Demographics of Croatia

The demographic characteristics of the population of Croatia are known through censuses, normally conducted in ten-year intervals and analysed by various statistical bureaus since the 1850s. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics has performed this task since the 1990s. The latest census in Croatia was performed in autumn of 2021. According to final results published on 22 September 2022 the permanent population of Croatia at the 2021 census (31st Aug) had reached 3.87 million. The population density is 68.7 inhabitants per square kilometre, and the overall life expectancy in Croatia at birth was 78,2 years in 2018. The population rose steadily (with the exception of censuses taken following the two world wars) from 2.1 million in 1857 until 1991, when it peaked at 4.7 million. Since 1991, Croatia's death rate has continuously exceeded its birth rate; the natural growth rate of the population is negative. Croatia is in the fourth (or fifth) stage of the demographic transition. In terms of age structure, the population is dominated by the 15 to 64 year‐old segment. The median age of the population is 43.4, and the gender ratio of the total population is 0.93 males per 1 female.

Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (91.63%), while minorities include Serbs (3.2%), and 21 other ethnicities (less than 1% each). The demographic history of Croatia is marked by significant migrations, including the arrival of the Croats in the area growth of Hungarian and German-speaking population since the union of Croatia and Hungary, and joining of the Habsburg Empire, migrations set off by Ottoman conquests and growth of Italian speaking population in Istria and in Dalmatia during Venetian rule there. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the Hungarian population declined, while the German-speaking population was forced or compelled to leave after World War II and similar fate was suffered by the Italian population. Late 19th century and the 20th century were marked by large scale economic migrations abroad. The 1940s and the 1950s in Yugoslavia were marked by internal migrations in Yugoslavia, as well as by urbanisation. Recently, significant migrations came as a result of the Croatian War of Independence when hundreds of thousands were displaced, while the 2010s brought a new wave of emigration which strengthened after Croatia's accession to the EU in 2013.

Croatian is the official language, but minority languages are officially used in some local government units. Croatian is declared as the native language by 95.60% of the population. A 2009 survey revealed that 78% of Croatians claim knowledge of at least one foreign language—most often English. The main religions of Croatia are Roman Catholic (86.28%), Eastern Orthodoxy (4.44%) and Islam (1.47%). Literacy in Croatia stands at 98.1%. The proportion of the population aged 15 and over attaining academic degrees grew rapidly since 2001, doubling and reaching 16.7% by 2008. An estimated 4.5% of the GDP is spent for education. Primary and secondary education are available in Croatian and in languages of recognised minorities. Croatia has a universal health care system and in 2010, the nation spent 6.9% of its GDP on healthcare. Net monthly income in September 2011 averaged 5,397 kuna (c. 729 euro). The most significant sources of employment in 2008 were manufacturing industry, wholesale and retail trade and construction. In January 2020, the unemployment rate was 8.4%. Croatia's median equivalent household income tops average Purchasing Power Standard of the ten countries which joined the EU in 2004, while trailing the EU average. 2011 census recorded a total of 1.5 million private households, which predominantly owned their own housing. Average urbanisation rate in Croatia stands at 56%, with augmentation of urban population and reduction of rural population.

## Population

With a population of 3,871,833 in 2021, Croatia ranks 128th in the world by population. Its population density is 75.8 inhabitants per square kilometre. The overall life expectancy in Croatia at birth is 78 years.

The total fertility rate of 1.50 children per mother is one of the lowest in the world. Since 1991, Croatia's death rate has nearly continuously exceeded its birth rate. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics forecast that the population may even shrink to 3.1 million by 2051, depending on the actual birth rate and the level of net migration. The population of Croatia rose steadily from 2.1 million in 1857 until 1991, when it peaked at 4.7 million, with the exception of censuses taken in 1921 and 1948, i.e. following two world wars. The natural growth rate of the population is negative. Croatia started advancing from the first stage of the demographic transition in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (depending on where in Croatia is being discussed). Croatia is in the fourth or fifth stage of the demographic transition.

An explanation for the population decrease in the 1990s is the Croatian War of Independence. During the war, large sections of the population were displaced and emigration increased. In 1991, in predominantly Serb areas, more than 400,000 Croats and other non-Serbs were either removed from their homes by the Croatian Serb forces or fled the violence. In 1995, during the final days of the war, more than 120,000 and perhaps as many as 200,000 Serbs fled the country before the arrival of Croatian forces during Operation Storm. Within a decade following the end of the war, only 117,000 Serb refugees returned out of the 300,000 displaced during the entire war. According to 2001 Croatian census there were 201,631 Serbs in Croatia, compared to the census from 1991 when the number was 581,663. Most of Croatia's remaining Serbs never lived in areas occupied in the Croatian War of Independence. Serbs have been only partially re-settled in the regions they previously inhabited, while some of the settlements previously inhabited by Serbs were settled by Croat refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly from Republika Srpska.

In 2014, there were 39,566 live births in Croatia, comprising 20,374 male and 19,192 female children. Virtually all of those were performed in medical facilities; only 19 births occurred elsewhere. Out of the total number, 32,677 children were born in wedlock or within 300 days after the end of the marriage, and the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was 28.4 years. General fertility rate, i.e. number of births per 1,000 women aged 15–49 is 42.9, with the age specific rate peaking at 101.0 per million for women aged 25–29. In 2009, 52,414 persons died in Croatia, 48.5% of whom died in medical facilities and 90.0% of whom were receiving medical treatment at the time. Cardiovascular disease and cancer were the primary causes of death in the country, with 26,235 and 13,280 deaths respectively. In the same year, there were 2,986 violent deaths, including 2,121 due to accidents. The latter figure includes 616 deaths in traffic accidents. In 2014, the birth rate was 9.3 per mille, exceeded by the mortality rate of 12.0 per mille. The infant mortality rate was 5.0 per mille in 2014. In terms of age structure, the population of Croatia is dominated by the 15–64 year older segment (68.1%), while the size of the population younger than 15 and older than 64 is relatively small (15.1% and 16.9% respectively). The median age of the population is 41.4. The sex ratio of the population is 1.06 males per 1 female at birth and up to 14 years of age, and 0.99 males per 1 female between the ages of 15 and 64. But at ages over 64 the ratio is 0.64 males per 1 female. The ratio for the total population is 0.93 males per 1 female.

In contrast to the shrinking native population, since the late 1990s there has been a positive net migration into Croatia, reaching a level of more than 7,000 net immigrants in 2006. In accordance with its immigration policy, Croatia is also trying to entice emigrants to return. Croatian citizenship is acquired in a multitude of ways, based on origin, place of birth, naturalization and international treaties. In recent years, the Croatian government has been pressured each year to add 40% to work permit quotas for foreign workers.

There were 8,468 immigrants to Croatia in 2009, more than half of them (57.5%) coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a sharp decline from the previous year's 14,541. In the same year, there were 9,940 emigrants from the country, 44.8% of them leaving to Serbia. The number of emigrants represents a substantial increase compared to the figure of 7,488 recorded in 2008. In 2009, the net migration to and from abroad peaked in the Sisak-Moslavina County (−1,093 persons) and the city of Zagreb (+830 persons).

In 2009, a total of 22,382 marriages were performed in Croatia as well as 5,076 divorces. The 2001 census recorded 1.47 million households in the country.

### Census data

The first modern population census in the country was conducted in 1857, and 15 more have been performed since then. Since 1961 the censuses are conducted in regular ten-year intervals, with the latest one in 2011. The first institution set up in the country specifically for the purposes of maintaining population statistics was the State Statistical Office, founded in 1875. Since its founding, the office changed its name and structure several times and was alternately subordinated to other institutions and independent, until the most recent changes in 1992, when the institution became the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. The 2011 census was performed on 1–28 April 2011, recording situation as of 31 March 2011. The first census results, containing the number of the population by settlement, were published on 29 June 2011, and the final comprehensive set of data was published in December 2012. The 2011 census and processing of the data gathered by the census was expected to cost 171.9 million kuna (23.3 million euro). The 2011 census was performed using new methodology: the permanent population was determined as the enumerated population who lived in the census area for at least 12 months prior to the census, or plans to live in the same area for at least 12 months after the census. This method was also retroactively applied to the 2001 census data.

### Total Fertility Rate from 1880 to 1899

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World in Data and Gapminder Foundation.

