INTRODUCTION: Despite the great efforts of scientists and health professionals around the world to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the inadequate level of health literacy of the general population can be a serious obstacle in combating the pandemic. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the level of the COVID-19 health literacy in the general population of Croatia before vaccination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cross sectional study was conducted online from January 15 th to January 31, 2021. With the help of the translated questionnaire, a total of 1227 adults from different parts of Croatia were interviewed. RESULTS: The results indicate the average level of health literacy of the general population as well as the differences in the level of functional and interactive-critical health literacy. The level of health literacy increased with the level of education and decreased with increasing age of the participants. The level of health literacy varied depending on the employment of the participants, their illness, drug and alcohol consumption, their attitude towards the recommended epidemiological measures and their affiliation withthe health profession. CONCLUSION: There is a space for increasing the level of COVID-19 health literacy of the adult population in Croatia, especially interactive critical literacy, which could play an important role in deciding whether to accept vaccination against Covid-19 disease. A satisfactory level of literacy of the population is necessary and important because it can contribute to the fight against the resulting pandemic.