Sali: population and statistics
Sali has a population of 1,929 (2025) across 33.8 km², or 57.1 people per km². It ranks 347 of 556 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +8.2% between 2015 and 2025.
- 1,929 residents
- 33.8 km²
- 57 people/km²
Sali in numbers
Key points
Among the 34 municipalities in Zadar County, Sali ranks No. 22 by population.
Average age of residents: 53.9 years in Sali, compared with an average of 44.6 years in Zadar County and 44.3 years nationally.
Unemployment rate: 1.3% in Sali, compared with an average of 4.6% in Zadar County and 5.3% nationally.
Population of Sali over time
Sali had 1,782 residents in 2015 and 1,929 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,755 |
| 2021 | 1,735 |
| 2022 | 1,798 |
| 2023 | 1,947 |
| 2024 | 1,920 |
| 2025 | 1,929 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Zadar County for “Average age of residents”.
- “Average age of residents”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Unemployment rate”: lower than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence”: lower than in 98% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 4,734 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Kukljica, 13.0 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Preko (3,675 residents), 17 km away.
All indicators for Sali
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 | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average age of residents (2021) | 53.9 years | 44.6 | 44.8 | ranked 7 of 545 | |
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2021) | 39.9% | 24.0% | 22.9% | ranked 9 of 545 | |
| Share of children aged 0 to 14 (2021) | 8.0% | 14.6% | 13.7% | ranked 537 of 545 | |
| Natural change per 1,000 residents (2024) | −14.6 ‰ | −3.7 ‰ | −6.8 ‰ | ranked 486 of 546 | |
| Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents (2025) | 18.7 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 3.1 ‰ | ranked 80 of 546 | |
| Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents (2025) | 17.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | 3.7 ‰ | ranked 52 of 546 |
Housing
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dwellings (2021) | 2,309 | 156,903 | 2,390,500 | ranked 220 of 545 | |
| Dwellings per 1,000 residents (2021) | 1,322 | 1,001 | 604 | ranked 60 of 545 | |
| Share of holiday and seasonal dwellings (2021) | 31.1% | 16.9% | 7.9% | ranked 64 of 545 | |
| Share of unoccupied dwellings for permanent residence (2021) | 10.0% | 27.9% | 25.9% | ranked 536 of 545 | |
| Average floor area of an occupied dwelling (2021) | 94.6 m² | 94.6 m² | 100.4 m² | ranked 375 of 545 | |
| Dwellings completed in the year (2024) | 26 | 2,578 | 16,654 | ranked 108 of 546 | |
| Dwellings completed 2020-2024 per 1,000 residents (2024) | 60.4 | 73.7 | 7.2 | ranked 37 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 | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of occupied dwellings with a gas installation (2021) | 7.4% | 5.0% | 12.8% | ranked 336 of 545 | |
| Share of occupied dwellings with air conditioning (2021) | 70.4% | 71.4% | 31.3% | ranked 98 of 545 |
Economy
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of employed residents in agriculture, forestry and fishing (2021) | 7.8% | 5.7% | 6.0% | ranked 230 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in mining, manufacturing, energy and water supply (2021) | 14.8% | 10.8% | 19.5% | ranked 363 of 545 | |
| Share of employed residents in construction (2021) | 4.6% | 7.3% | 9.0% | ranked 504 of 545 | |
| Net income per resident (per year) (2025) | 9,555 € | 8,574 € | 7,821 € | ranked 82 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pay per employee (2025) | 9,679 € | 11,201 € | 11,010 € | ranked 478 of 546 | |
| Average annual net pension per pensioner (2025) | 7,304 € | 6,929 € | 6,391 € | ranked 50 of 546 | |
| Employees with pay per 1,000 residents (2025) | 518 | 489 | 456 | ranked 104 of 546 | |
| Pensioners per 1,000 residents (2025) | 474 | 309 | 302 | ranked 30 of 546 |
Employment
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate (2021) | 1.3% | 4.6% | 4.6% | ranked 533 of 545 | |
| Employed share of residents aged 15 and over (2021) | 36.9% | 46.3% | 45.2% | ranked 485 of 545 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities (2024) | 276 | 45,382 | 1,262,193 | ranked 323 of 546 | |
| Persons in paid employment in legal entities per 1,000 residents (2024) | 144 | 274 | 150 | ranked 286 of 546 | |
| Share of employed residents working outside their municipality (2021) | 18.7% | 34.2% | 55.5% | ranked 514 of 545 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist nights in the year (2019) | 205,741 | – | 9,381 | ranked 84 of 422 | |