### Total Fertility Rate from 1915 to 1940

## Vital statistics

### Births and deaths before WWI

### Births and deaths after WWII

Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics

### Current vital statistics

### Structure of the population

## Marriages and divorces

## Ethnic groups

Croatia is inhabited mostly by Croats (91.63%), while minority groups include:Serbs (3.2%), Bosniaks, Hungarians, Italians, Albanians, Slovenes, Germans, Czechs, Roma and others (less than 1% each). The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia explicitly identifies 22 minorities. Those are Serbs, Czechs, Slovaks, Italians, Istro-Romanians ("Vlachs"), Hungarians, Jews, Germans, Austrians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Ruthenians, Macedonians, Bosniaks, Slovenes, Montenegrins, Russians, Bulgarians, Poles, Roma, Turks and Albanians.

### 1900–1931

### 1948–2021

## Significant migrations

The demographic history of Croatia is characterised by significant migrations, starting with the arrival of the Croats in the area. According to the work De Administrando Imperio written by the 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, the Croats arrived in the area of modern-day Croatia in the early 7th century. However, that claim is disputed, and competing hypotheses date the event between the 6th and the 9th centuries. Following the establishment of a personal union of Croatia and Hungary in 1102, and the joining of the Habsburg Empire in 1527, the Hungarian and German-speaking population of Croatia began gradually increasing in number. The processes of Magyarization and Germanization varied in intensity but persisted to the 20th century. The Ottoman conquests initiated a westward migration of parts of the Croatian population; the Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of some of those settlers. To replace the fleeing Croats the Habsburgs called on the Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked during the Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737–39. Similarly, Venetian Republic rule in Istria and in Dalmatia, following the Fifth and the Seventh Ottoman–Venetian Wars ushered gradual growth of Italian speaking population in those areas. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the Hungarian population declined, especially in the areas north of the Drava river, where they represented the majority before World War I.

The period between 1890 and World War I was marked by large economic emigration from Croatia to the United States, and particularly to the areas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. Besides the United States, the main destination of the migrants was South America, especially Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. It is estimated that 500,000 people left Croatia during this period. After World War I, the main focus of emigration shifted to Canada, where about 15,000 people settled before the onset of World War II. During World War II and in the period immediately following the war, there were further significant demographic changes as the German-speaking population, the Volksdeutsche, were either forced or otherwise compelled to leave—reducing their number from the prewar German population of Yugoslavia of 500,000, living in parts of present-day Croatia and Serbia, to the figure of 62,000 recorded in the 1953 census. A similar fate was suffered by the Italian population in Yugoslavia populating parts of present-day Croatia and Slovenia, as 350,000 left for Italy. The 1940s and the 1950s in Yugoslavia were marked by colonisation of settlements where the displaced Germans used to live by people from the mountainous parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and migrations to larger cities spurred on by the development of industry. In the 1960s and 1970s, another wave of economic migrants left Croatia. They largely moved to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe. During this period, 65,000 people left for Canada, and by the mid-1970s there were 150,000 Croats who moved to Australia. Particularly large European emigrant communities of Croats exist in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which largely stem from the 1960s and 1970s migrations.

A series of significant migrations came as a result of the 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence. In 1991, more than 400,000 Croats and other non-Serbs were displaced by the Croatian Serb forces or fled the violence in areas with significant Serb populations. During the final days of the war, in 1995, between 120,000 and 200,000 Serbs fled the country following the Operation Storm. Ten years after the war, only a small portion of Serb refugees returned out of the 400,000 displaced during the entire war. Most of the Serbs in Croatia who remained never lived in areas occupied during the Croatian War of Independence. Serbs have been only partially re-settled in the regions they previously inhabited; some of these areas were later settled by Croat refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Significant migrations have been happening after the accession of Croatia to the European Union, with a persistent growth since 2013, and the population leaving is largely younger and more educated.

### Demographic losses in the 20th century wars and pandemics

In addition to demographic losses through significant migrations, the population of Croatia suffered significant losses due to wars and epidemics. In the 20th century alone, there were several such events. The first was World War I, when the loss of the population of Croatia amounted to an estimated 190,000 persons, or about 5.5% of the total population recorded by the 1910 census. The 1918 flu pandemic started to take its toll in Croatia in July 1918, with peaks of the disease occurring in October and November. Available data is scarce, but it is estimated that the pandemic caused at least 15,000–20,000 deaths. Around 295,000 people were killed on the territory of present-day Croatia during World War II, according to the demographer Bogoljub Kočović. The demise of the armed forces of the Independent State of Croatia and of the civilians accompanying the troops at the end of World War II was followed by the Yugoslav death march of Nazi collaborators. A substantial number of people were executed, but the exact number is disputed. The claims range from 12,000–15,000 to as many as 80,000 killed in May 1945. Finally, approximately 20,000 were killed or went missing during the 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence. The figure pertains only to those persons who would have been recorded by the 1991 census as living in Croatia.

## Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.

- One birth every 14 minutes
- One death every 10 minutes
- Net loss of one person every 22 minutes
- One net migrant every 72 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.

Population:
4,270,480 (July 2018 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.21% (male 312,805 /female 293,931)

15-24 years: 11.09% (male 242,605 /female 230,853)

25-54 years: 40.15% (male 858,025 /female 856,455)

55-64 years: 14.65% (male 304,054 /female 321,543)

65 years and over: 19.91% (male 342,025 /female 508,184) (2018 est.)

Median age:
total: 43.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 20th

male: 41.4 years

female: 45.3 years (2018 est.)

Birth rate:
8.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 208th

Death rate:
12.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 16th

Total fertility rate:
1.41 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 212nd

Net migration rate:
-1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 150th

Population growth rate:
-0.51% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 221st

Mother's mean age at first birth:
28 years (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.3 years (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 87th

male: 73.2 years (2018 est.)

female: 79.6 years (2018 est.)

Ethnic groups:
Croat 90.4%, Serb 4.4%, other 4.4% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Romani), unspecified 0.8% (2011 est.)

Languages:
Croatian (official) 95.6%, Serbian 1.2%, other 3% (including Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and Albanian), unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 86.3%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.5%, not religious or atheist 3.8% (2011 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)

adjective: Croatian

note: the French designation of "Croate" to Croatian mercenaries in the 17th century eventually became "Cravate" and later came to be applied to the soldiers' scarves – the cravat; Croatia celebrates Cravat Day every 18 October

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 50.9 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 22.4 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 28.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 3.5 (2015 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 56.9% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: -0.08% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 99.3%

male: 99.7%

female: 98.9% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 16 years (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24:
total: 31.3% (2016 est.) Country comparison to the world: 26th

male: 31.2% (2016 est.)

female: 31.3% (2016 est.)

## Languages

Croatian is the official language of Croatia, and one of 24 official languages of the European Union since 2013. Minority languages are in official use in local government units where more than a third of the population consists of national minorities or where local legislation mandates their use. These languages are Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Ruthenian, Serbian and Slovak. Besides these, the following languages are also recognised: Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, German, Hebrew, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Polish, Romanian, Romani, Russian, Rusyn, Slovenian, Turkish and Ukrainian. According to the 2021 Census, 95.25% of citizens of Croatia declared Croatian as their native language, 1.16% declared Serbian as their native language, while no other language is represented in Croatia by more than 0.5% of native speakers among the population of Croatia.

In the region of Dalmatia, each city historically spoke a variant of the Dalmatian language. It developed from Latin like all Romance languages, but became heavily influenced by Venetian and Croatian. The language fell out of use in the region by the 16th century and went extinct when the last speaker died in 1898.

Croatian replaced Latin as the official language of the Croatian government in 1847. The Croatian lect is generally viewed as one of the four standard varieties of the Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language. Croatian is written using the Latin alphabet and there are three major dialects spoken on the territory of Croatia, with the Shtokavian idiom used as the literary standard. The Chakavian and Kajkavian dialects are distinguished by their lexicon, phonology, and syntax.

From 1961 to 1991, the official language was formally designated as Serbo-Croatian or Croato-Serbian. Even during socialist rule, Croats often referred to their language as Croato-Serbian (instead of Serbo-Croatian) or as Croatian. Croatian and Serbian variants of the language were not officially recognised as separate at the time, but referred to as the "West" and "East" versions, and preferred different alphabets: the Gaj's Latin alphabet and Karadžić's Cyrillic alphabet. Croats are protective of their language from foreign influences, as the language was under constant change and threats imposed by previous rulers (i.e. Austrian German, Hungarian, Italian and Turkish words were changed and altered to "Slavic" looking/sounding ones).

