Significant rural depopulation in Croatia began in the second half of the twentieth century, and intensified even more in the early 1990s as, among other things, a direct consequence of war aggression. Many people, especially the younger population, have migrated to cities in search of better employment opportunities, better social infrastructure, and higher wages and living standards than in the countryside. Over time, the exodus to urban centers along with negative natural growth has led to an unstoppable dynamic of population decline in many rural areas in Croatia, where mostly the elderly population remains to live. The share of the elderly population in rural areas is growing due to longer life expectancy and low birth rates, but also the emigration of young people. Migration from rural areas is most often caused by economic factors, such as unemployment, where poor development of rural areas leads to a lack of jobs in them. Furthermore, the increasing employment of women leads to a greater need for social infrastructure such as nurseries and kindergartens, which is much easier to find in the city than in the countryside. One of the factors is the decline in the interest of young people to work in agriculture and the declining need for workers in the same as machinery and machinery have reduced the need for a large workforce in agriculture. Additionally, acculturation as well as generational conflict lead to a changed picture of the mentality and attractiveness of life in rural areas. The subject of this study is rural depopulation in Croatia, with special reference to its implications for the trade sector. The aim of the thesis is to determine the main factors of rural exodus in Croatia since the second half of the 20th century, with special emphasis on the period since independence. Furthermore, a review of the demographic and economic drivers of rural depopulation will be given. The central part of the paper will be to present the different effects of rural depopulation on the trade sector. The analysis of secondary data sources will seek to explore the characteristics and trends of rural trade activity. The impact of the expansion of large retail chains and large shopping malls on small local shops will be explored. This will be linked to demographic developments with a discussion of potential solutions to mitigate the extinction of rural areas in Croatia. Finally, it will be discussed how to make rural areas more attractive to the younger population, and what role the development of different forms of trade in these areas can play.