| Demographics ofSerbia | |
|---|---|
 Serbiapopulation pyramid in 2024 | |
| Population |  6,647,003 (2024)[1] |
| Growth rate | −5.5 per 1,000 inhabitants (2024)[1] |
| Birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000 pop. (2024)[2] |
| Death rate |  14.9 per 1,000 pop. (2024)[2] |
| Life expectancy |  75.4 years (2024)[2] |
| • male | 73.7 years |
| • female | 78.3 years |
| Fertility rate | 1.63 children born/woman (2024)[2] |
| Infant mortality rate |  4.6 deaths/1,000 infants (2024)[2] |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 pop. (2024)[3] |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 14.4% (2024)[1] |
| 15–64 years | 63% (2024)[1] |
| 65 and over | 22.6% (2024)[1] |
| Sex ratio | |
| At birth | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| 15–64 years | 1.00 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.75 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | noun: Serbian(s)adjective: Serbian |
| Major ethnic | Serbs (80.6%) |
| Minor ethnic | Hungarians (2.7%) Bosniaks (2.3%) Roma (2%) Others (5.5%) Undeclared/Unknown (6.9%) |
| Language | |
| Official | Serbian at national level; Hungarian,Bosnian,Albanian,Slovak,Romanian,Croatian,Rusyn,Bulgarian,Macedonian, andMontenegrin, at local level (where share of respective ethnic minority in total population of city/municipality is more than 15%). |
| Spoken | Serbian (84.3%) Hungarian (2.5%) Bosnian (2.2%) Romani (1.2%) Albanian (1%) Others (2.8%) Undeclared/Unknown (5.9%) |
Demographic features of thepopulation ofSerbia include vital statistics; marriages and divorces; age structure and life expectancy; urbanisation; ethnic, religious, and linguistic statistics; migrations; education level of population.
The demography of Serbia is monitored by theStatistical Institute of Serbia.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1834 | 678,192 | — |
| 1841 | 828,895 | +2.91% |
| 1843 | 859,545 | +1.83% |
| 1846 | 915,080 | +2.11% |
| 1850 | 956,893 | +1.12% |
| 1854 | 998,919 | +1.08% |
| 1859 | 1,078,281 | +1.54% |
| 1863 | 1,108,568 | +0.69% |
| 1866 | 1,216,219 | +3.14% |
| 1874 | 1,669,337 | +4.04% |
| 1884 | 1,901,336 | +1.31% |
| 1890 | 2,161,961 | +2.16% |
| 1895 | 2,312,484 | +1.36% |
| 1900 | 2,492,882 | +1.51% |
| 1905 | 2,688,025 | +1.52% |
| 1910 | 2,922,058 | +1.68% |
| 1948 | 5,794,837 | +1.82% |
| 1953 | 6,162,321 | +1.24% |
| 1961 | 6,678,247 | +1.01% |
| 1971 | 7,202,915 | +0.76% |
| 1981 | 7,729,246 | +0.71% |
| 1991 | 7,822,795 | +0.12% |
| 2002 | 7,498,001 | −0.38% |
| 2011 | 7,233,619 | −0.40% |
| 2022 | 6,647,003 | −0.77% |
The demographic evolution of modern Serbia has been profoundly shaped by waves of migration, devastating wars, economic pressures, and shifting fertility patterns, rather than mere numerical fluctuations.
Emerging as anautonomous principality and with population of around 678,000 by 1834, Serbia benefited from massive inflows of ethnicSerbs from neighbouring regions underOttoman andHabsburg rule, seeking refuge and opportunities. Displaced by uprisings and seeking ethnic consolidation, tens of thousands of Serbs from areas likeHerzegovina,Montenegro,Kosovo, and to a lesser degree fromNorth Macedonia, migrated to Serbia fueling population growth. This immigration not only homogenized the demographic landscape of the country but was also instrumental in the consolidation of a Serbian national identity and supported Serbia's push towardindependence in 1878, transforming it to an expandingkingdom.
Another main driver of Serbia's population increase in the late 19th century was a very high birth rate, which fueled natural increase as the primary engine of growth. Serbia experienced demographic transition characterized by high fertility rates hovering at 5.4 children per woman, among the highest in Europe and rivaling rural Eastern European countries such asRussia but far exceeding rates in Western and Southern Europe (e.g.,France's fertility rate of 3). This reflected a pre-industrial agrarian economy where large families ensured labor for farming and inheritance in a patrilineal culture, unmitigated by urbanization or contraception. Coupled with declining but still high mortality rates (especially infant and child mortality), the net effect was substantial natural population growth — the natural surplus yielded growth of over 100,000 annually. Territorial gains amplified this: the 1878 expansions added around 300,000 people outright, but endogenous growth absorbed and expanded them, laying the demographic foundation for Serbia's emergence as a Balkan power. Censuses from this period show steady increases: from about 1 million people in the mid-19th century towards 2.5 million by the end of the century.
The 20th century however brought devastating demographic losses.
Serbia's demographic losses during theWorld War I were among the most catastrophic of any country involved in the war, both in relative and absolute terms, and from those losses Serbia never fully recovered. In fact, country hadthe biggest casualty rate in World War I suffering 1.26 million casualties: 28% of its population, which also represented staggering 58% of its male population.[4] World War I losses resulted in a generational imbalance that would have long-lasting effects on the nation’s population structure. With half of the male reproductive age group killed, Serbia faced a long-lasting male demographic deficit, affecting marriage patterns, fertility, and labor. Even though fertility rates remained high in general, the lack of men led to fewer births, delaying population recovery. Serbia's population did not return to its pre-war numbers until well into the early 1930s, and even then, the demographic structure had been permanently altered.
Serbia suffered significant demographic losses duringWorld War II as well, though these were different in character and scope compared to the catastrophic losses of World War I. While the World War I decimated country’s military-age male population through combat and disease, World War II brought ethnic persecution, civil conflict, mass executions and reprisals, particularly targeting civilians. Tens of thousands of Serbs were killed in Nazi reprisals (inKragujevac over2,700 civilians were executed in one day, inKraljevo, around2,000 were killed in a similar reprisal), often under the infamous policy of killing 100 civilians for every German soldier killed. Many more died in a civil conflict between two resistance movements communistPartisans and royalistChetniks.Jews in Serbia were almost entirely exterminated by the Nazis by 1942.
The post-World War II the displacement of ethnicGermans and colonization of Serbs in Vojvodina represent one of the most significant demographic transformations in the history of modern Serbia. This period marked a radical change in the ethnic composition ofVojvodina, a historically multiethnic region in northern Serbia.