A 2009 survey revealed that 78% of Croats claim knowledge of at least one foreign language. According to a survey ordered by the European commission in 2005, 49% of Croats speak English as their second language, 34% speak German, and 14% speak Italian. French and Russian are spoken by 4% each, and 2% of Croats speak Spanish. A substantial proportion of Slovenes (59%) have a certain level of knowledge of Croatian.

## Religions

The main religions of Croatia are Roman Catholicism 78.97%, no religion 6.39%, other Christianity 4.84%, undeclared 3.86%, Eastern Orthodoxy 3.32%, Islam 1.32%, Protestantism 0.26%, others 1.87%. In the Eurostat Eurobarometer Poll of 2005, 67% of the population of Croatia responded that "they believe there is a God" and 7% said they do not believe "there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force", while 25% expressed a belief in "some sort of spirit or life force". In a 2009 Gallup poll, 70% answered affirmatively when asked "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" Significantly, a 2008 Gallup survey of the Balkans indicated church and religious organisations as the most trusted institutions in the country. The survey revealed that 62% of the respondents assigned "a lot" or "some" trust to those institutions, ranking them ahead of all types of governmental, international or non-governmental institutions.

Public schools allow religious education, in cooperation with religious communities that have agreements with the government, but attendance is not mandatory. The classes are organized widely in public elementary and secondary schools. In 2009, 92% of elementary school pupils and 87% of secondary school students attended the religious education classes. Public holidays in Croatia also include the religious festivals of Epiphany, Easter Monday, Feast of Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas, and St. Stephen's or Boxing Day. The religious festival public holidays are based on the Catholic liturgical year, but citizens of the Republic of Croatia who celebrate different religious holidays have the right not to work on those dates. This includes Christians who celebrate Christmas on 7 January per the Julian calendar, Muslims on the days of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and Jews on the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Marriages performed by the religious communities having agreements with the state are officially recognized, eliminating the need to register the marriages in a registrar office.

The legal position of religious communities is defined by special legislation, specifically regarding government funding, tax benefits, and religious education in schools. Other matters are left to each religious community to negotiate separately with the government. Registration of the communities is not mandatory, but registered communities become legal persons and enjoy tax and other benefits. The law stipulates that to be eligible for registration, a religious group must have at least 500 believers and be registered as a civil association for 5 years. Religious groups based abroad must submit written permission for registration from their country of origin.

## Education

Literacy in Croatia is 98.1 percent. The 2001 census reported that 15.7% of the population over the age of 14 has an incomplete elementary education, and 21.9% has only an elementary school education. 42.8% of the population over the age of 14 has a vocational education and 4.9% completed gymnasium. 4.2% of the same population received an undergraduate degree, while 7.5% received an academic degree, and 0.5% received a postgraduate or a doctoral degree. Croatia recorded a substantial growth of the population attaining academic degrees and by 2008, this population segment was estimated to encompass 16.7% of the total population of Croatians 15 and over. A worldwide study about the quality of living in different countries published by Newsweek in August 2010 ranked the Croatian education system at 22nd, a position shared with Austria. In 2004, it was estimated that 4.5% of the GDP is spent for education, while schooling expectancy was estimated to 14 years on average. Primary education in Croatia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades. In 2007 a law was passed to increase free, noncompulsory education until 18 years of age. Compulsory education consists of eight grades of elementary school. Secondary education is provided by gymnasiums and vocational schools. As of 2010, there are 2,131 elementary schools and 713 schools providing various forms of secondary education. Primary and secondary education are also available in languages of recognised minorities in Croatia, where classes are held in Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Serbian and German languages.

There are 84 elementary level and 47 secondary level music and art schools, as well as 92 schools for disabled children and youth and 74 schools for adults. Nationwide leaving exams (Croatian: državna matura) were introduced for secondary education students in the 2009–2010 school year. It comprises three compulsory subjects (Croatian language, mathematics, and a foreign language) and optional subjects and is a prerequisite for a university education.

Croatia has eight public universities, the University of Zagreb, University of Split, University of Rijeka, University of Osijek, University of Zadar, University of Dubrovnik, University of Pula and Dubrovnik International University. The University of Zadar, the first university in Croatia, was founded in 1396 and remained active until 1807, when other institutions of higher education took over. It was reopened in 2002. The University of Zagreb, founded in 1669, is the oldest continuously operating university in Southeast Europe. There are also 11 polytechnics and 23 higher education institutions, of which 19 are private. In total, there are 132 institutions of higher education in Croatia, attended by more than 145 thousand students.

There are 205 companies, government or education system institutions and non-profit organizations in Croatia pursuing scientific research and the development of technology. Combined, they spent more than 3 billion kuna (400 million euro) and employed 10,191 full-time research staff in 2008. Among the scientific institutes operating in Croatia, the largest is the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb. The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb is a learned society promoting language, culture, arts and science since its inception in 1866. Scientists from Croatia include inventors and Nobel Prize winners.

## Health

Croatia has a universal health care system, the roots of which can be traced back to the Hungarian-Croatian Parliament Act of 1891, providing a form of mandatory insurance for all factory workers and craftsmen. The population is covered by a basic health insurance plan provided by statute and optional insurance. In 2014, the annual compulsory healthcare related expenditures reached 21.8 billion kuna (2.9 billion euro). Healthcare expenditures comprise only 0.6% of private health insurance and public spending. In 2010, Croatia spent 6.9% of its GDP on healthcare, representing a decline from approximately 8% estimated in 2008, when 84% of healthcare spending came from public sources. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Croatia ranks around the 50th in the world in terms of life expectancy.

There are hundreds of healthcare institutions in Croatia, including 79 hospitals and clinics with 23,967 beds. The hospitals and clinics care for more than 700 thousand patients per year and employ 5,205 medical doctors, including 3,929 specialists. There are 6,379 private practice offices, and a total of 41,271 health workers in the country. There are 63 emergency medical service units, responding to more than a million calls. The principal cause of death in 2008 was cardiovascular disease at 43.5% for men and 57.2% for women, followed by tumours, at 29.4% for men and 21.4% for women. Other significant causes of death are injuries, poisonings and other external causes (7.7% men/3.9% women), digestive system diseases (5.7% men/3.6% women), respiratory system diseases (5.1% men/3.5% women) and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (2.1% men/3.0% women). There is no other cause of disease affecting more than 3% of the population. In 2014 only 22 Croatians had been infected with HIV/AIDS and 4 had died from the disease. In 2008 it was estimated by the WHO that 27.4% of Croatians over age of 15 were smokers. According to 2003 WHO data, 22% of the Croatian adult population is obese.

## Economic indicators

### Personal income, jobs and unemployment

Net monthly income in September 2011 averaged 5,397 kuna (c. 729 euro), dropping 2.1% relative to the previous month. In the same month, gross monthly income averaged 7,740 kuna (c. 1,046 euro), and it includes the net salary along with income tax, retirement pension insurance, healthcare insurance, occupational safety and health insurance and employment promotion tax. The average net monthly income grew compared to 5,311 kuna (c. 717 euro) in 2009 or 3,326 kuna (c. 449 euro) in 2000. The highest net salaries were paid in financial services sector, and in April 2011 those averaged 10,041 kuna (c. 1,356 euro), while the lowest ones, paid in the same month, were in the manufacturing and leather processing industries, averaging at 2,811 kuna (c. 380 euro). Since January 2016, the minimum wage in Croatia is 3,120 kuna before tax (c. 400 euro).

Number of employed persons recorded steady growth between 2000 and 2008 when it peaked, followed by 4% decline in 2009. That year, there were 1.499 million employed persons, with 45% of that number pertaining to women. The total number of employed persons includes 252,000 employed in crafts and freelance professionals and 35,000 employed in agriculture. The most significant sources of employment in 2008 were manufacturing industry and wholesale and retail trade (including motor vehicle repair services) employing 278,640 and 243,640 respectively. Further significant employment sector was construction industry comprising 143,336 jobs that year. In the same year, more than 100,000 were employed in public administration, defence and compulsory social insurance sector as well as in education. Since 2009, negative trends persisted in Croatia with jobs in the industry declined further by 3.5%. Number of unemployed and retired persons combined exceeded number of employed in August 2010, as it fell to 1.474 million. In 2009, labour force consisted of 1.765 million persons out of 3.7 million working age population—aged 15 and over. In October 2011, unemployment rate stood at 17.4%. 7.2% of employed persons hold a second job.

