With a 6.5 percent increase, Vukovar-Srijem County records the third largest percentage growth in preschool attendance, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.
According to the latest data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, analyzed by the platform Župan.hr, at the start of the 2025/2026 pedagogical year, 158,685 children attended kindergartens in Croatia. The number of institutions providing preschool education programs increased to 1,794, which is 29 more than the previous year.
An increase in the number of children was recorded in 15 counties. The largest percentage jump was achieved by Lika-Senj County with a growth of nearly 9 percent. It is followed by Virovitica-Podravina County with 7 percent, and the third place is shared by Vukovar-Srijem County with an increase of 6.5 percent. In fourth and fifth place are Brod-Posavina and Osijek-Baranja Counties, both with a growth of about 5.8 percent, while Požega-Slavonia County records a growth of 5.3 percent.
When looking at the absolute number of newly enrolled children, Osijek-Baranja County is convincingly first with 485 more children than the previous pedagogical year. Split-Dalmatia County records an increase of 446 children, and Vukovar-Srijem County is in third place with 333 new attendees. They are followed by Varaždin County with 294 and Zagreb County with 246 more children.
The total number of kindergartens increased from 1,633 to 1,682. Of these, 1,297 are public kindergartens, which is 50 more than the previous year, while there are 325 private kindergartens, one fewer. The number of kindergartens run by religious communities remained unchanged at 60. Vukovar-Srijem County also stood out in terms of newly opened facilities with seven more kindergartens, just behind Brod-Posavina County which gained eight. Zagreb and Primorje-Gorski Kotar Counties each have five new kindergartens, while Osijek-Baranja, Istria, and Bjelovar-Bilogora Counties each have three.
These data come in the context of the national goal of opening 47,000 new kindergarten places so that 90 percent of children attend preschool programs. Currently, 82 percent of children attend kindergartens founded by local government units, which is 0.4 percent more than the previous year. Additionally, 83 percent of children stay in kindergarten for eight or more hours, representing an increase of 0.2 percent.
