Development groups of Croatian municipalities and towns: search tool with Small Loan interest rates

Enter the name of a municipality or town in Croatia and you will immediately see its development group from I to VIII, its county and its statistical region. The search also shows whether the municipality or town has the status of an assisted area or of a hilly and mountainous area.

Each result shows the fixed interest rate that applies to the HAMAG-BICRO Small Loan for Industrial Transition. It is 0.5%, 1% or 1.5% a year, depending on the place of investment.

The search covers all 556 units, that is 127 towns, 428 municipalities and the City of Zagreb. The development groups are taken from the Government classification decision (Official Gazette NN 3/2024). Data as at 10 November 2026.

Data as of 13 November 2026 · Sources: 9, listed at the end · How we check our information · Report an error

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All the loan conditions are in the guide to Small Loans for Industrial Transition. One of the conditions is entry on the list of mapped stakeholders. Which programme fits your investment is shown by the funding programme questionnaire.

Municipalities and towns by county

For each county there is a page with a table of all its municipalities and towns, their development groups and statuses. These pages are in Croatian.

How the classification works

The development index is a composite indicator that measures the development of municipalities, towns and counties. It is calculated from six indicators. These are the unemployment rate, income per capita, budget revenue per capita, general population trend, education rate and ageing index. The indicators are laid down in the Regulation on the development index (NN 131/2017).

On the basis of the index, the Government of the Republic of Croatia classifies municipalities and towns into eight groups. Group I contains the least developed municipalities and towns and group VIII the most developed. Groups I to IV consist of those ranked below average and groups V to VIII of those above average. Counties are classified separately, into four groups.

Municipalities and towns classified in groups I to IV have the status of an assisted area. This is laid down in Article 20 of the Act on Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia (NN 45/2026). Among counties, those in groups I and II have that status.

Hilly and mountainous area is a separate status under the Act on Hilly and Mountainous Areas (NN 118/2018). The Act links it to altitude, slope and terrain. In its 2019 decision (NN 24/2019) the Government listed 85 municipalities and towns with that status. Some towns and municipalities in the highest development groups have it too, for example Samobor.

The interest rate of the Small Loan for Industrial Transition is set by the place of investment. It is 0.5% a year for investments in assisted areas, in hilly and mountainous areas and on islands. For investments in groups V and VI it is 1%, and in groups VII and VIII it is 1.5%. The rate is fixed.

The search does not contain a list of islands. For an investment on an island the rate is 0.5% whatever the development group, so results with a higher rate carry a note about this. The City of Zagreb is not an eligible investment area for this loan, so no rate is shown for it.

The classification is adopted on the basis of the development index. The current decision was published on 5 January 2024 and has applied since January 2024. Under the Act on Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia (NN 45/2026), assessment and classification are carried out every five years, and the current decision remains in force until the Government adopts a new one.

The statistical regions are Pannonian Croatia, Northern Croatia, Adriatic Croatia and the City of Zagreb. This division has applied since 2021 under the National Classification of Statistical Regions (NN 125/2019). The Small Loan for Industrial Transition is intended for investments in the first three regions.

The search runs in your browser. The name you enter is not sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What is the development group of a municipality or town?

It is a label from I to VIII that shows how developed a municipality or town is compared with others in Croatia. The Government assigns it by decision on the basis of the development index. Group I contains the least developed municipalities and towns and group VIII the most developed. The conditions of several grants and loans depend on the group, for example the interest rate of the Small Loan for Industrial Transition.

Which municipalities and towns have the status of an assisted area?

All municipalities and towns classified in development groups I to IV have the status of an assisted area. This is laid down in Article 20 of the Act on Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia. Under the current decision that is 287 of the 556 municipalities and towns. The search shows for each result whether the municipality or town has that status, and the county pages, which are in Croatian, list the whole county.

What is the interest rate of the Small Loan for Industrial Transition in my municipality?

The rate depends on the place of investment. It is 0.5% a year if the investment is in an assisted area, in a hilly and mountainous area or on an island. In municipalities and towns of groups V and VI it is 1%, and in groups VII and VIII it is 1.5%. The rate is fixed. Enter the municipality or town of the investment in the search and you will see which rate applies.

Does the lower rate apply to an investment on an island?

Yes. Under the HAMAG-BICRO programme, an investment on an island carries a rate of 0.5% a year whatever the development group of the municipality or town. The search does not contain a list of islands, so it shows the rate by development group and hilly and mountainous status. If you are investing on an island, count on 0.5% and confirm it with HAMAG-BICRO before submitting the application.

Why is no interest rate shown for the City of Zagreb?

The City of Zagreb is not an eligible investment area for the Small Loan for Industrial Transition. The loan is intended for investments in Pannonian, Northern and Adriatic Croatia. The business must have its registered office or a branch and carry out its activity in an eligible county within those regions. Zagreb County is part of Northern Croatia and is eligible, so the rate is shown for its municipalities and towns.

How often does the classification change and since when has the current one applied?

The current classification decision was published in Official Gazette NN 3/2024 and has applied since January 2024. The 2026 Act on Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia provides that assessment and classification are carried out every five years. The current decision remains in force until the Government adopts a new one. When that happens, we will update the data in the search.

Sources

Investment outside the City of Zagreb

Let us check which programme and which interest rate apply to your place of investment

We will check eligibility, the development group of the investment location and the conditions of the programme, and prepare the application. The introductory call is free.

Send an enquiry by e-mail Call Matija +385 97 7969 679