In comparison with the member states of the European Union (EU), Croatia's median equivalent household income in terms of the Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) stands at 470, topping average PPS of the ten countries which joined the EU in 2004 (EU10), as well as Romania and Bulgaria, while significantly lagging behind the EU average. Within Croatia, the highest PPS is recorded in Istria County (769), the City of Zagreb (640) and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (576). The lowest PPS is observed in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County and the Virovitica-Podravina County (267).

### Urbanisation and housing

2011 census recorded a total of 1,534,148 private households in Croatia as well as 1,487 other residential communities such as retirement homes, convents etc. At the same time, there were 1,923,522 permanent housing units—houses and apartments. 2001 census recorded 1.66 million permanent housing units, including 196 thousand intermittently occupied and 42 thousand abandoned ones. Average size of a permanently used housing unit is 74.4 square metres (801 square feet). The intermittently used housing units include 182 thousand vacation houses and 8 thousand houses used during agricultural works. The same census also recorded 25 thousand housing units used for business purposes only. As of 2007, 71% of the households owned their own housing and had no mortgage or other loans to repay related to the housing, while further 9% were repaying loans for their housing. The households vary by type and include single households (13%), couples (15%), single parent households (4%), couples with children (27%) and extended family households (20%). There are approximately 500 homeless persons in Croatia, largely living in Zagreb.

Average urbanisation rate in Croatia stands at 56%, with the maximum rate recorded within the territory of the City of Zagreb, where it reached 94.5% and Zagreb metropolitan area comprising the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County, where it stands at 76.4%. Very significant rate of urbanisation was observed in the second half of the 20th century. 1953 census recorded 57% of population which was active in agriculture, while a census performed in 1991 noted only 9.1% of population active in that field. This points to augmentation of urban population and reduction of rural population.

## See also

- Croats

- Croatian diaspora

- Croatian Bureau of Statistics

- - Demographics of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  - Demographics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Characteristics of Croatian population


2021–2022 Columbia University strike

The 2021–2022 Columbia University strike was a labor strike involving graduate student workers at Columbia University in New York City. The strike began on March 15, 2021, and ended on May 13, 2021. However, additional strike action commenced on November 3 and lasted until January 7, 2022, when a tentative agreement with the university was reached. The strike was organized by the Graduate Workers of Columbia–United Auto Workers Local 2110 (SWC–UAW), a labor union representing student workers at the university. The goals of the strike were an increase in wages, increased healthcare and childcare coverage, and third-party arbitration in cases of discrimination and sexual harassment.

While the union voted in March 2020 to authorize strike action, these plans were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in February 2021, still without a labor contract, the union announced their intent to strike the following month. The strike began on March 15 as an open-ended strike action, with no set end date. The strike coincided with a tuition strike that had been coordinated by the local chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Picketing and other forms of protest were held at numerous Columbia locations throughout New York City, and multiple elected officials and politicians announced their support for the strikers. On April 19, a contract proposal was submitted for ratification by the union members, but it was rejected in a rank-and-file vote. Following this, a vote was held in early May to determine the future of the strike, with a majority of voters choosing to end the strike, which officially ended on May 13.

Following the end of the strike, on July 3, new leaders for the union were elected who promised to continue to push for a labor contract with the university. Additionally, the name of the union was changed to the Student Workers of Columbia. While negotiations were set to resume on August 25, disagreements between the two groups led to a deadlock in negotiations, and in late September, the union voted to authorize another strike action. This renewed strike action began on November 3 and continued through late 2021 and into early 2022. The union and the university entered mediation on November 22, 2021, after both parties agreed to hire independent labor mediator Kevin Flanigan. The strike continued until January 7, 2022, when the union voted to stop striking after approving a tentative agreement between the university and union that included several concessions to the union, such as increased healthcare and childcare coverage, increased pay, and changes to the arbitration process at Columbia. By a vote of 2,099 to 51, the union approved the contract on January 28.

## Background

### Unionization at Columbia

In a 2018 article, The New York Times stated that "[t]he question of whether graduate students at private universities can unionize has seesawed for years, depending, in part, on the political leanings of the members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)." In 2000, the board ruled in favor of allowing graduate students at New York University (NYU) to unionize, leading to a surge in similar unionization at several American universities. However, in a 2004 ruling regarding a labor union at Brown University, the board reversed its decision and ruled that teaching assistants are not covered under federal labor law. In 2016, the board would again reverse its decision in a case involving a unionization effort at Columbia University in New York City. In December of that year, following the ruling, graduate students at the university voted 1,602 to 623 to unionize with the United Auto Workers (UAW), with approximately 3,500 graduate students as part of this new union, called the Graduate Workers of Columbia–United Auto Workers (GWC–UAW) Local 2110. Shortly afterwards, the university appealed to the board, which found that the vote had been fair and that the union should be recognized. In January 2018, the university stated they would not bargain with the union, prompting legal proceedings in a federal appeals court. In April, the union performed a one-week strike over the university's refusal to recognize them. By 2019, Columbia had agreed to recognize the union.

### Contract negotiations

Starting in 2019, the union and university began to negotiate over their first labor contract, with the union's bargaining unit meeting with university officials for the first time on February 26 of that year. However, after over a year, no agreement had been reached between the two parties. The main point of contention between the two groups was on the issue of union recognition, as the university recognized only doctoral students who were fully funded as union members, while the union also recognized students pursuing a master's degree and undergraduate students working as teaching assistants as well. In addition to expanded recognition, the union was also seeking expanded health benefits and increased subsidies for child care. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the union was also pushing for a one-year funding extension for doctoral candidates whose research had been interrupted by pandemic shutdowns. In March 2020, the union voted 1,833 to 77 in favor of strike action against the university. However, due to the pandemic, plans for the strike were postponed, and the university and union continued to negotiate.

Starting in January 2021, a large group of primarily undergraduate students at Columbia began an unrelated tuition strike, seeking both a decrease in the cost of tuition and an increase in student financial aid during the pandemic. The strike was in large part organized by the local chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), who also supported the GWC–UAW and was working with them in their contract negotiations, with full recognition of the union being an additional demand of the tuition strike. During the strike, a deadline of February 25 was instated, after which point, if no agreement between the union and university had been made, the union would prepare for strike action. On February 25, with no agreement in place after 64 bargaining sessions, union members gathered on the steps of the Low Memorial Library and announced their intent to begin striking on March 15. At the time of the announcement, an article in the Columbia Daily Spectator stated that "[a]bout 10 demands" were still being discussed, with full union recognition being chief among them. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed her support for the union by sending coffee and doughnuts to the GWC–UAW members, while additional support was voiced by New York City Council member Mark Levine. On March 8, interim provost Ira Katznelson sent an open letter addressing the strike notice, claiming that, while both sides were working towards an agreement, the union's demands for wage increases were "neither reasonable nor responsible in present circumstances". An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education criticized Katznelson's approach to the situation, calling his stance hypocritical based on his previous involvement with the labor movement and even calling him a "labor sympathizer". A March 11 article in the Spectator reported that the union and university were still holding bargaining sessions in an attempt to avoid the strike action, though the 10 points of contention were still unaddressed at that point. The last day of official bargaining discussions between the two groups was on March 12.

## Initial strike

On March 15, with no agreement between the university and union, the strike officially began, affecting an approximate 3,000 members of the GWC–UAW. A GoFundMe page was set up to serve as a strike fund, which raised US\$57,000 that first day. Picketing commenced at several locations around the university, including at College Walk and at the intersection of Broadway and 116th Street. Starting on March 17, additional picketing took place at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in Washington Heights, with additional picketing scheduled over the next several days at the Jerome L. Greene Science Center. On March 18, picketing expanded to the part of the university in Manhattanville. Over the course of the first week of the strike, multiple elected officials and candidates voiced their support for the strike, including 2021 New York City mayoral candidates Maya Wiley and Scott Stringer (who is also the current New York City Comptroller), New York City Council member Brad Lander, and Manhattan District Attorney candidate Eliza Orlins, among others. Additionally, the Spectator reported that numerous undergraduate students were in support of the strike, including the president of the Class of 2024. On March 18, union and university representatives met over Zoom for a bargaining session, during which the Spectator reported, "tensions were higher than usual". By the end of the first week of the strike, the Spectator reported that both sides were considering outside mediation to help in the negotiations. The next meeting between the two groups at this time was scheduled for March 23. On March 19, the graduate union for NYU announced that they would be holding a vote to authorize strike action against their respective university, with the GWC–UAW announcing their support.

