Croatia Administrative Divisions

Croatia is divided into 1 capital city and 20 counties (Županije), which form the top-level administrative units. These are further divided into 127 cities (Gradovi) and 429 municipalities (Općine). Major capital city include Bjelovar-Bilogora, Brod-Posavina, and City of Zagreb.

Croatia has 2 administrative levels. Level 1: 1 capital city and 20 counties (Županije). Level 2: 127 cities (Gradovi) and 429 municipalities (Općine).

Croatia operates on a 2‑level system starting with 21 counties, followed by municipalities, 5 cities as the smallest administrative units.

In Croatia, capital city and counties both sit at administrative level 1 but serve different functions. Capital city — there is 1 — is typically a larger city or urban area that governs itself independently. Counties (županije) — there are 20 — group multiple smaller municipalities under a shared administration.

Croatian administrative divisions have specific local names at each level. In Croatian, counties are called Županije; cities are called Gradovi; municipalities are called Općine. These local-language terms appear in official documents, legal records, and government databases, so matching them correctly is important for data integration and compliance.

Administrative boundaries in Croatia change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the cities level, where Croatia currently has 556 units. Businesses that rely on Croatian administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.