[3] From as far back as the 1830s the first wave of mass emigrations to the countries of the New World occurred, which mainly saw the Croatian population fit into the context of European migration flows of the time.

The most striking example of this was the so-called "Wine Clause," stipulated in an 1891 trade agreement between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy, which was particularly unfavorable to Dalmatian viticulture.

The Dalmatian wine industry was heavily affected by this resolution by the Viennese authorities, which reduced its market in Croatia itself.

[citation needed] Political conditions as the main motive of emigration was the result of World War I and became much more significant immediately after World War II and the collapse of the Independent State of Croatia, when hundreds of thousands emigrated for fear of retaliation by the Yugoslav authorities.

The most recent research conducted can’t conclusively reveal how many Croatians have left their country and how many currently live abroad.