150 years since the foundation of the statistical office in Croatia

Anniversary - an opportunity for celebratory activities 

The 18th day of February is a very special date in the Croatian statistical circles. Namely, it was on that very date back in 1875 that the Austrian emperor and Croatian-Hungarian king Franz Joseph I confirmed in Vienna the "Law on the Foundation of the Office and Council for State Statistics in Croatia and Slavonia".

Several more months elapsed between the adoption of the Law and the start of the Office’s operation, during which the Royal State Government and the Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Parliament took certain steps in order to implement it. The State Statistical Council was also established as an advisory and expert body by the same Law. The statistical office began its work on 1 August 1875. Ban Ivan Mažuranić confirmed the "Instruction on the Scope and Branch Offices of the Council and the Office for State Statistics in Croatia and Slavonia" and appointed Milovan Zoričić as an assessor and entrusted him with the management of the statistical office.

An interesting fact is that the Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Parliament allocated a credit of 5 000 forints to the then government to cover the costs of the foundation of the statistical office and council.

Let us also mention that the foundation of a statistical office did not mark the beginning of statistical activities in Croatia. Namely, in the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic, a census of the population was already carried out in 1357 for military purposes. The first reliable official population census on the territory of Croatia, conducted in 1857 by the Habsburg Monarchy, is still kept today in the Library of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

An independent statistical office was a big step since Croatia thus won the right to collect, process and publish data. Therefore, after 150 years, we decided to mark this event with many celebratory activities. We invite you to follow us closely during 2025 and find out more about the foundation and important historical events, but also about new products and activities that we are preparing just for you.

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