Serbia Population

Serbia's population has been declining since the late 1980s, squeezed by low fertility and decades of emigration that began with the Yugoslav wars and continued toward the EU. Its median age is now among the higher in Europe. The projection sees the population roughly halving by 2100, a trajectory shared across much of the Balkans.

With roughly 6.7 million people as of 2026, Serbia ranks 111th in the world by population. A country of Southern Europe, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. Population density stands at about 87 people for every square kilometre of land.

The peak is already behind Serbia: its population maxed out at about 7.9 million near 1988 and is contracting. By 2050 the UN expects around 5.6 million people, and by 2100 about 3.7 million.

With fertility near 1.50, just under the 2.1 replacement mark, natural increase is fading.

Half of Serbia is currently younger than about 44, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 52, while life expectancy, near 77 years, keeps rising. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

All of this is a projection, not a prediction. The further out it runs the wider the plausible range becomes, which is why Serbia's charts show a low-to-high band around the central line.