Before the World War II, ethnic Germans were one of the largest ethnic groups in Vojvodina, numbering 318,000. During the war they joined German military units (e.g.,7th SS Division Prinz Eugen, notorious for atrocities against Serbs) in significant numbers and were later seen as collaborators with the Nazi occupiers and held collectively responsible for Nazi wartime atrocities against civilian population. As German forces retreated at the end of the war, approximately half of ethnic German population fled westward, abandoning homes and farms. Of the roughly 170,000 who remained in Vojvodina, reprisals were swift and brutal: Yugoslav Partisans, exacting vengeance for collaboration and war crimes, interned most of them in labor camps, where starvation, disease, and forced labor claimed almost 50 thousdand lives. Additional tolls included 10 thousand executed by Yugoslav Partisans and SovietRed Army, yielding a revised total death count of about 60,000. By 1948, when camps were dismantled and citizenship revoked, the ethnic German population had plummeted to 41,460; most survivors emigrated toWest Germany andAustria, before further assimilation and exodus reduced their numbers to a mere 14,533 by the time of the 1961 Census.
Parallel to this purge, theYugoslav government launched an ambitious colonization program to repopulate confiscated German properties. Between 1945 and 1948, more than 200,000 settlers, predominantly Serbs from impoverished rural regions ofCroatia (Lika,Kordun,Banovina) andBosnia and Herzegovina (Bosanska Krajina and Herzegovina), were incentivized with land grants, tax exemptions, and housing. This influx not only filled the void left by German departures but also shifted ethnic balances: Serbs, who comprised a third of Vojvodina's pre-war population, surged to an absolute majority by the 1950s.
Post-war Serbia saw a period of relative demographic stability, but this was soon complicated by mass labour emigration in the late 1960s, and throughout 1970s and 1980s. This period saw theGastarbeiter phenomenon, where hundreds of thousands of Serbians, primarily from country’s rural areas, emigrated as “guest workers” to Western Europe (primarily West Germany, Austria, andSwitzerland) driven by unemployment and bilateral labour agreements between Yugoslavia and respective countries.[5] This outflow, often involving less-educated rural populations, contributed to rural depopulation and exacerbated urban-rural divide, foreshadowing future emigration waves.
The 1990s were marked by thebreakup of Yugoslavia andsubsequent wars as well as economic collapse caused by theinternational sanctions against Serbia, that led to a dual demographic shock: mass emigration of young people fleeing economic turmoil and political instability, and a significant inflow of ethnic Serb refugees from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and later Kosovo.[6] This net influx temporarily stabilized numbers, preventing steeper decline despite low birth rates below replacement levels since the 1970s.
In recent decades, Serbia has faced acute depopulation driven by high mortality and persistently low fertility (hovering around 1.5 children per woman). Annual net migration losses of about 12,000, compound natural decrease, with the population dropping from 7.5 million in 2002 to 6.6 million in 2022.[6]
| Average population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,738,000 | 70,167 | 54,243 | 15,924 | 40.8 | 31.2 | 5.45 |
| 1881 | 1,775,000 | 80,678 | 43,645 | 37,033 | 46.0 | 24.6 | 5.45 |
| 1882 | 1,814,000 | 80,274 | 41,648 | 38,626 | 44.8 | 23.0 | 5.44 |
| 1883 | 1,859,000 | 87,161 | 42,263 | 44,898 | 47.5 | 22.7 | 5.44 |
| 1884 | 1,902,000 | 90,441 | 47,552 | 42,889 | 48.1 | 25.0 | 5.43 |
| 1885 | 1,940,000 | 90,627 | 52,318 | 38,309 | 47.4 | 27.0 | 5.43 |
| 1886 | 1,965,000 | 83,091 | 58,525 | 24,566 | 43.0 | 29.7 | 5.42 |
| 1887 | 2,008,000 | 93,911 | 50,481 | 43,430 | 47.5 | 25.1 | 5.42 |
| Average population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2,470,000 | 105,000 | 58,000 | 47,000 | 42.4 | 23.5 | 5.68 |
| 1901 | 2,520,000 | 96,000 | 53,000 | 43,000 | 38.0 | 21.0 | 5.54 |
| 1902 | 2,570,000 | 98,000 | 57,000 | 41,000 | 38.0 | 22.3 | 5.41 |
| 1903 | 2,580,000 | 106,000 | 60,000 | 46,000 | 40.9 | 23.5 | 5.13 |
| 1904 | 2,650,000 | 106,000 | 56,000 | 50,000 | 39.8 | 21.1 | 5.00 |
| 1905 | 2,660,000 | 100,000 | 65,000 | 35,000 | 37.3 | 24.8 | 5.04 |
| 1906 | 2,690,000 | 113,000 | 66,000 | 47,000 | 42.0 | 24.5 | 5.09 |
| 1907 | 2,770,000 | 111,000 | 62,000 | 49,000 | 40.0 | 22.4 | 5.13 |
| 1908 | 2,820,000 | 104,000 | 67,000 | 37,000 | 36.8 | 23.7 | 5.18 |
| 1909 | 2,840,000 | 110,000 | 83,000 | 27,000 | 38.7 | 29.3 | 5.23 |
| 1910 | 2,870,000 | 112,000 | 64,000 | 48,000 | 39.0 | 22.4 | 5.18 |
| 1911 | 2,940,000 | 107,000 | 64,000 | 43,000 | 36.3 | 21.8 | 5.14 |
| 1912 | 2,980,000 | 114,000 | 63,000 | 51,000 | 38.3 | 21.1 | 5.10 |
