摘要：In the first part of the article the authors present and explain data about population increase in Croatia in the period 1857—1981. In that 124-year period the population went through a process of demographic transition, passing through all the phases of that process up to the beginning of the post-transitional stage. The period is marked by great variations in rates of change, primarily because of wars, economic crises and epidemics. In the postwar period (1948—1981) the population in Croatia grew more slowly than in other republics and provinces of Yugoslavia: it increased by 21.7% (in Yugoslavia by 41.6%) and the participation of Croatia’s population in the total population of Yugoslavia decreased from 23.9% to 20.5%. There are significant regional differences in population change. Most of the population of Croatia is concentrated in regions (communities of communes) with large cities (Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Rijeka), and there it is increasing constantly and significantly. There is a slower population increase in the Sisak community of communes and the Varaždin community of communes has the smallest increase of all. In this period the Bjelovar, Gospić and Karlovac communities of communes and the outlying communes of Zagreb went through a population decrease. The analysis of population change ends with an analysis of commune-level data which shows that the postwar increase of the total population in Croatia resulted from a population increase in a small number of communes with large urban and industrial centres, and that the depopulation process is gaining space. is an increasing number of inhabitants who live in settlements of over 50,000 inhabitants. Since total population increase is basically determined by natural increase, the authors turned their attention to this factor, too. The two basic features of regional natural increase are that population increase in Croatia resulted from a population increase (natural, as well) in a smaller number of communes with large urban-industrial settlements, and that the process of total population decrease (natural, as well) is imanent to less developed areas. Regionally, in 1986 five communities of communes had a natural population increase. The remaining five communities of communes are being naturally depopulated, i.e. their mortality rate exceeds their birth rate ,and the birth rate is below replacement level. The authors then »descend« to commune level. Natural population decrease has been recorded in 59 communes out of 113, and there are others that also show similar tendencies. The authors conclude the article by giving the basic determinants of the population policy in Croatia. They consider that it is essentila to integrate the policy of population reproduction with the migration policy and incorporate them into the long-term approach to socio-economic development.
