Croatia

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Previous reports: 2023/24




Conscription currently imposed? No Suspended 2008 but enabling provisions retained
Conscientious objection first recognised 1991

Constitution, Article 47.2

Defence Law, 1991
CO release of professional soldiers Not permitted
Minimum recruitment age 18
Population 1
Total % males 15-19 Thus approx. annual cohort reaching 18
4,150,116 2.6% 21,581
Armed forces
Total strength Of which conscripts Compared to annual cohort above
16,800 – Total strength is 77.8% of cohort
Military expenditure
$ (% change from 2023) Per capita % of GDP
1,629m (+8.7%) $419 1.8%

Principal EBCO concerns

  • Plans to reintroduce conscription entail a punitively longer alternative civilian service.

  • It is unclear if and how the provisions for conscientious objectors would apply to an event of emergency mobilisation.

  • It is unclear if the right to conscientious objection is recognised for voluntary or professional soldiers.

Developments

In 2024, the government announced plans to reintroduce conscription. Work on legislative proposals would commence in January 2025 and the first calls to conscripts would start in mid-2025. Military service is set to last two months, and conscripts will receive a monthly fee of 900 euros.2

The Minister of Defence has hinted at a punitively longer duration of alternative civilian service for conscientious objectors, up to twice the length.3 He also made concerning remarks that “there is no right of conscience during general mobilisation” and inaccurately mentioned that that is the case in countries like Germany or Austria.4

Conscription provisions and procedures

Article 47, paragraph 1 of the Constitution reads: “Military service and the defence of the Republic of Croatia shall be the duty of every capable citizen of the Republic of Croatia.”5

However, conscription has been suspended since 1 January 2008.6

A state of war can be declared by the President only after a decision of the Parliament, pursuant to Articles 80 and 100 of the Constitution. However, in an event of “clear danger” to the Republic, the President can mobilise the armed forces with the countersignature of the Prime Minister and even without a state of war having been declared.7

The organisation of defence in Croatia and the mobilisation provisions in case of emergency or war are generally regulated by the Defence Act.8

There is an ongoing military registration process that male citizens have to follow on the year they reach the age of 18 (Article 22 of the Defence Act).

According to Article 25 and 25a, the reserve forces are divided into a contractual and mobilisation reserve, and the mobilisation reserve is divided into an unclassified and classified reserve. A classified reservist is a conscript who has served his military service or has been in voluntary military training or in active military service and has been assigned a military specialty. Conversely, an unclassified reservist is a conscript entered into the military register, older than 27 years of age, who has not been assigned a military specialty.

Conscientious objection provisions and procedures

Article 47, paragraph 2 of the Constitution reads: “Conscientious objection shall be allowed for all those who, based on religious or moral conviction, are not willing to perform military duties in the armed forces. Such persons are obliged to perform other duties as specified by law.”9

It is unclear if and how the provisions for conscientious objectors would apply in the case of emergency mobilisation.

Voluntary recruitment

Voluntary military service in Croatia is available to all citizens of ages 18-30, men and women,10 and lasts 8 weeks.11

Those serving are entitled to 900 euros for each completed month,12 reimbursement of travel expenses, basic and supplementary health insurance, insurance against the consequences of an accident, compulsory health insurance in case of injury at work, accommodation and food, military uniform and sports equipment, and leave of up to five days.13

  1. Population and armed forces figures are derived from The Military Balance 2025, published by the international Institute for Strategic Studies; military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2025. ⤴
  6. Decision 3065/2007 of the Croatian Parliament. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2007_10_105_3065.html (in Croatian).⤴
  8. Defence Act (Zakon o obrani) of 2013, as amended. Official Gazette nr. 73/13, 75/15, 27/16, 110/17, 30/18, 70/19, 155/23. https://www.zakon.hr/z/334/zakon-o-obrani (in Croatian).⤴
  10. Ordinance on Voluntary Military Training (Pravilnik o dragovoljnom vojnom osposobljavanju), Official Gazette 22/2023. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/full/2023_02_22_375.html (in Croatian).⤴
  13. Ordinance on Voluntary Military Training (Pravilnik o dragovoljnom vojnom osposobljavanju), Official Gazette 22/2023. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/full/2023_02_22_375.html (in Croatian).⤴