| Average population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Crude migration change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | Female fertile population (15–49 years) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,969,977 | 163,297 | 76,851 | 86,446 | 27.4 | 12.9 | 14.5 | 3.11 | 1,667,489 | |
| 1951 | 6,045,982 | 145,197 | 80,034 | 65,163 | 24.0 | 13.2 | 10.8 | 1.9 | 2.70 | 1,679,515 |
| 1952 | 6,106,976 | 161,306 | 67,870 | 93,436 | 26.4 | 11.1 | 15.3 | -5.2 | 2.94 | 1,691,530 |
| 1953 | 6,186,015 | 151,672 | 68,168 | 83,504 | 24.5 | 11.0 | 13.5 | -0.6 | 2.69 | 1,703,548 |
| 1954 | 6,271,014 | 152,569 | 62,610 | 89,959 | 24.3 | 10.0 | 14.3 | -0.6 | 2.66 | 1,714,614 |
| 1955 | 6,369,436 | 140,396 | 65,179 | 75,217 | 22.0 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 3.9 | 2.42 | 1,725,685 |
| 1956 | 6,422,999 | 132,078 | 67,105 | 64,973 | 20.6 | 10.4 | 10.1 | -1.7 | 2.26 | 1,736,751 |
| 1957 | 6,481,984 | 118,535 | 61,885 | 56,650 | 18.3 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 2.03 | 1,739,485 |
| 1958 | 6,535,020 | 118,425 | 55,564 | 62,861 | 18.1 | 8.5 | 9.6 | -1.4 | 2.05 | 1,742,115 |
| 1959 | 6,587,014 | 114,872 | 60,850 | 54,022 | 17.4 | 9.2 | 8.2 | -0.2 | 2.02 | 1,739,287 |
| 1960 | 6,638,992 | 119,298 | 61,872 | 57,426 | 18.0 | 9.3 | 8.6 | -0.7 | 2.12 | 1,733,296 |
| 1961 | 6,689,077 | 115,222 | 57,990 | 57,232 | 17.2 | 8.7 | 8.6 | -1.1 | 2.08 | 1,727,303 |
| 1962 | 6,740,264 | 110,008 | 62,830 | 47,178 | 16.3 | 9.3 | 7.0 | 0.7 | 2.03 | 1,735,235 |
| 1963 | 6,787,950 | 108,324 | 57,778 | 50,546 | 16.0 | 8.5 | 7.4 | -0.3 | 2.02 | 1,750,899 |
| 1964 | 6,832,855 | 103,847 | 62,100 | 41,747 | 15.2 | 9.1 | 6.1 | 0.5 | 1.96 | 1,769,796 |
| 1965 | 6,876,624 | 106,699 | 58,856 | 47,843 | 15.5 | 8.6 | 7.0 | -0.6 | 2.02 | 1,807,362 |
| 1966 | 6,927,969 | 103,775 | 55,471 | 48,304 | 15.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 1.98 | 1,843,693 |
| 1967 | 6,966,522 | 103,491 | 62,915 | 40,576 | 14.9 | 9.0 | 5.8 | -0.2 | 1.96 | 1,887,344 |
| 1968 | 7,007,586 | 103,621 | 60,932 | 42,689 | 14.8 | 8.7 | 6.1 | -0.2 | 1.95 | 1,945,878 |
| 1969 | 7,123,249 | 105,478 | 68,152 | 37,326 | 14.8 | 9.6 | 5.2 | 11.3 | 1.93 | 1,972,004 |
| 1970 | 7,164,993 | 102,453 | 67,211 | 35,242 | 14.3 | 9.4 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 1.81 | 2,012,702 |
| 1971 | 7,211,716 | 104,070 | 65,872 | 38,198 | 14.4 | 9.1 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 1.83 | 2,020,324 |
| 1972 | 7,267,030 | 106,859 | 70,822 | 36,037 | 14.7 | 9.7 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 1.83 | 2,019,717 |
| 1973 | 7,322,344 | 108,361 | 67,152 | 41,209 | 14.8 | 9.2 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 1.84 | 2,036,056 |
| 1974 | 7,377,659 | 110,458 | 66,457 | 44,001 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 1.86 | 2,020,513 |
| 1975 | 7,432,973 | 112,945 | 69,590 | 43,355 | 15.2 | 9.4 | 5.8 | 1.7 | 1.88 | 2,010,021 |
| 1976 | 7,488,287 | 114,035 | 68,565 | 45,470 | 15.2 | 9.2 | 6.1 | 1.3 | 1.89 | 2,002,713 |
| 1977 | 7,543,601 | 111,510 | 68,924 | 42,586 | 14.8 | 9.1 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 1.86 | 1,994,191 |
| 1978 | 7,598,916 | 110,622 | 71,986 | 38,636 | 14.6 | 9.5 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 1.86 | 1,974,022 |
| 1979 | 7,654,230 | 109,953 | 72,306 | 37,647 | 14.4 | 9.4 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 1.87 | 1,986,006 |
| 1980 | 7,709,544 | 109,597 | 76,180 | 33,417 | 14.2 | 9.9 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.86 | 1,997,988 |
| 1981 | 7,736,787 | 103,407 | 78,086 | 25,321 | 13.4 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 1.76 | 1,977,061 |
| 1982 | 7,763,335 | 106,575 | 78,473 | 28,102 | 13.7 | 10.1 | 3.6 | -0.2 | 1.84 | 1,947,609 |
| 1983 | 7,788,100 | 108,003 | 83,506 | 24,497 | 13.9 | 10.7 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 1.89 | 1,914,434 |
| 1984 | 7,813,549 | 107,036 | 82,742 | 24,294 | 13.7 | 10.6 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 1.90 | 1,921,422 |
| 1985 | 7,835,902 | 101,938 | 81,836 | 20,102 | 13.0 | 10.4 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.84 | 1,920,627 |
| 1986 | 7,853,824 | 99,419 | 83,977 | 15,442 | 12.7 | 10.7 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 1.82 | 1,911,361 |
| 1987 | 7,868,027 | 98,279 | 83,426 | 14,853 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 1.9 | -0.1 | 1.82 | 1,919,612 |
| 1988 | 7,884,218 | 97,471 | 83,616 | 13,855 | 12.4 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 1.82 | 1,899,146 |
| 1989 | 7,893,787 | 91,270 | 85,256 | 6,014 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.72 | 1,895,541 |
| 1990 | 7,897,937 | 90,467 | 85,515 | 4,952 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 0.6 | -0.1 | 1.72 | 1,899,883 |
| 1991 | 7,824,589 | 90,378 | 89,072 | 1,306 | 11.6 | 11.4 | 0.2 | -9.5 | 1.82 | 1,813,520 |
| 1992 | 7,787,897 | 86,877 | 93,475 | -6,598 | 11.2 | 12.0 | -0.8 | -3.9 | 1.76 | 1,821,688 |
| 1993 | 7,751,205 | 87,931 | 95,121 | -7,190 | 11.3 | 12.3 | -0.9 | -3.8 | 1.78 | 1,833,456 |
