The paper investigates the background of regional declaration in Istria and the connection between regional identity and economic stability of the Istrian County. Data from three consecutive censuses (1991., 2001. and 2011.) and selected economic indicators are also analyzed. From the time perspective of observation, regional declaration in Istria proved to be a very variable category, because we see oscillations in a relatively short period of time, which also indicates that it is a geographically variable identity. While economic indicators give us a picture of the economic position of the Istrian County in relation to the average of the Republic of Croatia. Considering revenues and expenditures in the Istrian County, it was concluded that in the period 2011.-2013., 7.5 billion HRK of revenue per year, and in the same period an average of 6.7 billion HRK was spent in the county per year. That is, the average annual surplus realized in the area of Istria County amounts to HRK 795 million. If in the territory of each county of the Republic of Croatia the same surplus of income on expenditures was generated as in the County of Istria in relation to the number of inhabitants, the entire Republic of Croatia would record an average annual net operating surplus of HRK 16.3 billion.