engleski

Rural ageing in Croatia - the example of Zadar County

Globally, people are living longer than ever before, and the population aged 65 and over is increasing faster than younger age cohorts. This is the result of decreased fertility and increased longevity. Croatia has also been faced with demographic ageing, and the population aged 65 and older currently outnumbers the population aged 0-15 years. The situation regarding demographic ageing is particularly severe in rural areas and rural ageing has multiple implications for rural communities and stakeholders. Rural areas have been at a disadvantage in terms of opportunities for economic development, often due to underdeveloped infrastructure and their distance from the main transport routes, making them less attractive for business investments. In the period of intensive industrial development of urban areas in Croatia after the Second World War, rural areas witnessed intensive labour migration toward the cities, which ultimately resulted in depopulation and ageing of rural areas. The literature indicates that the rural population is at higher risk of old-age poverty, solitude, and limited access to health care services. The aim of this paper is to analyse the demographic ageing of rural areas in Zadar County to determine the level of rural ageing, to indicate whether there are notable differences between rural areas on the islands and on the mainland, and to investigate any gender differences. We use methods of inferential statistics to test such differences. By using GIS tools, we will visualize the ageing indicators in the rural settlements of Zadar County and classify them according to the level of ageing, and to outline the existing and future implications of demographic ageing in the study area.

ageing, rural areas, Zadar County

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