Rab: population and statistics
Rab has a population of 7,219 (2025) across 75.9 km², or 95.1 people per km². It ranks 91 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −7.8% between 2015 and 2025.
- 7,219 residents
- 75.9 km²
- 95 people/km²
Rab in numbers
Key points
Among the 36 municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Rab ranks No. 10 by population.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: 6.4% in Rab, compared with an average of 38.8% in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 33.9% nationally.
Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities: 30.3% in Rab, compared with an average of 11.3% in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and 8.1% nationally.
Population of Rab over time
Rab had 7,826 residents in 2015 and 7,219 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 7,207 |
| 2021 | 7,129 |
| 2022 | 7,079 |
| 2023 | 7,120 |
| 2024 | 7,159 |
| 2025 | 7,219 |
Did you know?
- “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply”: lower than in 96% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 10,630 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Lopar, 8.5 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Gospić (11,903 residents), 54 km away.
All indicators for Rab
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 | Rab | 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) | 27.3% | 25.8% | 22.9% | ranked 109 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 13.3% | 12.5% | 13.7% | ranked 320 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −7.1 ‰ | −7.7 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 281 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 15.0 ‰ | 9.1 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 114 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 14.8 ‰ | 8.7 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 70 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 10,136 | 208,353 | 2,390,500 | ranked 36 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 1,415 | 793 | 604 | ranked 50 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 23.6% | 11.0% | 7.9% | ranked 110 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 25.2% | 21.1% | 25.9% | ranked 290 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 99.1 m² | 84.1 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 293 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 78 | 932 | 16,654 | ranked 43 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 31.8 | 17.9 | 7.2 | ranked 87 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 | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 7.6% | 23.2% | 12.8% | ranked 333 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 76.8% | 64.6% | 31.3% | ranked 51 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 3.2% | 2.0% | 6.0% | ranked 403 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 7.1% | 14.0% | 19.5% | ranked 523 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 4.4% | 7.2% | 9.0% | ranked 511 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 9,667 € | 10,457 € | 7,821 € | ranked 73 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 9,868 € | 12,574 € | 11,010 € | ranked 460 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 6,838 € | 7,408 € | 6,391 € | ranked 148 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 599 | 526 | 456 | ranked 33 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 345 | 333 | 302 | ranked 148 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 1.2% | 4.0% | 4.6% | ranked 536 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 53.7% | 50.8% | 45.2% | ranked 49 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 1,938 | 93,107 | 1,262,193 | ranked 86 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 271 | 350 | 150 | ranked 103 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 6.4% | 38.8% | 55.5% | ranked 543 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 1,281,643 | – | 9,381 | ranked 21 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 176.3 | 59.1 | 1.6 | ranked 43 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 30.3% | 11.3% | 6.5% | ranked 14 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 1,274,522 | – | 303,422 | ranked 19 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 201,227 | – | 45,455 | ranked 24 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 176.6 | 66.3 | 87.2 | ranked 39 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 6.3 | 4.9 | 6.3 | ranked 68 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 88.4% | 89.4% | 92.2% | ranked 101 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 18,276 | – | 4,527 | ranked 17 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 2,532 | 875 | 1,506 | ranked 41 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 9.4% | 13.0% | 6.6% | ranked 61 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 9.8% | 22.7% | 7.1% | ranked 62 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Rab | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.57 | 2.42 | 2.75 | ranked 385 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Rab | 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) | 320 | 9,312 | 158,685 | ranked 84 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 44 | 35 | 35 | ranked 109 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 6 | 99 | 1,925 | ranked 59 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 548 | 18,300 | 291,355 | ranked 93 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 76 | 69 | 72 | ranked 203 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 9.3 | 8.2 | 6.3 | ranked 66 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 253 | 8,642 | 139,372 | ranked 82 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 35 | 33 | 28 | ranked 112 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 20.4% | 28.0% | 13.0% | ranked 105 of 545 |
Rab: 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
−7.1 ‰ in 2024, compared with −10.7 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
15.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 0.1 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
14.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with −3.1 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
78 in 2024, compared with 73 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
9,667 € in 2025, compared with 6,389 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
9,868 € in 2025, compared with 6,980 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
6,838 € in 2025, compared with 4,589 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
1,938 in 2024, compared with 1,649 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
1,089,030 in 2021, compared with 1,054,672 in 2012
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
1,274,522 in 2025, compared with 1,306,442 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
201,227 in 2025, compared with 185,330 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
18,276 in 2025, compared with 20,793 in 2018
Where is Rab?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Lopar8.5 km · 1,105
- Baška24 km · 1,791
- Novalja25 km · 4,401
- Senj28 km · 5,631
- Punat30 km · 1,910
- Krk33 km · 7,472
- Kolan34 km · 880
- Mali Lošinj34 km · 7,940
All municipalities in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Rab?
Rab has 7,219 residents (2025), ranking 91 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Rab?
Rab covers 75.9 km², with a density of 95 people per km².
Is the population of Rab growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Rab went from 7,826 to 7,219, a change of −7.8%.
Where is Rab?
Rab is in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Latitude 44.757, longitude 14.760.
Share of employed residents working outside their municipality: what is the figure for Rab?
In Rab, “Share of employed residents working outside their municipality” stands at 6.4% (2021), ranking 543 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 55.5%.
Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities: what is the figure for Rab?
In Rab, “Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities” stands at 30.3% (2021), ranking 14 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 6.5%.
Which municipalities border Rab?
The nearest to Rab are Lopar (8.5 km), Baška (24 km), Novalja (25 km), Senj (28 km), Punat (30 km).