On March 24, news website Bwog reported that, following the March 23 meeting between the union and university, the two parties were primarily focused on discussing issues regarding arbitration for claims made by union members of harassment and discrimination, with the union pushing for third-party arbitration in those cases. On March 31, the Columbia Law School chapter of the Law School Democrats of America canceled an event with former U.S. Representative Ben McAdams in a show of solidarity with the strikers. On April 1, the graduate student union at North Carolina State University published an op-ed in the Technician wherein they voiced their support for the Columbia union. On April 2, U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman and New York City Council member Carlina Rivera attended pickets and voiced their support, with Bowman comparing the efforts of the GWC–UAW members to the Bessemer union drive, saying "Capitalism is destroying our humanity, [but] we are going to win". Later that day, the bargaining unit for the GWC–UAW voted 7–3 to accept an offer by the university to have outside mediation in exchange for a pause on strike action. According to polling of GWC–UAW members, only a small fraction approved of the bargaining unit's decision, with one member of the unit who had voted against the offer claiming in an article published by the Spectator that "It was very clear to me that many other members of the bargaining committee were unwilling to continue striking, no matter what". As the decision was made on a Friday, GWC–UAW members returned to work the following Monday, April 5. That same day, following a vote organized by the local YDSA chapter, students at Columbia ended their tuition strike. Despite the bargaining unit's decision, GWC–UAW members in the university's religion department stated they would continue to strike until the union's demands are met.

On April 19, the bargaining committee submitted a proposed contract for a vote by rank-and-file members. The committee had voted 7–3 to accept the contract, which included agreements for increased pay and other benefits, but lacked agreements for neutral third-party arbitration in cases regarding harassment and discrimination. Voting took place between April 21 and April 30. The contract failed approval as union members voted 1,093–970 to continue negotiations. Approximately 63% of all GWC–UAW members voted. Union members were opposed to certain agreements that were absent in the contract, such as third-party arbitration, a living wage, complete recognition of the bargaining unit, and full dental coverage. According to the Spectator, the vote marked the first time in history a graduate student union has voted to reject a tentative agreement. Following this, on May 4, the union announced that they would be holding a vote among their members between May 5 and May 12 on whether or not to continue the strike. On May 6, the seven bargaining unit members who voted to accept the contract resigned from the unit, alleging "toxic internal politics that have long been present in our union". This came after a petition had circulated among union members calling for new bargaining unit members, with the resigning members stating they were stepping down in order to "restore [the] democratic mandate" of the unit. At the time of their resignation, the petition had over 500 signatures. The remaining three members resigned on May 13. That day, following a vote of 771 to end and 323 to continue, the strike officially ended.

## Interim

On July 3, union elections were held that saw the election of a new ten-person bargaining committee, composed of eight newly elected individuals and two who had previously served during the strike. This new bargaining committee promised to promote a "more democratic" union as they planned to continue to push for a labor contract during the upcoming fall semester. Additionally, during the elections, the name of the union was changed to the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC). In early August, the Spectator reported on a change to the stipend pay schedule for graduate students where, instead of receiving a large lump sum at the beginning of their semesters, they would instead receive their stipends on a semi-monthly basis. SWC contended that this change may have been a response to the strike, arguing that stipend pay that is paid out semi-monthly as opposed to in an upfront lump sum could be easier to use as leverage in the event of a graduate student strike. The first round of renewed bargaining sessions between the union and university were scheduled to begin on August 25. However, this meeting did not occur due to a disagreement between the university and union. According to union bylaws ratified over the summer, all bargaining sessions were to be open to all union members, while the university was willing to meet only in a closed-door meeting with the bargaining committee and a maximum of five other members.

On September 15, in part due to the ongoing standstill in negotiations, SWC authorized a vote for strike authorization, which would allow the bargaining committee to call a strike at any time. Voting on this ended on September 27. Additionally, SWC filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB over Columbia's changed disbursement policies, calling them "illegal retaliatory practices". SWC's strike authorization vote is occurring at the same time as one amongst student workers at Harvard University, another Ivy League university. On September 30, the union revealed that the strike authorization vote had passed in a vote of 1,804–234. Around the same time, the bargaining committee announced additional demands for the university for increased childcare coverage, no-questions-asked funding for adviser transfers, and a banning of New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) presence from Columbia's campus. The last demand regarding NYPD and ICE was modeled after a similar agreement that NYU had recently reached with their graduate students' union.

On October 20, the SWC announced that, barring constructive negotiations between the union and university administration, a new strike action would begin on November 3. One week later, on October 27, union members held a walkout and rally, with some graduate student instructors interrupting their classes and bringing their undergraduate students to the rally at the steps of the Low Memorial Library. After several speeches from the steps, some of the protestors marched to Schermerhorn Hall to interrupt a class being held by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, with chants of "fuck you, PrezBo" and "no contract, no work". Additional protesting took place outside of President Bollinger's house, which lasted about 20 minutes.

## Later strike

On November 3, the SWC began another open-ended strike action against the university. This second strike action roughly coincided with the wave of other large-scale strike actions in the United States known as "Striketober", which included the 2021 John Deere strike and the 2021 Kellogg's strike. The strike was the second biggest labor dispute in the United States by number of strikers involved, behind the John Deere strike. On November 10, Columbia University Provost Mary Cunningham Boyce stated that the university was willing to engage in negotiations to resolve the labor dispute and reiterated her support for mediation, though the union rejected the offer, stating that they believed it was too early in the strike to call on mediatory services. This decision was due in part to the use of mediation in the previous strike action, in which the union members voted down the proposal that had been drafted with mediatory help. On November 22, the union agreed to enter into mediation with the university administration. However, in a change from the previous mediation, the mediation discussions would be available for all union members, and additionally, the strike would continue throughout the mediation process. The decision to continue striking was approved by about 90 percent of the union members. As such, going into December, the union continued to hold several large-scale rallies and marches. Kevin Flanigan, an arbitrator from the New York State Public Employment Relations Board, was selected to serve as the mediator between the union and university.

On December 1, Columbia’s Human Resources office sent a notice to all student workers that a failure to return to work by December 10 would mean “the possibility” of not receiving appointments for the spring. This was an illegal threat in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which states that in an Unfair Labor Practice strike, "strikers can be neither discharged nor permanently replaced." In response, SWC organized a hard picket at Columbia's Morningside campus on December 8. The campus was shut down with hard pickets sustained at all entrances to the campus during business hours.

On December 10, the university announced changes to the class credit policy to help undergraduate students who had been affected by the strike. By late December, the Spectator was calling the graduate students' strike "the largest strike in the nation".

On December 22, the university submitted to the union its "best and final offer" regarding a contract. In a letter to the editor published the next day in The Wall Street Journal, Provost Boyce stated that the proposal "is one of the most generous available at any U.S. university". However, due to disagreements with the union regarding certain terms of the proposal, such as a failure to recognize all union members as members of the bargaining unit, negotiations continued. On December 31, the union and university administration held another negotiation session wherein the union proposed below-inflation raise caps and an agreement not to perform another strike action for the next four years. Additionally, the union would give casual employees the opportunity to decide whether they wanted to join SWC or not. However, the university pushed further for an open shop model of employment at the university, which SWC rejected due to the perceived impact the agreement would have on the union's power.

On January 7, 2022, the SWC announced that a tentative agreement had been reached with the university, with 93.5 percent of the union members voting to end the strike at noon that day. The agreement included provisions for the union such as increased wages (including retroactive wage increases) of up to 30 percent, full union recognition from the university, and union member access to arbitration and mediation services in cases of discrimination or harassment claims. Additionally, the university would expand healthcare and childcare coverage by offering dental health insurance, increasing childcare stipends, and creating a \$300,000 emergency health fund. In exchange, the union agreed to drop three unfair labor practice charges that they had filed against the university. The contract would last for four years, with negotiations for another contract scheduled for Spring 2025. Following the announcement of the agreement, the union organized several town halls and other information sessions to allow members to discuss the terms of the agreement. This discussion period was followed by a voting period lasting from January 22 to January 27. An announcement regarding whether the contract has been approved or not is scheduled for January 28. Speaking about the agreement, Provost Boyce stated that she was optimistic that the Spring 2022 semester (scheduled to start on January 18) would operate normally and without labor disruptions. On January 28, the union reported that the contract had been approved in a vote of 2,099 for and 51 against.

