Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Dubrovnik-Neretva County Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija
County
Flag Coat of arms
Dubrovnik-Neretva County within Croatia
Country	Croatia
County seat	Dubrovnik
Government
• Župan	Nikola Dobroslavić (HDZ)
• Assembly	41 members • HDZ, HSLS, HSP AS, HSU, DDS (21) • MOST (10) • SDP, HNS, HSS (9) • Independents (1)
Area [1]
• Total	1,781 km^2 (688 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	115,564
• Density	65/km^2 (170/sq mi)
Area code	020
ISO 3166 code	HR-19
HDI (2022)	0.887[3] very high · 4th
Website	edubrovnik.org

The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (pronounced [dǔbroːʋniːk-něreːtʋa]; Croatian: Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, pronounced [dǔbroʋat͡ʃko-nerěːtʋanskaː ʒupǎnija]) is the southernmost county of Croatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The Municipality of Neum, which belongs to neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, divides the county in two parts which are connected only by the Pelješac Bridge. The southern part of the county consists of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area, including the Pelješac peninsula, and the islands of Korčula, Lastovo, Mljet, Šipan, Lopud and Koločep. The northern part of the county includes the Neretva Delta, the Baćina lakes north of Ploče, and a swath of hinterland near the southernmost slopes of Biokovo and around the hill of Rujnica. The northern part of the Mljet island is a national park. The Lastovo archipelago is a designated nature park. The southernmost tip of the county is the Prevlaka peninsula at the border with Montenegro. It is the only Croatian county that borders Montenegro.

Although the 9 kilometres-long stretch of coast belonging to Neum effectively makes the southern part of the county an exclave (disconnecting it from mainland Croatia) it is still connected with the rest of the country via the Pelješac Bridge. Road traffic going to and from Dubrovnik through Neum is usually less subject to customs controls in order to reduce the traffic congestion. The road connecting Dubrovnik to the rest of the country via Neum has one lane per direction and bus lines passing through Neum often make rest stops there so that passengers can take advantage of lower Bosnian taxes and purchase tobacco and alcoholic beverages as they tend to be cheaper there.

Administrative division

On the local level, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County is further subdivided into 5 towns (grad, pl. gradovi) and 17 municipalities (općina, pl. općine).

Towns

Town	Population (2021 census)[4]
Dubrovnik	41,562
Korčula	5,415
Metković	15,235
Opuzen	2,838
Ploče	8,220

Municipalities

Municipality	Population (2021 census)[4]
Blato	3,330
Dubrovačko primorje	1,636
Janjina	522
Konavle	8,607
Kula Norinska	1,414
Lastovo	748
Lumbarda	1,209
Mljet	1,062
Orebić	3,705
Pojezerje	943
Slivno	2,046
Smokvica	868
Ston	2,491
Trpanj	683
Vela Luka	3,772
Zažablje	553
Župa dubrovačka	8,705
Palagruža	0

Demographics

Population pyramid of Dubrovnik-Neretva County per the 2011 Census

Historical populations of Dubrovnik-Neretva County

Year Pop. ±% 1857 63,379 —     1869 63,292 −0.1% 1880 69,185 +9.3% 1890 74,708 +8.0% 1900 83,135 +11.3% 1910 87,665 +5.4% 1921 86,610 −1.2% 1931 90,577 +4.6% 1948 88,535 −2.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1953 94,812 +7.1% 1961 99,593 +5.0% 1971 108,131 +8.6% 1981 115,683 +7.0% 1991 126,329 +9.2% 2001 122,870 −2.7% 2011 122,568 −0.2% 2021 115,564 −5.7%
Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2001, Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, 2005

As of the 2021 census, the county had 115,564 residents. The population density is 65 people per km².^[2]

As of the 2011 census, the county had 122,568 residents. The population density is 69 people per km².^[5]

Dubrovnik-Neretva County: Population trends 1857–2021

population	63379	63292	69185	74708	83135	87665	86610	90577	88535	94812	99593	108131	115683	126329	122870	122568	115564
	1857	1869	1880	1890	1900	1910	1921	1931	1948	1953	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011	2021

Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics publications

• v

At the 2021 census, ethnic Croats formed the vast majority with 94.2% of the population, followed by Bosniaks at 1,4%, Serbs at 1.2% and 3.2% being other ethnic groups combined.^[6]

Protected areas

• Mljet National Park
• Lastovo archipelago nature park

References

1. Ostroški, Ljiljana, ed. (December 2015). Statistički ljetopis Republike Hrvatske 2015 [Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia 2015] (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Croatia (in Croatian and English). Vol. 47. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. p. 62. ISSN 1333-3305. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
2. "The final results of the Census 2021 have been published". Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
3. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
4. "Population by Towns/Municipalities" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
5. "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2011 Census: County of Bjelovar-Bilogora". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012.
6. "Population by Ethnicity/Citizenship/Mother tongue/Religion" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.

External links

• Official website (in Croatian)

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