| 1994 | 7,714,513 | 85,292 | 93,011 | -7,719 | 11.1 | 12.1 | -1.0 | -3.7 | 1.72 | 1,846,610 |
| 1995 | 7,677,821 | 86,236 | 93,933 | -7,697 | 11.2 | 12.2 | -1.0 | -3.8 | 1.74 | 1,860,970 |
| 1996 | 7,641,129 | 82,548 | 98,370 | -15,822 | 10.8 | 12.9 | -2.1 | -2.7 | 1.66 | 1,868,882 |
| 1997 | 7,604,437 | 79,716 | 98,068 | -18,352 | 10.5 | 12.9 | -2.4 | -2.4 | 1.61 | 1,864,628 |
| 1998 | 7,567,745 | 76,330 | 99,376 | -23,046 | 10.1 | 13.1 | -3.0 | -1.8 | 1.54 | 1,855,228 |
| 1999 | 7,540,401 | 72,222 | 101,444 | -29,222 | 9.6 | 13.5 | -3.9 | 0.3 | 1.46 | 1,844,875 |
| 2000 | 7,516,346 | 73,764 | 104,042 | -30,278 | 9.8 | 13.8 | -4.0 | 0.8 | 1.48 | 1,831,994 |
| 2001 | 7,503,433 | 78,435 | 99,008 | -20,573 | 10.5 | 13.2 | -2.7 | 1.0 | 1.58 | 1,821,493 |
| 2002 | 7,500,031 | 78,101 | 102,785 | -24,684 | 10.4 | 13.7 | -3.3 | 2.8 | 1.57 | 1,810,526 |
| 2003 | 7,480,591 | 79,025 | 103,946 | -24,921 | 10.6 | 13.9 | -3.3 | 0.7 | 1.59 | 1,789,668 |
| 2004 | 7,463,157 | 78,186 | 104,320 | -26,134 | 10.5 | 14.0 | -3.5 | 1.2 | 1.57 | 1,770,053 |
| 2005 | 7,440,769 | 72,180 | 106,771 | -34,591 | 9.7 | 14.3 | -4.6 | 1.6 | 1.45 | 1,750,845 |
| 2006 | 7,411,569 | 70,997 | 102,884 | -31,887 | 9.6 | 13.9 | -4.3 | 0.4 | 1.43 | 1,733,316 |
| 2007 | 7,381,579 | 68,102 | 102,805 | -34,703 | 9.2 | 13.9 | -4.7 | 0.7 | 1.38 | 1,718,428 |
| 2008 | 7,350,222 | 69,083 | 102,711 | -33,628 | 9.4 | 14.0 | -4.6 | 0.4 | 1.41 | 1,704,735 |
| 2009 | 7,320,807 | 70,299 | 104,000 | -33,701 | 9.6 | 14.2 | -4.6 | 0.6 | 1.44 | 1,691,363 |
| 2010 | 7,291,436 | 68,304 | 103,211 | -34,907 | 9.4 | 14.2 | -4.8 | 0.8 | 1.41 | 1,677,562 |
| 2011 | 7,236,519 | 65,598 | 102,935 | -37,337 | 9.1 | 14.2 | -5.2 | -2.4 | 1.40 | 1,632,708 |
| 2012 | 7,184,513 | 67,257 | 102,400 | -35,143 | 9.4 | 14.3 | -4.9 | -2.3 | 1.46 | 1,612,518 |
| 2013 | 7,132,506 | 65,554 | 100,300 | -34,746 | 9.2 | 14.1 | -4.9 | -2.4 | 1.45 | 1,592,328 |
| 2014 | 7,080,500 | 66,461 | 101,247 | -34,786 | 9.4 | 14.3 | -4.9 | -2.4 | 1.49 | 1,572,138 |
| 2015 | 7,028,494 | 65,657 | 103,678 | -38,021 | 9.3 | 14.8 | -5.4 | -2.0 | 1.50 | 1,551,948 |
| 2016 | 6,976,487 | 64,734 | 100,834 | -36,100 | 9.3 | 14.5 | -5.2 | -2.3 | 1.50 | 1,531,758 |
| 2017 | 6,924,481 | 64,894 | 103,722 | -38,828 | 9.4 | 15.0 | -5.6 | -1.9 | 1.53 | 1,511,569 |
| 2018 | 6,872,474 | 63,975 | 101,655 | -37,680 | 9.3 | 14.8 | -5.5 | -2.1 | 1.54 | 1,491,379 |
| 2019 | 6,820,468 | 64,399 | 101,458 | -37,059 | 9.4 | 14.9 | -5.4 | -2.2 | 1.58 | 1,471,189 |
| 2020 | 6,768,462 | 61,692 | 116,850 | -55,158 | 9.1 | 17.3 | -8.1 | 0.5 | 1.54 | 1,450,999 |
| 2021 | 6,716,455 | 62,180 | 136,622 | -74,442 | 9.3 | 20.3 | -11.1 | 3.3 | 1.59 | 1,430,809 |
| 2022 | 6,664,449 | 62,700 | 109,203 | -46,503 | 9.4 | 16.4 | -7.0 | -0.8 | 1.63 | 1,410,619 |
| 2023 | 6,623,183 | 61,052 | 97,081 | -36,029 | 9.2 | 14.7 | -5.4 | -0.8 | 1.61 | 1,394,001 |
| 2024 | 6,586,476 | 60,845 | 98,230 | -37,385 | 9.2 | 14.9 | -5.7 | 0.1 | 1.63 | 1,377,141 |
| 2025 | 58,445 | 94,831 | -36,386 | |||||||
| Note: data shown in the table are for Serbia excluding Kosovo. | ||||||||||
| Period | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| January – December 2024 | 60,311 | 98,041 | –37,730 |
| January – December 2025 | 58,445 | 94,831 | –36,386 |
| Difference | –1,866 (–3.1%) | –3,210 (–3.3%) | +1,344 |
| Population | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | 1,682,720 | 17,331 | 21,606 | -4,275 | 10.3 | 12.8 | -2.5 | 1.58 |
| Bor | 98,269 | 709 | 1,861 | -1,152 | 7.2 | 18.9 | -11.7 | 1.59 |
| Braničevo | 153,112 | 1,134 | 2,792 | -1,658 | 7.4 | 18.2 | -10.8 | 1.51 |
| Central Banat | 155,233 | 1,346 | 2,758 | -1,412 | 8.7 | 17.8 | -9.1 | 1.76 |
| Kolubara | 152,214 | 1,256 | 2,418 | -1,162 | 8.3 | 15.9 | -7.6 | 1.63 |
| Jablanica | 181,025 | 1,619 | 3,047 | -1,428 | 8.9 | 16.8 | -7.9 | 1.67 |
| Mačva | 261,380 | 2,293 | 3,989 | -1,696 | 8.8 | 15.3 | -6.5 | 1.71 |
| Moravica | 186,637 | 1,631 | 2,927 | -1,296 | 8.7 | 15.7 | -7 | 1.75 |
| Nišava | 340,930 | 3,302 | 5,327 | -2,025 | 9.7 | 15.6 | -5.9 | 1.66 |
| North Bačka | 157,929 | 1,320 | 2,768 | -1,448 | 8.4 | 17.5 | -9.2 | 1.59 |
| North Banat | 115,656 | 948 | 2,197 | -1,249 | 8.2 | 19.0 | -10.8 | 1.66 |
| Pčinja | 191,259 | 1,548 | 2,318 | -770 | 8.1 | 12.1 | -4.0 | 1.32 |
| Pirot | 74,951 | 536 | 1,383 | -847 | 7.2 | 18.5 | -11.3 | 1.55 |
| Podunavlje | 173,031 | 1,503 | 2,798 | -1,295 | 8.7 | 16.2 | -7.5 | 1.65 |
| Pomoravlje | 178,286 | 1,342 | 3,289 | -1,947 | 7.5 | 18.4 | -10.9 | 1.48 |
| Rasina | 203,341 | 1,529 | 3,333 | -1,804 | 7.5 | 16.4 | -8.9 | 1.51 |
| Raška | 296,390 | 3,304 | 3,510 | -206 | 11.1 | 11.8 | -0.7 | 1.88 |
| South Bačka | 607,403 | 6,376 | 7,845 | -1,469 | 10.5 | 12.9 | -2.4 | 1.62 |
| South Banat | 257,271 | 2,345 | 4,127 | -1,782 | 9.1 | 16.0 | -6.9 | 1.73 |
| Srem | 280,297 | 2,520 | 4,265 | -1,745 | 9.0 | 15.2 | -6.2 | 1.74 |
| Šumadija | 267,198 | 2,451 | 3,827 | -1,376 | 9.2 | 14.3 | -5.1 | 1.66 |
| Toplica | 76,003 | 795 | 1,327 | -532 | 10.5 | 17.5 | -7.0 | 2.01 |
| West Bačka | 151,228 | 1,145 | 2,850 | -1,705 | 7.6 | 18.8 | -11.3 | 1.57 |
