If we were to believe population estimates done by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the US Department of Trade, and the International Database, by 2050, the countries in Southeast Europe will experience a severe decline in population numbers, while the population in the Northwest Europe will continue to grow.
According to the said estimates, by 2050, Serbia will have had the population of only 5.5 million, with a demographic decline of over 33%. Only Lithuania, Latvia and Moldavia will experience a bigger population decline of 40%.
By 2050, Croatia will have 3.86 million people while other regional countries will also experience a demographic decline – Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro 8% each and Macedonia 4%. In 30 years time, Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg will be most desirable countries to live in since the CIA estimates show that their population will grow from 20% to 33%.
Between 2002 and 2011, Serbia lost more than 377,000 people or 5 percent of its population of around 7 million, according to the census. Numbers have fallen in 86 percent of the country’s 4,600 villages, according to the Serbian Academy of Science. A similar situation exists in some other countries in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe.
The outflow continued after the fall of President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. A transition to a market economy saw many state factories close and a trend towards smaller families has seen the average age rise to 42 according to the 2011 census, up from 40 in 2002.
In an effort to improve the demographic situation in Serbia, the government drafted a new law on financial assistance to families with children which stipulates an increase in the one-off financial assistance for first child from the current 39,000 dinars to 100,000 dinars. Also, financial assistance for maternity leave will not include women who are small business owners, those working in agriculture and the unemployed ones.
(Danas, Reuters, RTV, 04.12.2017)
http://www.danas.rs/drustvo.55.html?news_id=364061
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