## See also

- COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
- Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Labor strike at Columbia University, New York City

Education labor disputes in the United States

Labor disputes led by the United Auto Workers

Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States


Hold It Against Me

"Hold It Against Me" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). It was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. Luke explained that he wanted "Hold It Against Me" to sound unlike his previous productions. The song was originally offered to Katy Perry, but Luke and Martin felt that it did not suit her. A demo version of the track by McKee was leaked on January 6, 2011, and the single became available for streaming on January 10, 2011. It was released for digital download the following day as the lead single from Femme Fatale.

Musically, "Hold It Against Me" blends pulsating industrial and dance beats with elements of electropop and trance. The chorus has lilting synths that lift her vocals and contrast them with the hard beats. The song features a dubstep-influenced breakdown, in which Spears moans and blows kisses, and the song ends with a final chorus with elements of rave. The lyrics portray the singer seducing someone on the dance floor, and the chorus revolves around pick-up lines. After the song was released, the Bellamy Brothers criticized it for being similar to their 1979 hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me". They were sued by Martin, Luke, McKee and Billboard for defamation and libel, but the case was dismissed after the Bellamy Brothers apologized. McKee stated in an interview that the title was inspired by a discussion she had with Katy Perry about the latter's body.

"Hold It Against Me" was met with positive reviews from most critics, although some criticized its lyrical content. The song debuted at number one in Belgium (Wallonia), Canada, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, as well as on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it became her fourth chart topper. In the latter, it made Spears the second artist in Billboard's history to debut at number one more than once, and to achieve that with a second consecutive single, both behind Mariah Carey. The feat also made her the seventh artist to score number one singles in three consecutive decades. The single has also charted in the top five in countries such as Australia, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Finland and Norway.

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. It premiered on February 17, 2011, following a two-week promotional campaign of teasers. The video features Spears as a pop star who fell from space to find fame on Earth. There, she becomes overwhelmed by the pressures of being a celebrity and breaks down. The video received mixed to positive reviews; critics complimented its artistic concept and visuals, but dismissed the use of product placement. Spears performed "Hold It Against Me" at Rain Nightclub, Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. She has also performed it as the opening number of the Femme Fatale Tour (2011).

## Background

"Hold It Against Me" was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. It was inspired by a moment when McKee saw American recording artist Katy Perry wearing a tight dress and joked "Damn Katy, if I told you you had a nice body would you hold it against me?" After it was written, Luke and Martin wanted to give the track to Perry, but they decided that "it definitely wasn't a Katy Perry record." They continued to work on the song with Billboard; Luke commented, "I wanted to make sure it didn't sound like everything else I've done. [...] It can be hard in the verse, and the bridge is super, super hard, but the chorus is super-pop." After rumored lyrics for the song surfaced on the web, Luke commented in his Twitter account on December 9, 2010, "I / we never wrote a song called 'don't hold it against me'.... BewaRe of InaccuraTe info kids ;-) We did write 'hold it against me' but those lyrics are NOT the lyrics ...." It was reported by news outlets that "Hold It Against Me" would premiere on January 7, 2011. However, this was denied by Spears' manager Adam Leber. An early demo of the track performed by McKee was leaked on January 6, 2011. Spears released the cover art for the song that same day and commented via Twitter, "Heard an early demo of my new single leaked. If u think that's good, wait til you hear the real one Tuesday."

On January 10, 2011, the single became available for streaming on Ryan Seacrest's website, who premiered it on his radio show shortly after. Spears tweeted, "Don't \#HOLDITAGAINSTME for coming out early. I couldn't wait any longer. Hope you don't mind....." The radio premiere caused several sites to crash after they received too much traffic searching about the song. "Hold It Against Me" was released digitally in the United States and Canada at the iTunes Store at 00:00 EST (05:00 UTC), where it was available exclusively until January 18, 2011. The single was going to be released in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2011, but the date was moved up to January 17, 2011, due to overwhelming demand.

## Composition

"Hold It Against Me" is three minutes and forty-nine seconds long. It is a dance-pop song that blends pulsating industrial and trance beats with elements of grime. Spears' vocals have been described as "a bit treated" but not heavily Auto-Tuned. The chorus, reminiscent of other pop productions by Max Martin, has lilting synths that lift her vocals and contrast them with the hard beats. After the second chorus, the beats drop and Spears speaks the lines in the hook. This is followed by a dubstep-influenced breakdown, which lasts about thirty seconds. Spears moans, blows kisses and sings the lines "Gimme something good, don't wanna wait I want it now / Pop it like a hood and show me how you work it out." "Hold It Against Me" continues with a second breakdown, which is more similar to the sound of the track. The final chorus has a smattering of rave chords and the song has a sudden end.

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone commented that the song "recalls the synth-gloom ambience of Britney's 2007 gem, Blackout." He also compared the riff to AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (1976). Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times found the song's hook reminiscent of "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" (1986) by Cutting Crew. Nick Levine of Digital Spy felt the song had a "clubby and au courant" feel, comparable to "Only Girl (In the World)" (2010) by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing Inc., "Hold It Against Me" is set in the compound meter time signature, with a moderate dance beat infused metronome of 133 beats per minute. Lyrically, "Hold It Against Me" talks about seducing someone on the dancefloor. The chorus revolves around pick-up lines; Spears sings, "If I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me?" and "'Cause you feel like paradise, and I need a vacation tonight." James Montgomery of MTV compared the feeling of the lyrics to that of "If U Seek Amy" (2009).

### Controversy

After "Hold It Against Me" was released, the Bellamy Brothers criticized it for being similar to their 1979 hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me". In a statement, David Bellamy said "professionally, well, in all honesty, we feel completely ripped off. Where's the originality?" The brothers's attorney Christopher E. Schmidt stated that "[it] becomes somewhat uncanny if you simply double the beat of the Bellamy Brothers' song and match it up with Britney's version" and pointed out that it was not the first time Martin and Luke were accused of copyright infringement. On March 2, 2011, Martin, Luke, McKee and Billboard filed a lawsuit in which they accused the brothers of making defamatory and libelous statements about them. The case was dismissed on August 11, 2011. The Bellamy Brothers released a statement that said, "The Bellamy Brothers apologise to Dr. Luke and Max Martin for the Bellamys' public statements and any false impressions suggested by the statements on their website that Dr. Luke and Max Martin copy the works of others."

## Critical reception

"Hold It Against Me" has received mostly positive reviews from most critics. Rick Florino of website Artistdirect gave the song four and half stars, calling it "one of Britney's catchiest club bangers yet" and saying "[it] proudly stands alongside Britney classics like 'Womanizer', 'Gimme More', and 'Toxic', but there's a refined ethereal elegance to it that sees Britney stepping into new territory and pushing the boundaries of dance pop once more." Nick Levine of website Digital Spy said that although "Hold It Against Me" was produced by Luke and Martin, the finished product was not similar to songs by regular collaborators Kesha and Katy Perry, but actually "sounds like a bang-up-to-date Britney tune for 2011." Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly said "'Against Me' is classic Britney — that is to say the vocal performance is far from stellar, but it serves as a nice accessory to [Luke and Martin]'s thumping Euro techno groove." He also added that Spears did not evolve with the lyrics she sings, and that there was not much growth when compared to singles such as "...Baby One More Time" (1998) or "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001).

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune commented, "It's one of the tougher-sounding Spears singles yet and should do the job as a dancefloor-filler for listeners who are starting to wear out on the latest singles from Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas". However, he also dismissed the lyrical content and said that Spears sounds "bored [...] as is the case with most of her recent work." Michael Cragg of British newspaper The Guardian called it "decent enough." Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone referred to the song as "prime Britney" and stated that it "promises great things for her album." Jim Cantiello of MTV felt the use of pick-up lines was silly, but praised the beat and the vocals, while calling the breakdown "awesome". Jim Farber of the Daily News called it "a dance-ready club song" and added, "With all that behind her, the 'Oops' girl may yet do it again", referencing her hit "Oops!... I Did It Again" (2000).

