Brela: population and statistics
Brela has a population of 1,750 (2025) across 26.8 km², or 65.3 people per km². It ranks 384 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.5% between 2015 and 2025.
- 1,750 residents
- 26.8 km²
- 65 people/km²
Brela in numbers
Key points
Among the 55 municipalities in Split-Dalmatia County, Brela ranks No. 37 by population.
Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities: 43.5% in Brela, compared with an average of 12.6% in Split-Dalmatia County and 8.1% nationally.
Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing: 0.7% in Brela, compared with an average of 1.9% in Split-Dalmatia County and 4.3% nationally.
Population of Brela over time
Brela had 1,707 residents in 2015 and 1,750 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,628 |
| 2021 | 1,631 |
| 2022 | 1,636 |
| 2023 | 1,712 |
| 2024 | 1,724 |
| 2025 | 1,750 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Split-Dalmatia County for “Average floor area of an occupied dwelling”.
- “Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing”: lower than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence”: lower than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 3,754 football pitches.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Baška Voda (2,745 residents), 2.1 km away.
All indicators for Brela
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 | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 46.2 years | 43.6 | 44.8 | ranked 164 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 26.3% | 21.7% | 22.9% | ranked 130 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 12.7% | 14.8% | 13.7% | ranked 380 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −4.1 ‰ | −2.5 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 149 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 22.9 ‰ | 6.9 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 49 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 13.7 ‰ | 7.2 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 77 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 2,037 | 283,603 | 2,390,500 | ranked 250 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 1,253 | 676 | 604 | ranked 69 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 9.0% | 7.0% | 7.9% | ranked 258 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 11.1% | 25.6% | 25.9% | ranked 532 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 120.3 m² | 82.7 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 25 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 11 | 2,196 | 16,654 | ranked 169 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 32.5 | 22.4 | 7.2 | ranked 83 of 546 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings connected to a sewage disposal system (2021) | 100.0% | 99.8% | 99.0% | ranked 1 of 545 |
Energy
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 6.5% | 4.7% | 12.8% | ranked 348 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 86.2% | 77.3% | 31.3% | ranked 11 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 0.7% | 1.9% | 6.0% | ranked 534 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 6.6% | 11.6% | 19.5% | ranked 527 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 4.1% | 7.9% | 9.0% | ranked 515 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 7,360 € | 8,791 € | 7,821 € | ranked 354 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 9,477 € | 11,451 € | 11,010 € | ranked 489 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 6,435 € | 7,235 € | 6,391 € | ranked 260 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 419 | 488 | 456 | ranked 385 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 277 | 278 | 302 | ranked 397 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 1.6% | 6.6% | 4.6% | ranked 518 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 48.4% | 47.6% | 45.2% | ranked 180 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 285 | 121,960 | 1,262,193 | ranked 314 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 165 | 282 | 150 | ranked 243 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 31.1% | 36.2% | 55.5% | ranked 452 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 622,192 | – | 9,381 | ranked 49 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 380.1 | 44.1 | 1.6 | ranked 13 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 43.5% | 12.6% | 6.5% | ranked 2 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 674,253 | – | 303,422 | ranked 42 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 113,064 | – | 45,455 | ranked 46 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 385.3 | 48.9 | 87.2 | ranked 10 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 6.0 | 4.7 | 6.3 | ranked 78 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 92.5% | 91.9% | 92.2% | ranked 68 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 7,242 | – | 4,527 | ranked 59 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 4,138 | 713 | 1,506 | ranked 18 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 21.5% | 13.6% | 6.6% | ranked 17 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 1.4% | 5.1% | 7.1% | ranked 96 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.87 | 2.78 | 2.75 | ranked 197 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Brela | Split-Dalmatia County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 1 | 252 | 1,794 | ranked 189 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 48 | 17,635 | 158,685 | ranked 385 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 27 | 41 | 35 | ranked 375 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 1 | 188 | 1,925 | ranked 351 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 106 | 32,863 | 291,355 | ranked 406 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 61 | 76 | 72 | ranked 398 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 5.0 | 8.6 | 6.3 | ranked 371 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 53 | 17,671 | 139,372 | ranked 329 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 30 | 41 | 28 | ranked 204 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 23.0% | 25.7% | 13.0% | ranked 67 of 545 |
Brela: 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
−4.1 ‰ in 2024, compared with −7.3 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
22.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 2.9 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
13.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 1.2 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
11 in 2024, compared with 4 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
7,360 € in 2025, compared with 5,303 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
9,477 € in 2025, compared with 7,424 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
6,435 € in 2025, compared with 4,221 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
285 in 2024, compared with 310 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
521,132 in 2021, compared with 544,613 in 2014
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
674,253 in 2025, compared with 621,153 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
113,064 in 2025, compared with 94,732 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
7,242 in 2025, compared with 7,820 in 2018
Where is Brela?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Baška Voda2.1 km · 2,745
- Zadvarje7.6 km · 293
- Šestanovac9.0 km · 1,621
- Selca10 km · 1,616
- Zagvozd11 km · 937
- Makarska11 km · 14,408
- Cista Provo15 km · 1,712
- Lovreć16 km · 1,367
All municipalities in Split-Dalmatia County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Brela?
Brela has 1,750 residents (2025), ranking 384 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Brela?
Brela covers 26.8 km², with a density of 65 people per km².
Is the population of Brela growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Brela went from 1,707 to 1,750, a change of +2.5%.
Where is Brela?
Brela is in Split-Dalmatia County. Latitude 43.370, longitude 16.930.
Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities: what is the figure for Brela?
In Brela, “Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities” stands at 43.5% (2021), ranking 2 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 6.5%.
Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing: what is the figure for Brela?
In Brela, “Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing” stands at 0.7% (2021), ranking 534 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 6.0%.
Which municipalities border Brela?
The nearest to Brela are Baška Voda (2.1 km), Zadvarje (7.6 km), Šestanovac (9.0 km), Selca (10 km), Zagvozd (11 km).