ZAGREB, 26 April (Hina) - The free web and mobile app LearnCro for learning Croatian at B1 level has attracted significant interest, recording nearly 3,400 users in just under three weeks in March, the Central State Office for Croats Abroad has said.

The app, a project of the Office and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, was launched on 12 March and recorded 3,343 users that month – 2,811 using the English interface and 532 the Spanish one.

Designed primarily to meet the needs of Croatian emigrants, who are increasingly returning to Croatia, the app could also be useful for foreign workers who need to learn Croatian, said Zvonko Milas, State Secretary at the Office, at its launch.

He added that the app is not a substitute for in-person learning but a useful complement that allows more flexible, self-paced study.

LearnCro is part of a broader effort by the Office to enable Croatian language learning “anytime, anywhere” through digital tools. It follows two earlier online courses at A1 and A2 levels, which have also seen strong demand.

The A1 course has been completed by nearly 37,000 learners from 130 countries across six continents between 2018 and 2025, with the highest participation from the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and Australia, countries where around two-thirds of Croat emigrants and their descendants live.

The more advanced A2 course has attracted just under 3,000 participants from 96 countries across five continents between 2019 and 2025.

Both online courses were developed in cooperation with Croaticum – Centre for Croatian as a Second and Foreign Language at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, they are free of charge, can be accessed using a Facebook or Google account and include weekly consultations with a language tutor.