Edna Gundersen of USA Today criticized the use of pick-up lines, but said the single "delivers enough dizzying dance-pop ecstasy to ensure another chart-topping ride." Bill Lamb of About.com called it "one of the most mature dance pop songs" of Spears' career, praising the chorus structure and the electropop bridge. Lamb stated, "The pop music of 2011 has an early shot in the arm here. ['Hold It Against Me'] will quickly take its place among Britney Spears' best singles." Music website Popjustice positively compared the song to the leaked demo, saying that although the lyrics and melody were not different, Spears' finished version "is approximately 1000 times better than the demo. It's a harder, more urgent, extremely epic statement track that sounds like the work of a superstar." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday stated that "Hold It Against Me" was "a bit safer [...] like her current low-key, non-tabloid persona." Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail's J.D. Considine called the reworking of the Bellamy Brothers' song "lame", but concluded that the track was "perfect ear candy", calling it "lust made audible".

## Chart performance

After its first day of release in the United States, "Hold It Against Me" set the record for most radio plays during a first day, registering 619 plays on Mediabase and 595 plays on Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). The song broke Mediabase's record for the largest spin-increase in a single week, registering 3,866 more spins. Billboard reported that it was likely to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, due to high airplay and sales, which were expected to exceed 400,000 copies. On the issue dated January 29, 2011, "Hold It Against Me" debuted at number one on the Hot 100, making Spears the second artist in history to debut multiple songs at the top of the chart, behind only Mariah Carey. The single is also the eighteenth song to debut at number one, and Spears' fourth chart-topper. "Hold It Against Me" made Spears the third female artist, behind Madonna and Janet Jackson, to top the Hot 100 in three decades, as well as the seventh artist overall. In 2012, it was voted as the best song to reach the top position on the Hot 100 over the past two years, in Billboard's "Hot 100 March Madness" poll for readers.

"Hold It Against Me" also debuted atop the Hot Digital Songs chart, with 411,000 copies sold. The sum marked the most downloads in a first week by a female artist, beating the previous record held by Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale" (2010). The current record is held by Adele, with her 2015 single "Hello" selling 1,112,000 downloads in its first week. It is also Spears' biggest sales week total, as well as the fifth biggest first-week sales tally in digital history. In seven weeks, "Hold It Against Me" topped one million downloads, becoming her eighth song with at least a million copies sold. "Hold It Against Me" debuted at number sixteen on Billboard's Pop Songs chart with 4,071 plays, the highest detections total by a new entry in the chart's history. It was also tied with Madonna's "Frozen" (1998) for the second highest debut, behind Carey's "Dreamlover" (1993). The following week, it climbed to number ten, becoming the seventh song in history to reach the top ten in only two weeks, as well as the first to do so in six years. On Radio Songs, "Hold It Against Me" debuted at number twenty-three with 45 million first-week audience impressions, which according to Nielsen BDS, is the highest debut on the chart since Carey's "Touch My Body" (2008). As of March 2015, "Hold It Against Me" has sold 1.6 million digital downloads in the United States.

The song debuted on the ARIA Charts of Australia at number ten, and peaked at number four the following week. It became her eleventh top five entry and her ninth highest-peaking single. The song stayed on the charts for twelve weeks. It has since been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 70,000 units. On January 17, 2011, "Hold It Against Me" debuted atop the New Zealand RIANZ charts, becoming her fourth number one single. However, it only stayed on the charts for eight weeks. On January 13, 2011, the song debuted at number six on the Irish Singles Chart, and moved up to number five the following week. The single also debuted atop the Canadian Hot 100, becoming Spears' fourth Canadian number one single as well as the sixth song in the chart's history to debut at number one. With digital sales of 37,000 copies, "Hold It Against Me" also debuted at number one on Canada's Digital Songs chart, the highest debut sales total, and the second highest one week sales behind The Black Eyed Peas's "The Time (Dirty Bit)" (2010). It debuted at number eleven on the country's Hot 100 Airplay chart, the highest debut since Michael Bublé's "Haven't Met You Yet" (2009) as well as entering the Top 40/CHR airplay chart at number twelve, the second highest debut in the last five years, only behind Madonna's "4 Minutes" (2008). After its release in the United Kingdom, "Hold It Against Me" debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Spears' 21st top ten entry. However, it was her lowest-peaking lead single from a studio release. Across Europe, the song has peaked at the top of the charts in Belgium (Wallonia), Denmark and Finland; number two in Belgium (Flanders), Italy and Norway; number six in Spain; number seven in Switzerland; and the top twenty in Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

## Music video

### Development

The music video for "Hold It Against Me" was filmed on January 22 and 23, 2011. It was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, while Brian Friedman served as the choreographer. According to Spears' manager Larry Rudolph, she became a fan of Åkerlund's work after seeing the video for Madonna's "Ray of Light" (1998), but they had not worked together in the past, owing to "his availability or her timing". Spears and Åkerlund quickly got together to create the concept, presenting different ideas until, according to Rudolph, "[the concept] took a life on its own". Open auditions were held on December 22, 2010, and the dancers had to learn a routine set to Robyn's "Criminal Intent" (2010).

On January 22, 2011, Spears tweeted from the video shoot, saying it was "an incredible experience" and would "be one of the best videos I have ever done." On February 2, 2011, accusations came from TMZ that Åkerlund had decided to use a dance double for Spears when it seemed like she had not rehearsed her moves enough. Both her representatives and the director denied the rumors, and Åkerlund commenting, "[Britney's] been great throughout the entire process. [...] I've been around long enough to know when an artist gives it their all, and to me it doesn't get better than this. This video is gonna be fucking awesome! It's all Britney." Her manager Larry Rudolph later confirmed that a body double was actually used, but only for the scenes in which Spears fights herself. The fight scene was choreographed by Steven Ho. He commented that Spears incorporated the moves learned during rehearsals, but also incorporated "her own flavor", by adding a small shuffle of steps in her heels. The length of the dresses also presented a problem, and there were discussions about shortening the trains for safety issues. They were later added as 'weapons', as Ho explained, "as if they were sharp blades, giving Britney reason to jump and evade around them."

Friedman revealed that Jonas' wife, B. Åkerlund, was the stylist for the video. B. is known for her work with Madonna and Lady Gaga, but Friedman assured that "it is not 'Britney does Gaga.'" B. later commented about the fashion of the video, saying, "We were going for a punk-rock couture look in this video, with a touch of glam." For the wedding dress scene, B. worked with Tom Tom fashions to create a custom-made dress. Swarovski crystals were used for the "arm creations"; a necklace by Dannijo and gloves by La Cracia were added as accessories. For the fight scene, both Spears and her double wear custom dresses by B., in collaboration with Falguni and Shane Peacock, and also sport stilettos by XTC. During her dance sequence, Spears wears an outfit created by B. and Skin Graft Designs, with jewelry by Tom Binns. The boots were Spears' own, and completely bedazzled with Swarovski crystals. For the microphone sequence, Spears rocks a red look described as "skull shoulders", designed by Yasmen Hussein for Swarovski Runway Rocks. She completes the look with earrings and a necklace by Tom Binns and rings by Loree Rodkin. For the finale scene, Spears wears a custom skintight black dress by Bordelle, complete with garters. She accessorizes the look with a necklace by Noir and boots decorated with Swarovski crystals. After its release, the music video earned Spears \$500,000 for the product placement by Sony, Make Up For Ever and PlentyofFish.

### Synopsis

The main idea behind the video is the rise, fall, and revival of Spears herself. The video begins when a meteoroid heads for Earth, and lights up a city when it finally lands, symbolizing Spears' entrance to fame and her skyrocketing career in the late 1990s as she became a household name. After this, black-and-white interspersed scenes of Spears getting ready in a soundstage are shown, while the words "Britney Spears" and "Hold It Against Me" appear in Def Leppard-inspired multicolored letters. Spears is then seen wearing shorts and showing her bare midriff in the soundstage, while her dancers in white are getting dressed around her. They are surrounded by cameras and lights, symbolizing her constantly being under the microscope and hounded by the media. As the first chorus begins, Spears appears wearing a white wedding dress inside a cylinder-shaped metal room with wires. The futuristic set and flowing dress are reminiscent of Madonna's music video for "Bedtime Story" (1995). She is seen rising up the cylinder-shaped metal room and her past music videos surround her, symbolizing her ever-growing career in the music industry (and possibly referring to the carousel of Logan's Run). When the second verse begins, Spears sings, wearing sparkly red skull-shaped shoulder pads, with microphones around her.

