Health insurance is mandatory in Croatia and covers all residents. No opting out of mandatory health insurance is possi­ble and almost the entire population has access to a broad range of publicly paid services. Croatia spends a smaller amount on health per capita than most other EU Member States, with total health expenditure representing 6.9% of GDP in 2019. However, the share of public spending on health (82%) is higher than the EU average (76%) and the widespread uptake of complementary voluntary health insurance plans to cover patient co-payments means that out-of-pocket payments amounted to only 11.5% of current health expenditure.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Croatian health system had made important progress towards improving the health of the popu­lation. In recent years Croatia has undertaken reforms in a range of areas, including to make health financing more sustainable, strengthen primary care, reduce hospital capacity and improve access to palliative care and expensive pharmaceuticals. However, progress in implementation has varied, with implementation still at an early stage in the areas of hospital reform, primary care and human resources management and planning. The National Development Strategy for 2020–2030 is antici­pated to be a key strategic docu­ment to direct future reform and investment efforts in the health sector.