PRODUCTION OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS, 2025

In 2025, as compared to 2024, the quantity of collected cows’ milk increased by 1.0%. The quantity of ewes’ milk decreased by 3.0% and of goats’ milk by 5.6%.

Expressed in quantities, it means that in 2025, there were approximately 3 865 t more cows’ milk, 49 t less ewes’ milk and 167 t less goats’ milk collected.

The quantity of whole milk imported by dairies in 2025, as compared to 2024, increased by 1.8%, i.e., by about 3 115 t, while the quantity of imported cream decreased by 38.9%, i.e., by about 3 131 t.

Compared to the previous year, the production of drinking milk increased by about 24 273 t (11.0%), while the production of cream decreased by 410 t (1.2%), of fermented products by 367 t (0.4%) and of drinks with a milk base by 404 t (1.6%).

There was a decrease of 177 t (4.6%) in the production of butter, while the total cows’ cheese production increased by 225 t (0.7%) in 2025 compared to 2024. The production of cheese from ewes’ milk decreased by 20.8%, while the production of cheese from goats’ milk decreased by 21.3%.

Regarding the production of other types of cheese, the production of medium-hard cheese decreased by 3.1% (319 t), of medium-soft cheese by 14.9% (26 t), and of extra hard cheese by 11.0% (50 t). There was an increase in the production of soft cheese, of 3.5%, of hard cheese, of 11.0%, and of fresh cheese, of 2.4%.

As compared to the previous year, the milk fat content in collected cows’ milk increased by 2.7%, whereas it decreased in ewes’ milk by 2.7% and in goats’ milk by 3.1%.

Regarding individual dairy products, the milk fat content in drinking milk increased by 13.6%, while it decreased in fermented products by 3.0% and in cheese from pure cows’ milk by 1.4%. Compared to the previous year, the milk fat content in cream decreased by 2.1% and in butter by 6.5%.

The cows’ milk protein content increased in drinking milk, by 0.6%, and in cows’ cheese, by 0.3%, while it decreased in cream by 2.9%.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Data on the annual production of milk and dairy products are taken over from the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food – the Central Laboratory for Milk Quality Control (SLKM). The data collected that way refer to the quantity of cows’, ewes’ and goats’ milk collected, milk fat and protein contents, the production of dairy products and the dairies’ foreign trade in milk and dairy products.

The SLKM processes the collected data and submits them, according to the previously defined deadlines and in suitable form, to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics for further processing.

The methodology for carrying out the survey on milk and dairy products is based on the Methodological Basis for Gathering Data on Milk and Dairy Products Statistics (NN, No. 42/13).

Coverage and comparability

There are about forty dairies operating in the Republic of Croatia for which the SLKM analyses purchased milk and from which it collects data on the production. The coverage includes industrial and registered small dairies.

Confidentiality

Aggregate data from which individual reporting units could be identified (due to their small number) or to which the dominance rule or secondary confidentiality rule apply, according to the Official Statistics Act (NN, Nos 25/20, 155/23 and 124/25 – corr.) and the Instruction on the Protection Rules and Methods for the Dissemination of Official Statistics of the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (NN, No. 78/21), are treated as confidential and are, therefore, not published.

Definitions

Drinking milk comprises raw milk, whole milk, semi-skimmed milk and skimmed milk containing no additives.

Raw milk comprises milk that has not been heated beyond 40 °C or undergone any treatment that has an equivalent effect.

Whole milk (pasteurised, sterilised and uperised) comprises milk with fat content ≥ 3.5%, subjected to heat treatment.

Semi-skimmed milk (pasteurised, sterilised and uperised) comprises milk with fat content 1.5% – 2.8%, subjected to heat treatment only once.

Skimmed milk (pasteurised, sterilised and uperised) comprises milk with fat content < 1.5%, subjected to heat treatment.

Pasteurised milk – milk treated with high temperature (at least 72 °C for 15 seconds).

Sterilised milk – milk treated with high temperature (120 °C for 30 minutes) in hermetically sealed containers.

Uperised milk – milk treated with high temperature (135 °C for not less than 1 second).

Buttermilk is a residual product of the processing of milk or cream into butter.

Cream comprises cream for direct consumption, containing more or less than 29% of milk fat.

Fermented products include yoghurts, drinkable yoghurts, acidophilus milk and other fermented products, either with or without additives.

Drinks with a milk base comprise products containing at least 50% of milk equivalent (chocolate milk, buttermilk with additives, etc.).

Other fresh products comprise fresh milk products not elsewhere specified (mainly milk-based desserts).

Concentrated milk comprises milk obtained by partial elimination of water from whole milk, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk.

Powdered dairy products comprise products obtained by eliminating water from cream, all kinds of milk, buttermilk and fermented products.

Butter includes traditional butter, melted butter, butter oil and similar products containing more than 80% of milk fat.

Other yellow fat products comprise products based on butter with milk fat content of less than 80%.

Cheese includes fresh or matured, solid or semi-solid products, obtained by coagulating milk, cream, buttermilk or other products.

Processed cheese comprises products obtained by grinding, mixing, melting and emulsifying one or more varieties of cheese, with or without additives.

Whey includes liquid whey and whey in either powder or block form. It is a by-product obtained during the manufacture of cheese or casein.

Abbreviations

Symbols

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
Phone: (+385 1) 48 06 111
Press corner: press@dzs.hr

Persons responsible:
Edita Omerzo, Director of Spatial Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Ana Pavetić

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