| Zaječar | 94,036 | 584 | 2,020 | -1,436 | 6.2 | 21.5 | -15.3 | 1.41 |
| Zlatibor | 250,677 | 1,978 | 3,648 | -1,670 | 7.9 | 14.6 | -6.7 | 1.58 |
| Note: data shown in the table are for 2024. | ||||||||
| Average population | Marriages | Divorces | Crude marriage rate (per 1000) | Crude divorce rate (per 1000) | Divorces per 1000 marriages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,969,977 | 76,749 | 9,623 | 12.9 | 1.6 | 125.4 |
| 1951 | 6,045,982 | 66,849 | 8,250 | 11.1 | 1.4 | 123.4 |
| 1952 | 6,106,976 | 67,255 | 5,611 | 11.0 | 0.9 | 83.4 |
| 1953 | 6,186,015 | 63,667 | 7,570 | 10.3 | 1.2 | 118.9 |
| 1954 | 6,271,014 | 61,707 | 8,053 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 130.5 |
| 1955 | 6,369,436 | 57,970 | 9,784 | 9.1 | 1.5 | 168.8 |
| 1956 | 6,422,999 | 55,603 | 9,291 | 8.7 | 1.4 | 167.1 |
| 1957 | 6,481,984 | 56,214 | 9,827 | 8.7 | 1.5 | 174.8 |
| 1958 | 6,535,020 | 63,195 | 10,229 | 9.7 | 1.6 | 161.9 |
| 1959 | 6,587,014 | 59,361 | 10,328 | 9.0 | 1.6 | 174.0 |
| 1960 | 6,638,992 | 62,341 | 10,585 | 9.4 | 1.6 | 169.8 |
| 1961 | 6,689,077 | 62,775 | 10,130 | 9.4 | 1.5 | 161.4 |
| 1962 | 6,740,264 | 58,211 | 9,948 | 8.6 | 1.5 | 170.9 |
| 1963 | 6,787,950 | 57,316 | 10,285 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 179.4 |
| 1964 | 6,832,855 | 59,481 | 9,977 | 8.7 | 1.5 | 167.7 |
| 1965 | 6,876,624 | 62,011 | 9,939 | 9.0 | 1.4 | 160.3 |
| 1966 | 6,927,969 | 60,878 | 10,731 | 8.8 | 1.5 | 176.3 |
| 1967 | 6,966,522 | 64,168 | 9,791 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 152.6 |
| 1968 | 7,007,586 | 64,287 | 10,179 | 9.2 | 1.5 | 158.3 |
| 1969 | 7,123,249 | 64,796 | 8,788 | 9.1 | 1.2 | 135.6 |
| 1970 | 7,164,993 | 66,719 | 9,129 | 9.3 | 1.3 | 136.8 |
| 1971 | 7,211,716 | 66,839 | 9,873 | 9.3 | 1.4 | 147.7 |
| 1972 | 7,267,030 | 68,417 | 10,335 | 9.4 | 1.4 | 151.1 |
| 1973 | 7,322,344 | 66,845 | 10,290 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 153.9 |
| 1974 | 7,377,659 | 65,790 | 11,086 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 168.5 |
| 1975 | 7,432,973 | 62,843 | 10,693 | 8.5 | 1.4 | 170.2 |
| 1976 | 7,488,287 | 61,555 | 10,917 | 8.2 | 1.5 | 177.4 |
| 1977 | 7,543,601 | 62,733 | 10,350 | 8.3 | 1.4 | 165.0 |
| 1978 | 7,598,916 | 61,943 | 10,813 | 8.2 | 1.4 | 174.6 |
| 1979 | 7,654,230 | 60,828 | 10,265 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 168.8 |
| 1980 | 7,709,544 | 57,500 | 10,840 | 7.5 | 1.4 | 188.5 |
| 1981 | 7,736,787 | 57,563 | 9,517 | 7.4 | 1.2 | 165.3 |
| 1982 | 7,763,335 | 57,327 | 10,236 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 178.6 |
| 1983 | 7,788,100 | 56,556 | 9,699 | 7.3 | 1.2 | 171.5 |
| 1984 | 7,813,549 | 55,482 | 10,349 | 7.1 | 1.3 | 186.5 |
| 1985 | 7,835,902 | 53,252 | 11,567 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 217.2 |
| 1986 | 7,853,824 | 52,383 | 10,348 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 197.5 |
| 1987 | 7,868,027 | 52,500 | 11,689 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 222.6 |
| 1988 | 7,884,218 | 51,709 | 11,686 | 6.6 | 1.5 | 226.0 |
| 1989 | 7,893,787 | 51,073 | 11,449 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 224.2 |
| 1990 | 7,897,937 | 48,261 | 9,889 | 6.1 | 1.3 | 204.9 |
| 1991 | 7,824,589 | 45,145 | 8,018 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 177.6 |
| 1992 | 7,787,897 | 46,155 | 6,501 | 5.9 | 0.8 | 140.9 |
| 1993 | 7,751,205 | 44,800 | 6,792 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 151.6 |
| 1994 | 7,714,513 | 44,091 | 6,358 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 144.2 |
| 1995 | 7,677,821 | 43,555 | 7,217 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 165.7 |
| 1996 | 7,641,129 | 40,705 | 6,860 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 168.5 |
| 1997 | 7,604,437 | 40,344 | 6,982 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 173.1 |
| 1998 | 7,567,745 | 39,328 | 6,909 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 175.7 |
| 1999 | 7,540,401 | 37,256 | 6,264 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 168.1 |
| 2000 | 7,516,346 | 42,586 | 7,689 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 180.6 |
| 2001 | 7,503,433 | 41,406 | 7,835 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 189.2 |
| 2002 | 7,500,031 | 41,947 | 9,982 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 238.0 |
| 2003 | 7,480,591 | 41,914 | 7,938 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 189.4 |
| 2004 | 7,463,157 | 42,030 | 8,845 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 210.4 |
| 2005 | 7,440,769 | 38,846 | 7,661 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 197.2 |
| 2006 | 7,411,569 | 39,756 | 8,204 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 206.4 |
| 2007 | 7,381,579 | 41,083 | 8,622 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 209.9 |
| 2008 | 7,350,222 | 38,285 | 8,502 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 222.1 |
| 2009 | 7,320,807 | 36,853 | 8,472 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 229.9 |
