Dr. Franjo Tudjman was president of Croatia from May 1990 until his death in 1999. Nikica Valentic ´ has been prime minister since April 1993. Two Nobel prize winners have come from Croatia: Lavoslav Ruzicka and Vladimir Prelog (d.1998).

Josip Broz-Tito (1892–1980) was the leader of Communist Yugoslavia for many years after World War II. In 1948, he led his country away from the Communist Bloc formed by the Soviet Union. Tito served in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War and led the Yugoslav resistance movement during World War II.

There are several internationally known figures in literature and the arts: Ivan Gundulic (1589–1638) wrote about the Italian influences in Croatia in Dubravka . Count Ivo Vojnovic ´ (1857–1929) is best known for A Trilogy of Dubrovnik . Miroslav Krleya (1857–1981) captured the concerns of pre-revolutionary Yugoslavia in his trilogy of the Glembay family (1928–32) and in novels like Return of Philip Latinovicz (1932) and Banners (1963).

Double-agent Duško Popov (1912–1981), who worked during World War II, was the model for Ian Fleming's James Bond. The wartime figure, Andrija Artukovic2 (1899–1988), known as "Butcher of the Balkans" for his activities in support of Germany, is from Croatia. Religious leader Franjo Seper (1884–1981) was born in Croatia, as was inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943). Musician Artur Radzinski (1894–1958) became conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1943, and of the Chicago Symphony in 1947. Zinka Kumc Milanov (1906–1989) was a dramatic opera soprano with the New York Metropolitan Opera in the 1950s and 1960s. Mathilde Mallinger (1847–1920) was a famous Croatian soprano, who performed with Berlin Opera from 1869–1882.

In 2000, there were 1,721,139 main line telephones and about 1,300,000 mobile cellular phones. Government controlled Croatian Radio-Television (Hrvatska Radiotelevizija) has charge of all broadcasting. In 1999, Croatian Radio ran 16 AM and 98 FM stations with 5 shortwave options. In 1995, there were 36 television stations. In a 2001 report, it was estimated that over 80% of the population relies on the government-sponsored television news program, Dnevnik , for national news. Independent local stations can only cover about 65% of the country's territory. In 1997, there were 1.5 million radios and 1.2 million television sets. In 1996, there were over 94,000 personal computers in use. In 2000, there were nine Internet service providers serving about 200,000 users.

In 1995, there were nine daily newspapers with a combined circulation of over 400 million, and 563 non-dailies (including over 60 weeklies); there were about 400 periodicals. As of 2002, the major dailies included Vecernji List (circulation 200,000), published in Zagreb, and Novi List (60,000), published in Rijeka, as well as the sports daily Sportske Novosti (55,000), published in Zagreb. In 1994, there were some 2,600 book titles published.

In October 1996, a comprehensive Law on Public Information was passed in Parliament with general support from all parties to regulate the media. In general, government influence on media through state ownership of most print and electronic media outlets restricts constitutionally-provided freedoms of speech and press.

In 1852, the Chamber of Commerce and Crafts was first organized in Zagreb. In 1990, the Croatian Chamber of the Economy (CCE) was constituted as the authentic representative of the Croatian economy. The CCE consists of 20 county chambers and promotes trade and commerce in world markets along with the Association of Independent Businesses and the Zagreb Trade Fair. Since 1994, 30 professional organizations have been founded in the CCE. A number of organizations promoting research and education in various medical and scientific fields have also formed. The Rudjer Boskovic Institute is a national organization that conducts research and educational programs for the natural sciences. The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts has been active since 1861.

There are many sports associations throughout the country, including the general Croatian Athletic Federation and a chapter of the Special Olympics. Youth organizations include the umbrella organization of the Croatian National Youth Council (NSMH), the Croatian Club for the United Nations (CCUN), and the Junior Chamber of Croatia (JCC), as well as scouting programs. Among many national women's organizations are the Croatian Association of University Women and Be Active, the Women's Infoteka, and Be Emancipated (BABE).

Education at the elementary level is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 15 years. Secondary education lasts from two to five years and is of three kinds: grammar; technical and specialized; and mixed-curriculum. In 1997, there were 203,933 students enrolled in 1,094 primary schools, with 10,762 teachers. Student-to-teacher ratio stood at 19 to 1. Secondary schools enrolled 416,829 students and employed 31,070 teachers the same year. As of 1999, 72% of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school, while 79% of those eligible attended secondary school. In 1995, public expenditure on education was estimated at 5.1% of GDP.

For the year 2000, the rate of adult illiteracy was estimated at1.7% (males, 0.6%; females, 2.7%). In higher education, there are four universities and three polytechnic institutes: University of Osijek (founded in 1975); University of Rijeka (founded in 1973); University of Split (founded in 1974); and University of Zagreb (founded in 1669). In 1997, Croatia's universities, technical schools, and arts academies had 6,038 teachers and enrolled a combined total of 85,752 students.

The National and University Library of Croatia in Zagreb (founded in 1606) had 2.5 million volumes in 2002. The Zagreb public library holds close to 300,000 volumes. In 1995, the country reported having 232 public libraries with a combined collection of 4.6 million volumes.

Major museums in Zagreb include the Historical Museum of Croatia, Strossmeyer's Gallery of Old Masters, and the Gallery of Modern Art. Other major cultural centers include Split, which houses the Museum of Croatian Medieval Archeology, and Dubrovnik, with the Natural Sciences Museum among others. In all, the country boasts over 100 museums.

Between 1991 and 1992, there were 25,000 war-related deaths. Croatia is in the process of privatizing primary health care in accordance with regulations issued in 1996.

There were 48,535 new births in 1999. The fertility rate was1.5 births per woman in the same year. Life expectancy in 2000 was 73 and infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 8. The overall mortality rate in 1999 was 11 per 1,000 people.

Croatia had 84 hospitals in 1997, including both general and tertiary care facilities. The country is known for its spas, where patients receive preventive and rehabilitative care that makes use of spring water and other natural resources, as well as such treatments as massage. As of 1999, there were an estimated 2.3 physicians and 5.9 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In 2000, 95% of the population had access to safe drinking water and 100% had adequate sanitation.

In 1997, immunization rates for children under the age of one were as follows: tuberculosis, 98%; diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 92%; measles, 93%; and polio, 92%. In 1999, the incidence of tuberculosis was 61 per 100,000 people.

As of 1999, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated at 350 and deaths from AIDS that year were estimated at fewer than 100. HIV prevalence was 0.02 per 100 adults. In the same year, 61 new cases of tuberculosis were reported per 100,000 people.

After years of war, the country is just beginning the process of rebuilding not only homes for the thousands who were displaced by the conflict, but industries, businesses, and civic buildings as well. As of the mid-1990s, nearly 800,000 displaced persons and refugees from Bosnia and occupied Croat territories were in Croatia, of which approximately 640,000 have found temporary housing with families in Croatia. By 1997, thousands of refugees (mostly from Eastern Slavonia) still remained housed in coastal hotels.

According to the 2001 census, there were about 1,660,649 dwellings for permanent residence throughout the country. Most dwellings had between two to four rooms. About 70,817 dwellings had been built since 1996. There were about 1,455,116 households representing 4,272,590 people. Most households had between two to four members.

As of 2001, the government has implemented a Welfare Supported Housing Construction Program to assist low-income families unable to purchase apartments.