Retail sales in Croatia rose by 0.5% year-on-year in May 2026, easing from a 2.0% increase in the previous month, marking the softest growth since March 2023.
Sales growth moderated for food, beverages, and tobacco (1.9% vs 2.6% in April).
Additionally, activity recorded a flat reading for non-food products excluding automotive fuels and lubricants (vs 2.8%).
On the other hand, sales declined at a softer pace for automotive fuels and lubricants (-11.8% vs -15.1%), while retail sales via the internet or mail order recovered (3.6% vs -3.6%).
On a monthly basis, retail trade declined by 2.0% in May, following a 0.2% drop in the preceding period.
For the January–May period, retail activity increased by 2.3% compared with the same period a year earlier.