Serbia loses about 200 people every day and every year about 100,000 fewer children are born than 70 years ago. It is estimated that by 2040 there will be less than 5 million people living in Serbia.
The head of the Department for Demography at the State Statistics Office (RZS), Gordana Bjelobrk, said that the number of deaths is increasing:
“If you look at the age structure, we have never had such an old population. The share of elderly people and divorces in the population is growing. The average age of mothers giving birth for the first time is going up as is the average age of citizens of the Republic of Serbia. The number of newborns has been decreasing as is the number of marriages. Migration abroad has an indirect impact as well”.
Speaking of migration from villages to cities, she points out that out of 168 municipalities, only three had a positive birth rate, namely Preševo, Tutin and Novi Pazar, while some have had a negative birth rate since the 1960s.
Tatjana Macura, president of the Mame su Zakon association, said that the main reasons for the current demographic situation are that people are waiting to have a stable job, exercise their legal rights, be relatively worry-free and economically independent before starting family. “Right now, the minor issue is whether women are ready or not, and the bigger responsibility lies with the state,” she concluded.
(B92, 27.09.2021)
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