Croatia Poverty Maps – A Policy Tool to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion

As a European Union (EU) member state and a member of the United Nations (UN) family, Croatia is committed to combating poverty and social exclusion. Achieving that goal depends on developing the right policies and programs and targeting them effectively, which requires having detailed knowledge on the disparities in living standards within the country. 

To help policy makers, including the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds (MRDEUF), and the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy (MDFYSP), acquire the knowledge on the geographical distribution of poverty, at the municipal level, the World Bank and the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS) developed Income and Consumption-Based Poverty Maps for subnational levels.

These Poverty Maps consist of a detailed geo-referenced database that provides estimates of poverty data at the level of counties, cities and municipalities, while previously this data was only available at the national level.   

The use of the poverty maps can also help policy makers achieve considerable progress in poverty reduction within limited available resources. They can be an additional component in their tool kit when trying to decide where limited funds can be distributed among the population that needs assistance.

The Poverty Maps and the Multiple Deprivation Index will also help the authorities achieve better and faster absorption of EU funds by allocating funds for regional development and combating deprivation.

“The new Poverty Maps the World Bank and the Croatian Bureau of Statistics is developing in Croatia are an important policy tool in combatting poverty and social exclusion. Mapping poverty is the first step towards improving the authorities’ knowledge about the location and characteristics of its poor,” says Elisabetta Capannelli, World Bank Country Manager for Croatia and Slovenia. “With the help of a new Multiple Deprivation Index, tools will be available to identify the territorial distribution of people at risk of poverty and the poverty profile, allowing the relevant institutions to address the pockets of poverty and improve targeting of social benefits.”

The maps are a valuable tool that can be used by policy makers to improve the targeting of social benefit interventions at lower spatial levels to reduce poverty and thus improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the distribution of social benefits. Poverty maps and poverty profiles analysis can be used for better detection of poverty causes and for creation of more effective cross-sectoral policies and interventions for poverty eradication.

October 17 is the UN designated International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It is an important global rallying moment for the movement to end poverty, every year from now until 2030. End Poverty Day is an opportunity to draw global and national attention to issues related to poverty, prosperity, inequality and promotion of inclusive development.