| Tourist nights per resident in the year (2019) | 117.6 | 64.1 | 1.6 | ranked 63 of 422 | |
| Share of employed residents in accommodation and food service activities (2021) | 18.5% | 12.9% | 6.5% | ranked 72 of 545 | |
| Tourist nights in commercial accommodation (2025) | 205,355 | – | 303,422 | ranked 82 of 143 | |
| Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation (2025) | 31,258 | – | 45,455 | ranked 86 of 143 | |
| Tourist nights per resident (2025) | 106.5 | 64.6 | 87.2 | ranked 63 of 143 | |
| Average nights per arrival (2025) | 6.6 | 5.4 | 6.3 | ranked 53 of 143 | |
| Share of nights by foreign tourists (2025) | 79.1% | 87.2% | 92.2% | ranked 134 of 143 | |
| Beds in commercial accommodation (2025) | 3,250 | – | 4,527 | ranked 89 of 146 | |
| Beds per 1,000 residents (2025) | 1,685 | 1,008 | 1,506 | ranked 61 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in hotels and similar accommodation (2025) | 10.3% | 7.5% | 6.6% | ranked 57 of 146 | |
| Share of beds in campsites (2025) | 12.3% | 22.5% | 7.1% | ranked 54 of 146 |
Society
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size in occupied dwellings (2021) | 2.21 | 2.66 | 2.75 | ranked 527 of 545 |
Education
| Indicator | Sali | Zadar County | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergartens and preschool institutions (2025/2026) | 1 | 95 | 1,794 | ranked 189 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens (2025/2026) | 28 | 6,478 | 158,685 | ranked 440 of 546 | |
| Children in kindergartens per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 15 | 39 | 35 | ranked 456 of 546 | |
| Primary schools (2025/2026) | 2 | 112 | 1,925 | ranked 242 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils (2025/2026) | 79 | 13,110 | 291,355 | ranked 452 of 546 | |
| Primary school pupils per 1,000 residents (2025/2026) | 41 | 78 | 72 | ranked 492 of 546 | |
| Pupils per teacher in primary schools (2025/2026) | 2.5 | 8.8 | 6.3 | ranked 505 of 534 | |
| Students by place of residence (2025/2026) | 52 | 6,213 | 139,372 | ranked 336 of 546 | |
| Students per 1,000 residents (by place of residence) (2025/2026) | 27 | 37 | 28 | ranked 282 of 546 | |
| Share of residents aged 15 and over with higher education (2021) | 20.2% | 22.3% | 13.0% | ranked 109 of 545 |
Sali: 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
−14.6 ‰ in 2024, compared with −15.0 ‰ in 2022
Net migration (arrivals minus departures) per 1,000 residents
18.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 29.7 ‰ in 2015
Net migration with abroad per 1,000 residents
17.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with −0.6 ‰ in 2015
Dwellings completed in the year
26 in 2024, compared with 2 in 2011
Net income per resident (per year)
9,555 € in 2025, compared with 6,961 € in 2022
Average annual net pay per employee
9,679 € in 2025, compared with 6,458 € in 2022
Average annual net pension per pensioner
7,304 € in 2025, compared with 5,046 € in 2022
Persons in paid employment in legal entities
276 in 2024, compared with 228 in 2011
Tourist nights in the year
213,324 in 2021, compared with 171,997 in 2014
Tourist nights in commercial accommodation
205,355 in 2025, compared with 191,655 in 2018
Tourist arrivals in commercial accommodation
31,258 in 2025, compared with 27,956 in 2018
Beds in commercial accommodation
3,250 in 2025, compared with 3,298 in 2018
Where is Sali?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Kukljica13 km · 641
- Kali15 km · 1,651
- Preko17 km · 3,675
- Pašman17 km · 2,334
- Sukošan17 km · 4,998
- Bibinje18 km · 4,246
- Tkon20 km · 779
- Zadar21 km · 74,393
All municipalities in Zadar County
Municipalities of similar size
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Sali?
Sali has 1,929 residents (2025), ranking 347 of 556 municipalities.
How big is Sali?
Sali covers 33.8 km², with a density of 57 people per km².
Is the population of Sali growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Sali went from 1,782 to 1,929, a change of +8.2%.
Where is Sali?
Sali is in Zadar County. Latitude 43.933, longitude 15.167.
Average age of residents: what is the figure for Sali?
In Sali, “Average age of residents” stands at 53.9 years (2021), ranking 7 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 44.8 years.
Unemployment rate: what is the figure for Sali?
In Sali, “Unemployment rate” stands at 1.3% (2021), ranking 533 of 545 municipalities; the national median is 4.6%.
Which municipalities border Sali?
The nearest to Sali are Kukljica (13 km), Kali (15 km), Preko (17 km), Pašman (17 km), Sukošan (17 km).