ZAGREB (AFP) — When DD left his home in India for Croatia last year, he expected his food delivery work to be hard, with long hours and low pay. He did not expect to be spat at in the street.

Twice last year the 27-year-old from Chandigarh was abused by groups of young people while working. Some spat at him, others shouted at him to “go back to your own country” as they tried to steal his delivery bag.

For the young foreign worker, one of the tens of thousands drawn to the European Union (EU) nation every year, it was a rough welcome — but one he said is increasingly common among his colleagues.

As Croatia struggles with growing staff shortages, particularly in its key tourism sector, experts warn its badly needed foreign workers are left vulnerable to violence and exploitation.

“I just came to work and live peacefully,” DD, who asked to be referred to only by his initials, told Agence France-Presse.

“We are not stealing jobs.”

Croatia has one of the five fastest-declining populations in the EU, losing nearly 400,000 people over the past decade, according to the World Bank.

The shortages have driven a steady rise in the number of workers arriving from Asia — particularly since Croatia joined Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone in 2023.

Last year, four out of 10 work and residency permits were issued to Nepalis, Filipinos, Indians and Bangladeshis, mostly in the tourism, catering and construction industries.

It is a dramatic change for a largely conservative society with extremely limited experience of immigration from outside Europe.

According to the last census, more than 90 percent of Croatia’s 3.8 million people are ethnic Croats, while about 80 percent are Roman Catholic.

Broken jaws, cracked ribs

In WhatsApp groups used by DD’s fellow delivery riders, many share stories of almost weekly attacks, with the worst reporting broken jaws and cracked ribs.

While national crime data does not break down rates by victims’ nationality, the number of crimes against Nepali nationals rose sharply in 2024, outpacing the roughly 50-percent growth of its diaspora in Croatia.

Comparable increases were recorded among Indian, Filipino and Bangladeshi nationals.

But food delivery company Wolt said many attacks on its delivery riders, which are committed mainly by opportunistic young people, went unreported.

Most foreign workers arrive through private agencies or employers that usually offer little support, according to unions.

Some employers also offer overcrowded and unsafe housing at hefty rates.