| 2010 | 7,291,436 | 35,815 | 6,644 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 185.5 |
| 2011 | 7,236,519 | 35,808 | 8,251 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 230.4 |
| 2012 | 7,201,497 | 34,639 | 7,372 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 212.8 |
| 2013 | 7,166,552 | 36,209 | 8,170 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 225.6 |
| 2014 | 7,131,787 | 36,429 | 7,614 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 209.0 |
| 2015 | 7,095,383 | 36,949 | 9,381 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 253.9 |
| 2016 | 7,058,322 | 35,921 | 9,046 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 251.8 |
| 2017 | 7,020,858 | 36,047 | 9,262 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 256.9 |
| 2018 | 6,982,604 | 36,321 | 9,995 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 275.2 |
| 2019 | 6,945,235 | 35,570 | 10,899 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 306.4 |
| 2020 | 6,899,126 | 23,599 | 8,687 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 368.1 |
| 2021 | 6,834,326 | 32,757 | 9,790 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 298.9 |
| 2022 | 6,664,449 | 32,821 | 9,813 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 299.0 |
| 2023 | 6,623,183 | 31,670 | 10,175 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 321.3 |
| 2024 | 6,586,476 | 30,376 | 10,611 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 349.3 |
| Note: data shown in the table are for Serbia excluding Kosovo. | ||||||
Serbia has a comparatively old overall population (among the 30 oldest in the world), with the median age of 44 years (42.4 for males and 45.4 for females).[16][3]
| Population | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 308,771 | 4.7% |
| 5–9 | 320,680 | 4.9% |
| 10–14 | 321,669 | 4.9% |
| 15–19 | 330,698 | 5.0% |
| 20–24 | 340,609 | 5.2% |
| 25–29 | 356,402 | 5.4% |
| 30–34 | 388,679 | 5.9% |
| 35–39 | 432,772 | 5.6% |
| 40–44 | 467,926 | 7.1% |
| 45–49 | 478,897 | 7.3% |
| 50–54 | 454,627 | 6.9% |
| 55–59 | 441,315 | 6.7% |
| 60–64 | 455,813 | 6.9% |
| 65-69 | 467,510 | 7.1% |
| 70-74 | 451,639 | 6.8% |
| 75-79 | 281,356 | 4.3% |
| 80-84 | 165,324 | 2.5% |
| 85+ | 121,789 | 1.8% |
| Age group | Population | Share |
| 0–14 | 951,120 | 14.4% |
| 15–64 | 4,129,045 | 63.0% |
| 65+ | 1,487,618 | 22.6% |
The life expectancy in Serbia at birth is 75.4 years, 73.7 for males and 78.3 for females.[17]
| Life expectancy | |
|---|---|
| 1950–1954 | 59.1 |
| 1955–1959 | 61.6 |
| 1960–1964 | 64.2 |
| 1965–1969 | 66.7 |
| 1970–1974 | 68.5 |
| 1975–1979 | 69.5 |
| 1980–1984 | 70.2 |
| 1985–1989 | 71.1 |
| 1990–1994 | 71.7 |
| 1995–1999 | 71.9 |
| 2000–2004 | 72.3 |
| 2005–2009 | 73.3 |
| 2010–2014 | 74.6 |
| 2015–2019 | 75.8 |
| 2020–2024 | 75.3 |
Share of Serbia's population living in areas classified as urban stood at 62.1% as of 2024.[16]
Belgrade is disproportionately larger than any other city in the country, standing as an example ofprimate city, being four times larger than the second-largest city,Novi Sad. Consequently, the level of metropolisation (share of the country's total population living in the largest city) in Serbia is comparatively high, standing at 19.4%, i.e. almost one-fifth of the population lives in Belgrade urban area alone.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | 1,298,661a | |
| Novi Sad | 325,551b | |
| Niš | 178,976 | |
| Kragujevac | 146,315 | |
| Subotica | 88,752 | |
| Pančevo | 73,401 | |
| Novi Pazar | 71,462 | |
| Čačak | 69,598 | |
| Zrenjanin | 67,129 | |
| Smederevo | 59,261 | |
| a contiguous urban area with adjacent settlements ofBorča,Kaluđerica, andSurčin b contiguous urban area with adjacent settlements ofPetrovaradin,Sremska Kamenica,Veternik, andFutog | ||
Serbia is home to many differentethnic groups.
TheSerbs, aSouth Slavic people, are the titular nation and largest ethnic group in Serbia, their nation-state, making up 80.6% of the population.
Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority, concentrated predominantly in northern Vojvodina and representing 2.8% of the country's population.Bosniaks are the second-largest ethnic minority, mainly inhabiting the Sandžak region in southwestern part of the country, representing 2.3% of the country's population.Roma constitute 2% of the total population. All other ethnic groups individually account for less than 1% of the total population, includingAlbanians (0.9%),Slovaks andCroats with 0.6% each,Yugoslavs (0.4%),Romanians,Vlachs, andMontenegrins with 0.3% each;Macedonians,ethnic Muslims, andBulgarians with 0.2% each; as well asRusyns andBunjevci with 0.1%, respectively. Some 0.1% declared regional identity (e.g.Vojvodinian) instead of specific ethnicity.
According to data from the 2022 Census, some 2% of the population did not declare their ethnicity since answering on the census question on ethnicity was not mandatory. The census category "Unknown" pertains to citizens whose data has been collected from administrative databases.
