Demographic transformation of the island of Brač

The article presents the results of research into more recent demographic movement changes on Brač, an insland on which depopulation started at the beginning of the 20th century because of a crisis in wine growing, at that time the most important branch of the economy. Other economic activities could not absorb the resulting labour surplus and the depopulation of the island has been going on until the present. Longlasting emigration left great changes in the biological and economic structure, population reproduction and way of life. It is reflected in the distorted age and sex structure, and directly results in aging and a decreasing birth rate. Island sttlements have a very aged population. The censuses of 1961 and 1971, showed the marked depopulation of the island of Brač. The same trend was observed betveen 1971 and 1981, whens as many a,s 15 settlements were on the road to extinction. Between the two last censuses the rate of emigration was milder than in the preceding period, which is the result of the revitalization of the island of Brač, primarily because of tourist development. Tourism was a turning-point tha brought about the revitalization of island settlements, coastal ones in the first place, but also those inland settlements that became part of modern processes. Unlike the eighty-year-long process of emigration, after the last population census in 1981 a tendency was noticed of population migration from the mainland to the island. The number of inhabitants registered in 1989 (about 13,000) indicates a slight population increase which will probably be confirmed in the 1991 census. Since the further economic and demographic development of the island are intertwined and closely influence each other, Brač is now on another important socio-demographic turning point. If demographic revitalization is realised, this w\u27ill bring about new demographic and economic prosperity on the island by the end of the twentieth century