Pri usporedbi demografskih procesa i promjena u zapadnoeuropskim zemljama i u Hrvatskoj često se u nas površno tvrdi da se radi o „identičnim procesima.“ Međutim, demografsko-statistička analitička usporedba pojedinih agregatnih i parcijalnih demografskih procesa u navedenim zemljama i u Hrvatskoj pokazuje da o identičnim procesima možemo govoriti samo kada je u pitanju dugoročni smjer promjene tih procesa, kao što je primjerice proces prirodne promjene stanovništva koji obilježava smanjivanje stopa nataliteta/ fertiliteta i proces starenja stanovništva koji obilježava porast staračkog stanovništva u ukupnom stanovništvu. Kod usporedbe mnogih drugih agregatnih i parcijalnih demografskih procesa u zapadnoeuropskim zemljama i u Hrvatskoj, napose kada je u pitanju srednjoročna i kratkoročna promjena, analiza pokazuje da se ne radi o identičnim procesima ni prema smjeru promjene, ni prema veličini, ni prema intenzitetu, ni prema strukturi promjene određenog demografskog procesa. U ovom ćemo radu nastojati te konstatacije potkrijepiti relevantnim podacima i pokazateljima za Hrvatsku i izabrane zapadnoeuropske zemlje.In this paper, main demographic processes and demographic balance in Croatia and in 18 Western European countries, mostly EU members, have been compared. The conclusion was that demographic processes in Croatia differed from the ones in the said Western European countries during previous two and a half decades. Among the analysed countries, Croatia was the only one with a permanent yearly decrease in the total population number during previous two and a half decades, while the analysed Western European countries have synchronously recorded a constant increase in the total population number. The analysis of the structure of the demographic balance of Croatia and the said countries shows – according to its basic components – a significantly different structure. In Croatia, above all, both summary components of the demographic balance are negative, so that the decrease in the total population number has been synchronously conditioned by natural population decrease and negative migration balance. However, this structure is different in the analysed Western European countries. It is evident that the increase in the total population number in these countries has been synchronously conditioned by positive migration balance and positive natural change, i.e. natural population increase. These aggregate and structural characteristics of the final result of demographic balance and its structures in Croatia and in the said countries have had an entirely different influence on future demographic movements and changes of the structures in Croatia and in the said countries: in Croatia, projections indicate that unfavourable demographic changes will become intensified in the future; while in Western European countries, they foresee a further increase in the total population number, in particular population capable for work, which is related to future positive structural demographic changes
