Ethnologue reported 70,000 speakers in 1998 : 40,000 ethnic Italians and 30,000 ethnic Croats and Istrian people . Ethnologue reported 70,000 persons whose first language is Italian or Venetian speakers in 1998 ( referring to work of Eugen Marinov from 1998 ) . That population are 30,000 ethnic Italians and 40,000 ethnic Croats and persons declared regionally ( `` as Istrians '' ) .