Minefields in Croatia

Minefields in Croatia were fully cleared in 2026. Land mines were used extensively during the Croatian War of Independence by Serbs in the conflict, with about 1.5 million deployed. They were intended to strengthen defensive positions lacking sufficient weapons or manpower, but played a limited role in the fighting.

After the war, 13,000 square kilometres (5,000 square miles) of territory was initially suspected to contain mines. After physical inspection, this estimate was reduced to 1,174 square kilometres (453 square miles). As of 2013 demining programs were coordinated through governmental bodies such as the Croatian Mine Action Centre, which hired private demining companies employing 632 deminers. The areas were marked with 11,454 warning signs.

As of 4 April 2013, 509 people had been killed and 1,466 injured by land mines in Croatia since the war; with these figures including 60 deminers and seven Croatian Army engineers killed during demining operations. In the immediate aftermath of the war, there were about 100 civilian mine casualties per year, but this decreased to below ten per year by 2010 through demining, mine-awareness, and education programs.

During demining, economic loss to Croatia (due to loss of land use within suspected minefields) was estimated at €47.3 million per year. The final cost of demining is estimated at €1.2 billion.</ref>

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