A pastiche of following scenes alternates between Spears dancing on the soundstage, singing with the microphones and a scene of just red lips, a reference to the opening shot of the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This begins to show her losing grip, reminiscent of her break down. When the breakdown starts, she begins to eject painting through IVs in her fingers, staining the room and the monitors, symbolizing her own fall as her name becomes tainted. Then, two versions of Spears, both wearing blue and red dresses with flowing trains, are seen fighting each other, another symbolism, this time of her fighting her inner demons. After this, both versions of Spears, as well as her on the wedding dress, fall exhausted to the ground, symbolizing the lowest point of her life during the breakdown. While interspersed scenes of Spears in the soundstage are shown, the other versions of herself start to wake up, showing her getting her feet back on the ground and making a comeback, refusing to give up. The final scene shows Spears dressed in a short black dress with her dancers in black on a stage, with confetti and pyrotechnics around them. In the final shot a question mark (?) appears in multicolored letters. This final scene shows her as she once was, a superstar who is back to reclaim her title. The video ends with the same multicolored lettering of a question mark, symbolizing the unknown that is to come.

### Release and reception

Spears announced through her Twitter account on February 4, 2011, that one teaser would be posted daily during fourteen days. The first teaser posted featured Spears in a flowing white gown, surrounded by TV screens as a light and camera are pointed at her face. Other teasers featured Spears wearing the red outfit, her in the midst of a dance sequence with male dancers, and TV screens showcasing her past music videos. James Montgomery of MTV called the teasers "brilliant" and commented that they "earn[ed] her a spot in promotional history", comparing Spears' and her team use of social media to past campaigns by Kanye West, Radiohead and iamamiwhoami. On February 6, 2011, she tweeted, "Just saw a new cut of \#HIAM. SOOOO excited to share it!" The music video premiered on MTV on February 17, 2011, at 21:55 EST (2:55 UTC). It was followed by a live discussion with special guests on MTV.com at 23:00 EST (04:00 UTC).

James Montgomery from MTV said that while the video surpassed her most iconic clips in terms of sheer spectacle, it still displayed a level on restraint in its themes. He summarized the review by saying it was one of her all-time best videos, adding that "there's genuine art to it, which makes it both beautiful to look at and powerful." Montgomery also found that the video was inspired by the Graeae, iamamiwhoami, Kanye West's short film Runaway, the music videos for Robyn's "Indestructible", Madonna's "Bedtime Story" and "Die Another Day", The Matrix franchise, Mortal Kombat, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Cam de Leon painting Ocular Orifice, which served as one of several covers of the Tool album Ænima. Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone called it "a total visual assault", and added that it "is a mix of everything we've come to expect from Britney", such as sexy costumes and elaborate choreography. Aaron Parsley of People believed that the fight sequence was the highlight of the video, but dismissed the product placement. Bill Lamb of About.com said the video was visually stellar, although he added that it was "difficult to know" if it would "match the impact of" clips such as "Baby One More Time" and "Toxic". Willa Paskin of New York deemed it as "a high-energy, professional, dance video", but stated that "[the visuals] make up for the basic fact that she isn't in the dancing shape, or really, performing shape she once was."

Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly commanded the direction of Åkerlund, but criticized Spears for her lack of involvement, and commented, "It's hard not to wonder: Is Britney having any fun?" Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic stated the video lived up to hype of the teasers, and added that it was unquestionably one of her "artier" videos to date. Drew Grant of Salon.com said that despite the product placement, the video "[i]s visually stunning, with a Matrix meets The Cell vibe that will have Lady Gaga wishing she had thought of IV paint drips first." Alex Catarinella of The Huffington Post deemed it as her greatest and most mature work, and said the video was ultimately simple in its concept, and added, "The once picture-perfect pop star has returned and is offering fans the new, worn-and-torn and yes, stronger than yesterday Britney." The use of product placement received criticism from the media. Megan Gibson of Time said that the video was "borderline insulting" and commented, "we get that it's hard economic times all around, but couldn't they have been a tad more subtle with [it]?". Liz Kelly of The Washington Post called the clip "an infomercial" and said, "I would write more, but suddenly feel the need to put on some Make Up Forever and dash out to buy a Sony flat screen TV." "Hold It Against Me" video got a certified in the digital platform Vevo on YouTube.

## Live performances

Spears first performed "Hold It Against Me" at Rain Nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort on March 25, 2011. Following a montage of her music videos, Spears appeared onstage wearing a sequined bodysuit and was flanked by male dancers. According to Jocelyn Vena of MTV, the performance "included sexy hair-tossing and a wind machine." She also performed "Big Fat Bass" and "Till the World Ends". Spears also taped performances of the songs at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on March 27, 2011, that aired on Good Morning America on March 29, 2011. The same day, Spears performed "Hold It Against Me", "Big Fat Bass" and "Till the World Ends" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The song was also performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a neon sign reading "Femme Fatale" was lifted from the stage, the show began with a video introduction in which Spears was arrested by the police after a chasing sequence. As she said "I'm not that innocent", a lyric from "Oops!... I Did It Again", the video screens parted and she appeared standing in front of a metallic structure in a silver costume to perform "Hold It Against Me". She was accompanied by her back-up dancers in white and silver costumes. Andrew Matson of The Seattle Times said that the performance "set the pace: hot and heavy."

## Cover versions

"Hold It Against Me" was covered by American recording artist Miguel for Billboard. English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz also covered the song, incorporating R&B elements on his version. Marines from the Rein 266 and HMLA 169 helicopter squadrons uploaded a video to YouTube of them lip synching to the song in their base in Afghanistan. Spears posted the video on her Twitter account and added, "I am in LOVE with this... I always knew our soldiers were fierce! Thanks for everything you guys do." American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. They performed "Hold It Against Me" along with a medley of hits that included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (2004). In the 2012 Glee episode "Britney 2.0", Heather Morris' character Brittany Pierce performed a cover of the track. The song is also sampled on the Krewella song "Feel Me", as well as the Sabrepulse song "Paradise".

## Track listings

- Digital download

1. "Hold It Against Me" – 3:49

- Digital download (EP)

1. "Hold It Against Me" – 3:49
2. "Hold It Against Me" (Jumpsmokers Club Remix) – 6:02
3. "Hold It Against Me" (Funk Generation Radio Remix) – 3:48
4. "Hold It Against Me" (Video) – 4:28

- CD single

1. "Hold It Against Me" (Main Version) – 3:49
2. "Hold It Against Me" (Instrumental) – 3:49

- Digital download (The Remixes)

1. "Hold It Against Me" (Adrian Lux & Nause Radio Edit) – 3:05
2. "Hold It Against Me" (Jumpsmokers Club Mix) – 6:02
3. "Hold It Against Me" (Ocelot Club Mix) – 6:14
4. "Hold It Against Me" (Smoke 'N Mirrors Club Mix) – 7:41
5. "Hold It Against Me" (Funk Generation Radio Edit) – 3:48
6. "Hold It Against Me" (Tracy Young Ferosh Anthem Mix; Full Club) – 8:38
7. "Hold It Against Me" (Abe Clements Radio Edit) – 4:02

## Credits and personnel

- Britney Spears – lead vocals
- Dr. Luke – producer, songwriter, instruments and programming
- Max Martin – producer, songwriter, instruments and programming
- Bonnie McKee – songwriter, background vocals and guest vocals
- Billboard – co-producer, songwriter, instruments and programming
- Myah Marie – background vocals

- Emily Wright – engineering
- Sam Holland – engineering
- Tim Roberts – engineering
- Vezna Gottwald – engineering
- John Hanes – engineering
- Serban Ghenea – audio mixing

Credits adapted from "Hold It Against Me"'s CD single liner notes.

## Charts

### Weekly charts

### Year-end charts

## Certifications and sales

## Release history

## See also

- List of Billboard Dance Club Songs number ones of 2011
- List of most expensive music videos

2011 single by Britney Spears

Song recordings produced by Billboard (record producer)

Songs involved in plagiarism controversies

Songs written by Billboard (record producer)

Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles