Croatia Regulatory Quality
Regulatory Quality RQ.EST
Croatia's regulatory quality was 0.64 in 2025, ranked 52nd globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank WGI, covering 1996–2025.
Overview
Croatia's regulatory quality stood at 0.64 in 2025, a decline of +0.00 from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 0.64 by 2025. Croatia ranked 52nd globally.
Croatia’s Regulatory Quality score, measured by the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, has risen from a trough of –0.17 in 1996 to an all‑time peak of 0.64 in 2023, a level it retained in the latest 2025 release and that places the country 52nd out of 193 economies. This 0.81‑point improvement over 26 years reflects successive reforms aimed at streamlining business licensing, enhancing contract enforcement and reducing bureaucratic discretion. The 2025 figure of 0.64 is marginally above Portugal’s 0.62 and below Malaysia’s 0.73, suggesting that Croatia now performs comparably with upper‑middle‑income peers while still lagging behind the higher‑ranking territory of Puerto Rico (0.72). The upward trajectory has been driven by EU accession requirements and domestic anti‑corruption initiatives, yet further gains will likely depend on deepening digitalisation of public services and strengthening judicial independence, which could push the score beyond its current ceiling.
Data & projection
| Year | Regulatory Quality | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 0.67 | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 0.64 | - | - |
| 2025 | 0.64 | −0.00 | #52 |
| 2023 | 0.64 | +0.14 | #54 |
| 2022 | 0.50 | +0.01 | #62 |
| 2021 | 0.49 | +0.13 | #62 |
| 2020 | 0.36 | −0.19 | #72 |
| 2019 | 0.55 | +0.06 | #54 |
| 2018 | 0.49 | +0.19 | #60 |
| 2017 | 0.30 | +0.06 | #69 |
| 2016 | 0.24 | +0.00 | #72 |
| 2015 | 0.24 | −0.04 | #75 |
| 2014 | 0.28 | −0.09 | #73 |
| 2013 | 0.37 | +0.02 | #70 |
| 2012 | 0.35 | −0.09 | #72 |
| 2011 | 0.44 | −0.05 | #68 |
| 2010 | 0.49 | +0.02 | #65 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Croatia matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2021. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw regulatory quality improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Croatia's regulatory quality was 0.64 in 2025. Ranked 52nd globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from the previous year.
Croatia's regulatory quality peaked at 0.64 in 2023.
The lowest regulatory quality in Croatia was -0.17 in 1996.
Croatia ranks 52nd globally in regulatory quality as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is RQ.EST. Data sourced from World Bank WGI.
Croatia's regulatory quality is projected to reach 0.64 by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The regulatory quality of Croatia in 2025 was 0.64. This ranks 52nd in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_croatia_regulatory-quality,
title = {Croatia Regulatory Quality},
url = {https://historysaid.com/croatia/regulatory-quality/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}