| Ethnic group | census 1948 | census 1953 | census 1961 | census 1971 | census 1981 | census 1991 | census 2002 | census 2011 | census 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Serbs | 4,651,819 | 80.2 | 4,963,070 | 80.4 | 5,477,670 | 82.0 | 5,788,547 | 80.4 | 5,972,661 | 77.3 | 6,252,405 | 79.9 | 6,212,838 | 82.9 | 5,988,150 | 82.8 | 5,360,239 | 80.6 |
| Hungarians | 433,618 | 7.5 | 441,748 | 7.2 | 449,377 | 6.7 | 430,145 | 6.0 | 390,321 | 5.0 | 343,800 | 4.4 | 293,299 | 3.9 | 253,899 | 3.5 | 184,442 | 2.7 |
| Bosniaks | 7,636 | 0.1 | 74,840 | 1.2 | 85,441 | 1.3 | 127,973 | 1.8 | 156,604 | 2.0 | 180,222 | 2.3 | 136,087 | 1.8 | 145,278 | 2.0 | 153,801 | 2.3 |
| Muslims | 19,503 | 0.3 | 22,301 | 0.3 | 13,011 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||
| Roma | 40,951 | 0.7 | 46,896 | 0.8 | 6,624 | 0.1 | 35,301 | 0.5 | 76,833 | 1.0 | 94,492 | 1.2 | 108,193 | 1.4 | 147,604 | 2.0 | 131,936 | 2.0 |
| Albanians | 33,769 | 0.6 | 40,954 | 0.7 | 53,167 | 0.8 | 68,593 | 1.0 | 76,296 | 1.0 | 78,281a | 1.0 | 61,647 | 0.8 | 52,566a | 0.7 | 61,687 | 0.9 |
| Slovaks | 73,138 | 1.3 | 75,006 | 1.2 | 77,816 | 1.2 | 76,707 | 1.1 | 73,170 | 0.9 | 66,772 | 0.9 | 59,021 | 0.8 | 52,750 | 0.7 | 41,730 | 0.6 |
| Croats | 164,574 | 2.8 | 167,045 | 2.7 | 189,158 | 2.8 | 176,649 | 2.5 | 140,650 | 1.8 | 97,344 | 1.2 | 70,602 | 0.9 | 57,900 | 0.8 | 39,107 | 0.6 |
| Yugoslavs | 14,873 | 0.2 | 122,904 | 1.7 | 439,265 | 5.7 | 320,168 | 4.1 | 80,721 | 1.1 | 23,303 | 0.3 | 27,143 | 0.4 | ||||
| Romanians | 63,112 | 1.1 | 59,689 | 1.0 | 59,492 | 0.9 | 57,399 | 0.8 | 53,676 | 0.7 | 42,316 | 0.5 | 34,576 | 0.5 | 29,332 | 0.4 | 23,044 | 0.3 |
| Vlachs | 93,440 | 1.6 | 28,047 | 0.5 | 1,367 | 0.0 | 14,719 | 0.2 | 25,592 | 0.3 | 17,804 | 0.2 | 40,054 | 0.5 | 35,330 | 0.5 | 21,013 | 0.3 |
| Montenegrins | 46,810 | 0.8 | 54,718 | 0.9 | 67,165 | 1.0 | 93,705 | 1.3 | 120,438 | 1.6 | 118,934 | 1.5 | 69,049 | 0.9 | 38,527 | 0.5 | 20,238 | 0.3 |
| Macedonians | 17,917 | 0.3 | 27,277 | 0.4 | 36,288 | 0.5 | 42,675 | 0.6 | 48,986 | 0.6 | 45,068 | 0.6 | 25,847 | 0.3 | 22,755 | 0.3 | 14,767 | 0.2 |
| Bulgarians | 59,395 | 1.0 | 60,146 | 1.0 | 58,243 | 0.9 | 53,536 | 0.7 | 33,294 | 0.4 | 26,698 | 0.3 | 20,497 | 0.3 | 18,543 | 0.3 | 12,918 | 0.2 |
| Rusyns | 22,667 | 0.4 | 23,720 | 0.4 | 25,658 | 0.4 | 20,608 | 0.3 | 19,757 | 0.2 | 18,073 | 0.2 | 15,905 | 0.2 | 14,246 | 0.2 | 11,483 | 0.1 |
| Others | 91,826 | 1.6 | 108,829 | 1.7 | 71,438 | 1.0 | 59,725 | 0.8 | 51,692 | 0.6 | 72,410 | 0.9 | 52,874 | 0.7 | 55,031 | 0.7 | 42,787 | 0.6 |
| Reg. identity | 10,258 | 0.0 | 6,749 | 0.0 | 4,841 | 0.0 | 11,485 | 0.1 | 30,771 | 0.4 | 11,929 | 0.1 | ||||||
| Undeclared | 369 | 0.0 | 1,994 | 0.0 | 5,604 | 0.0 | 4,486 | 0.0 | 7,834 | 0.0 | 10,538 | 0.1 | 107,732 | 1.4 | 160,346 | 2.2 | 136,198 | 2.0 |
| Unknown | 30,274 | 0.3 | 43,223 | 0.4 | 47,949 | 0.6 | 75,483 | 1.0 | 81,740 | 1.1 | 322,013 | 4.8 | ||||||
| Total | 5,800,146 | 100 | 6,171,013 | 100 | 6,678,239 | 100 | 7,202,898 | 100 | 7,729,236 | 100 | 7,822,795 | 100 | 7,498,001 | 100 | 7,233,619 | 100 | 6,647,003 | 100 |
| Note: data shown in the table are for Serbia excluding Kosovo. a ethnic Albanians largely boycotted 1991 and 2011 censuses; their figures are an official estimations by the Statistical Institute of Serbia. | ||||||||||||||||||
Serbia is largely a homogeneous Christian country with Eastern Orthodoxy as main religion.[21]
TheEastern Orthodoxy is by far the largest religion in Serbia with 81% of population identifying as the Orthodox Christians. TheSerbian Orthodox Church is the traditional church of the country, adherents of which are overwhelmingly ethnic Serbs but also smaller ethnic communities such as Montenegrins, Macedonians, Vlachs, and Bulgarians, as well as Roma. Besides the Serbian Orthodox Church, theRomanian Orthodox Church is the only other Orthodox church in Serbia, serving the ethnic Romanian community in Banat.
Catholicism represents 3.8% of the population, adherents of which are mostly ethnic Hungarians and Croats.
Protestantism accounts for about 0.8% of the country's population, chiefly among ethnic Slovaks and a small part of ethnic Hungarians.
Islam, with 4.2% of the population, is the second-largest religion. It has a strong following among ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians; in addition, estimates are that roughly a third of the country's Roma population are Muslim.
A comparatively small portion of the population is non-religious or skeptical, with 1.1% identifying asatheist and an additional 0.1% asagnostic.
According to data from the 2022 Census, some 2.5% of the population did not declare their religion since answering on the census question on religion was not mandatory. The census category "Unknown" pertains to citizens whose data has been collected from administrative databases.
| Religion | 2002 Census | 2011 Census | 2022 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Christianity | 6,876,279 | 91.7 | 6,555,931 | 91.2 | 5,758,719 | 86.6 |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 6,371,584 | 85.0 | 6,079,396 | 84.6 | 5,387,426 | 81.0 |
| Catholicism | 410,976 | 5.5 | 356,957 | 4.9 | 257,269 | 3.8 |
| Protestantism | 78,646 | 1.0 | 71,284 | 1.0 | 54,678 | 0.8 |
| Other Christian | 2,191 | 0.0 | 3,211 | 0.0 | 59,346 | 0.9 |
| Islam | 239,658 | 3.2 | 222,828 | 3.1 | 278,212 | 4.2 |
| Judaism | 785 | 0.0 | 578 | 0.0 | 602 | 0.0 |
| Other | 6,889 | 0.0 | 3,013 | 0.0 | 1,207 | 0.0 |
| Atheism | 40,068 | 0.5 | 80,053 | 1.1 | 74,139 | 1.1 |
| Agnosticism | 4,010 | 0.0 | 8,654 | 0.1 | ||
| Undeclared | 197,031 | 2.6 | 220,735 | 3.0 | 169,486 | 2.5 |
| Unknown | 137,291 | 1.8 | 99,714 | 1.4 | 355,484 | 5.3 |
| Total | 7,498,001 | 100 | 7,186,862 | 100 | 6,647,003 | 100 |
Serbian is the official language of Serbia, member of theSouth Slavic group of languages and standardized variety of theSerbo-Croatianpluricentric language. Serbian is native language to 84.4% of the population, including almost all ethnic Serbs and majority of ethnic Montenegrins, ethnic Muslims, Yugoslavs, Croats, Macedonians, as well as over third of ethnic Roma and Bulgarians.[22][23]
Recognized minority languages in Serbia are:Hungarian (native language to 2.5% of population),Bosnian (2.2%),Romani (1.2%),Albanian (1%),Slovak (0.6%),Romanian,Croatian,Russian,Macedonian,Rusyn, andBulgarian. Bosnian and Croatian, as standardized varieties of the Serbo-Croatian, aremutually intelligible with Serbian. Minority languages are in official use in local government units where more than a 15% of the population consists of ethnic minorities or where local legislation mandates their use.[24] In Vojvodina, official languages of the provincial administration, besides Serbian, include five minority languages (Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, and Rusyn).
