Lika-Senj County

Croatia's largest county by area and smallest by population—5,353 square kilometers holding just 42,748 people as of 2021—Lika-Senj represents one of Europe's starkest examples of demographic collapse. Population has dropped 72% since 1857, a decline driven by the karst geology itself: the porous limestone plateau absorbs water into underground rivers, leaving soils too poor for profitable agriculture. Rivers vanish into sinkholes, emerge briefly, vanish again. The landscape produces scenery, not sustenance.

The Velebit mountain range forms the county's spine, its 1,757-meter peaks separating the continental interior from the Adriatic coast. Remarkably, 58% of Croatia's national park territory lies within Lika-Senj: Plitvice Lakes (UNESCO World Heritage since 1979, attracting 1.5 million visitors annually), Northern Velebit, and Paklenica. Endemic species like Degenia velebitica survive in these protected zones. The county's economic future depends almost entirely on whether tourism can sustain a region that conventional agriculture and industry abandoned.

The 20th century added political trauma to geological misfortune. In 1991, Serbs comprised 37% of the population—in some municipalities, a majority. The Croatian War devastated the region: villages emptied, populations displaced, infrastructure destroyed. Operation Storm in 1995 ended the conflict but accelerated the Serb exodus. The ethnic composition shifted almost entirely to Croat, but total population continued falling regardless.

By 2026, Lika-Senj faces an existential demographic question. Seniors die faster than children are born; young people leave for Zagreb or abroad. The A1 motorway now crosses the county, connecting Zagreb to Split, but commuter distance exceeds viable limits. What remains is wilderness, 16 interconnected turquoise lakes, the 78-meter Veliki Slap waterfall, and villages where the median age rises every year. The parks draw tourists; whether tourists can sustain communities is another matter.