The total recorded amount of donations in Croatia in 2022 generated more than EUR 19.5 million through 2,965 unique donation instances. Although this recorded amount was almost 50% less than in 2021, the frequency of giving slightly increased. This decline in the value of donations can be attributed to reduced crisis-related donations, the earthquake in particular, which had a major impact on the donated amount previously in 2020 and 2021. This year, the philanthropic actions were most often intended for the support to marginalized groups and healthcare, with nonprofit organizations being primary recipients.

 

Data show that in 2022 the total donated amount is lower, which was probably due to different factors; firstly, as the emergency crises passed, there was a lower need for emergency-related giving, and secondly, much like in other countries and the rest of the world economic instability in Croatia had influenced donor capacities. The inflation reached 10.7%. Still, it is important to note that the recorded amount in 2022 is higher than in pre-pandemic years.

The trend of philanthropic giving in Croatia has been fluctuating over the years. Since 2019 the total recorded donated amount has been on the rise, with notable spikes in 2020 and 2021 due to the increased need for aid in humanitarian crises, such as the earthquakes in Zagreb and Petrinja, Sisak and Glina, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, a decrease of around 50% in the donated amount was recorded when compared to 2021. However, in terms of the frequency of donations, the number of instances slightly rose, reaching the highest number since 2013, excluding the pandemic year. The donated amount per capita was EUR 5.1.

Nonprofit organizations continued to be the predominant recipients of donations in 2022, with an even higher share of all donation instances and recorded value than in the year before. This increase was mainly recorded for the support to marginalized groups and healthcare, and in giving through events.

 

Conversely, there was a notable drop of more than 10% in direct giving to individuals and families. We can attribute this decline to the fact that the heightened giving to individuals and families in 2021 was a response to the increased demand for support to people affected by the earthquake.

In 2022, there was a shift in the primary causes of giving. After two years marked by crisis-related giving, support for marginalized groups emerged as the predominant cause in 2022, with a rise in the share of donation instances, from 18.1% in 2021 to 25.9% in 2022. In the period before 2020, this theme was most frequently supported, so somewhat decline in giving for emergency management made space for donors to again look into the support that is needed for the wide range of beneficiary groups. The frequency of giving also slightly increased for healthcare and poverty relief.

As for the recorded values, the biggest share was directed toward healthcare.

For the past two years, the population of local communities represented the most frequent beneficiary type. Giving during crises was directed to people from earthquake-affected areas as well as to different communities all over the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Now in 2022, the frequency of support to this beneficiary group subsided, while the number of instances for other key beneficiaries increased: people with health issues, people with disabilities, and people in economic need. Monetary-wise, the biggest share of the recorded amount was directed at the population from local communities, mainly for education, culture and arts, and healthcare.

Looking at the data for the intended effect of giving we can conclude that since 2018, the trend of predominant short-term giving has been present in Croatia. In 2022, short-term giving has seen an increase, both in terms of frequency and the recorded amount. Mainly this increase correlated with the rise of giving for the support of marginalized groups – through giving of supplies and consumables, and seasonal giving.

As for the strategic intended effect of giving, while donations of equipment still played a significant role in long-term giving, their prevalence was not as large as in 2020 and 2021.