranked 58 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 11,721 | – | 4,527 | ranked 34 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 4,070 | 875 | 1,506 | ranked 19 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 4.6% | 13.0% | 6.6% | ranked 82 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 53.7% | 22.7% | 7.1% | ranked 8 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.28 | 2.42 | 2.75 | ranked 517 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Cres | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 1 | 135 | 1,794 | ranked 189 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 143 | 9,312 | 158,685 | ranked 189 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 50 | 35 | 35 | ranked 48 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 1 | 99 | 1,925 | ranked 351 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 182 | 18,300 | 291,355 | ranked 280 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 63 | 69 | 72 | ranked 379 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 5.9 | 8.2 | 6.3 | ranked 296 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 96 | 8,642 | 139,372 | ranked 205 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 33 | 33 | 28 | ranked 139 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 24.7% | 28.0% | 13.0% | ranked 50 of 545 |
Cres: 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
−4.3 ‰ in 2024, compared with −4.0 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
34.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.5 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
29.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 1.1 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
0 in 2024, compared with 7 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
10,496 € in 2025, compared with 6,911 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
10,373 € in 2025, compared with 7,564 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
7,609 € in 2025, compared with 5,145 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
915 in 2024, compared with 706 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
786,744 in 2021, compared with 788,288 in 2014
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
948,175 in 2025, compared with 908,175 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
133,950 in 2025, compared with 126,583 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
11,721 in 2025, compared with 11,302 in 2018
Where is Cres?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Krk15 km · 7,472
- Punat18 km · 1,910
- Malinska-Dubašnica20 km · 3,499
- Dobrinj24 km · 2,526
- Vrbnik24 km · 1,195
- Labin27 km · 10,354
- Baška27 km · 1,791
- Raša29 km · 2,787
All municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Cres?
Cres has 2,880 residents (2025), ranking 246 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Cres?
Cres covers 291.5 km², with a density of 10 people per km².
Is the population of Cres growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Cres went from 2,829 to 2,880, a change of +1.8%.
Where is Cres?
Cres is in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Latitude 44.960, longitude 14.408.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: what is the figure for Cres?
In Cres, “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality” stands at 9.0% (2021), ranking 539 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 55.5%.
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents: what is the figure for Cres?
In Cres, “Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents” stands at 29.9 ‰ (2025), ranking 12 of 546 municipalities; the national median is 3.7 ‰.
Which municipalities border Cres?
The nearest to Cres are Krk (15 km), Punat (18 km), Malinska-Dubašnica (20 km), Dobrinj (24 km), Vrbnik (24 km).