According to data from the 2022 Census, some 2.5% of the population did not declare their native language since answering on the census question on language was not mandatory. The census category "Unknown" pertains to citizens whose data has been collected from administrative databases.
| Language | 2002 Census | 2011 Census | 2022 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Serbian | 6,620,699 | 88.3 | 6,330,919 | 88.1 | 5,607,558 | 84.3 |
| Hungarian | 286,508 | 3.8 | 243,146 | 3.4 | 170,875 | 2.5 |
| Bosnian | 134,749 | 1.8 | 138,871 | 1.9 | 145,329 | 2.2 |
| Albanian | 63,835 | 0.8 | 10,040 | 0.1 | 65,475 | 1.0 |
| Romani | 82,242 | 1.1 | 100,668 | 1.4 | 79,687 | 1.2 |
| Slovak | 57,498 | 0.7 | 49,796 | 0.7 | 38,584 | 0.6 |
| Vlach | 54,818 | 0.7 | 43,095 | 0.6 | 23,216 | 0.3 |
| Romanian | 34,515 | 0.4 | 29,075 | 0.4 | 21,477 | 0.3 |
| Croatian | 27,588 | 0.3 | 19,223 | 0.2 | 12,048 | 0.2 |
| Russian | 2,199 | 0.0 | 3,179 | 0.0 | 11,255 | 0.1 |
| Rusyn | 13,458 | 0.1 | 11,340 | 0.1 | 8,725 | 0.1 |
| Macedonian | 14,355 | 0.2 | 12,706 | 0.2 | 8,375 | 0.1 |
| Bulgarian | 16,459 | 0.2 | 13,337 | 0.2 | 7,939 | 0.1 |
| Other | 25,201 | 0.3 | 53,276 | 0.7 | 55,159 | 0.8 |
| Undeclared | 63,877 | 0.8 | 46,499 | 0.6 | 88,122 | 1.3 |
| Unknown | 81,692 | 1.1 | 303,179 | 4.5 | ||
| Total | 7,498,001 | 100 | 7,186,862 | 100 | 6,647,003 | 100 |
Serbia has experienced predominantly negative net migration for decades. Over the past decade or so, Serbia saw an average annual net migration loss of approximately 12,000 people, underscoring a persistent demographic outflow, though recent influxes of Russian expatriates and South Asian laborers have occasionally tipped the balance toward positive in specific years like 2022.
Compared to other Eastern European countries, Serbia experienced relatively low levels of emigration until the latter half of the 20th century. From the 1960s onwards, and particularly since the 1990s, Serbia has been a country of emigration. According to recent estimates, about 800,000 Serbian citizens or Serbia-born persons live abroad, predominantly inEurope and, to a much lesser extent, overseas (primarily inNorth America andOceania).
In addition, there exists a sizableSerb diaspora, comprising ethnic Serbs and their descendants originating not only from Serbia itself but also from other autochthonous Serb-inhabited regions of the Balkans. This diaspora also resides predominantly in Europe, and to a lesser extent overseas.
| Country | Population | |
|---|---|---|
 Germany | 272,690 (2024)[26]a | |
 Austria | 141,882 (2023)[27]b | |
 France | 74,000 (2023)[28]b | |
 Switzerland | 56,743 (2024)[29]a | |
 United States | 42,968 (2023)[30]b | |
 Canada | 31,925 (2021)b | |
 Slovenia | 30,248 (2021)[31]b | |
 Italy | 29,679 (2024)[32]a | |
 Australia | 25,454 (2021)[33]b | |
 Sweden | 17,909 (2024)[34]b | |
| a Serbian citizens;b Serbia-born persons | ||
During the era ofsocialist Yugoslavia, Serbia experienced internal migrations, mainly consisting of movements of ethnic Serbs from other constituent republics likeBosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia, andMontenegro. These were often driven by urbanization, employment in Belgrade and other cities, or family ties. In the 1990s, thedissolution of Yugoslavia and ensuing wars lead to a massive influx (around half a million) of mainly ethnic Serb refugees from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, making Serbia host to Europe's largest refugee population at the time.
In recent years, country has seen significant wave of immigration from Russia, following the outbreak ofwar in Ukraine. More than 300,000 Russian nationals have entered Serbia of which some 53,000 settled in the country i.e. had been issued a residence permit.[35]
There is a relatively present Chinesediaspora in Serbia; estimates are that up to 15,000Chinese people live in Serbia, mainly in Belgrade,Bor, andZrenjanin.[36] First wave of Chinese immigration occurred during the late 1990s and was driven by relaxed visa policies, primarily traders fromZhejiang andFujian who settled in Belgrade. Second wave is largely tied to economic activities, investments of Chinese companies in mining and manufacturing, and is concentrated in towns of Bor and Zrenjanin.
Additionally, the 2020s have witnessed a sizeable influx ofSouth Asian migrants, primarilyIndians andSri Lankans, as working migrants on large-scale infrastructure projects and in transportation and courier services.
About two-thirds of the foreign-born population consists of ethnic Serbs from neighbouring countries: the most common countries of birth areBosnia and Herzegovina (32%),Croatia (25%), andMontenegro (8%).[37][38] The rest consist predominately of Russian nationals, and to a far lesser degree of Chinese and South Asian immigrants.
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Literacy in Serbia stands at 99.3% of population while computer literacy is at 79.6% (51.6% have complete computer literacy).[41]
| Year | Primary education or less | Secondary education | Tertiary education |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 88.1% | 10.0% | 1.6% |
| 1971 | 80.1% | 16.2% | 3.3% |
| 1981 | 69.2% | 24.5% | 5.7% |
| 1991 | 58.0% | 32.1% | 9.0% |
| 2002 | 45.7% | 41.0% | 11.0% |
| 2011 | 34.4% | 48.9% | 16.2% |
| 2022 | 24.1% | 53.1% | 22.4% |
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