In contrast to politicians who claim that, since they came to power, citizens in their country have never lived better, residents of the Western Balkans assess the economic situation as extremely unstable and fear that it will become even worse.
Serbia records the largest rise in dissatisfaction in 2025 and the most radical shift in public mood within just one year compared to all other countries in the region. Among the populations of the Western Balkans, citizens of Serbia have the least trust in state institutions, are the most negative in their assessments that social welfare is being subordinated to foreign interests, and are the most fearful of civil war, according to the SecuriMeter 2025 survey conducted by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
People in the Balkans see their greatest support in family and friends, and have the least trust in politicians. Whereas five years ago one third of Western Balkan residents considered the situation in their country to be relatively satisfactory, now fewer than a quarter hold that view. Dissatisfaction with the economic and social situation is most pronounced in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, the SecuriMeter 2025 survey by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) shows.
This body, which brings together Western Balkan countries to strengthen mutual cooperation and accelerate the region’s European integration, was placed in January this year on a list of international organisations to which the United States withdrew further financial support, on the grounds that their work was contrary to American interests.
The RCC conducted the survey in Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo*, with the aim of determining to what extent citizens perceive their countries as stable on the basis of several key and interrelated factors: whether economic progress is being felt, the level of trust in institutions, the prevalence of corruption, personal security, society’s capacity to resist negative external influences and to avoid internal conflicts.
In contrast to politicians who claim that citizens have never lived better since they took office, residents of the Western Balkans regard the economic situation as highly unstable and fear it will deteriorate further.
Things are moving in the wrong direction
Respondents across the region are most concerned about the enormous rise in everyday living costs and inflation. Western Balkan residents are dissatisfied with wages and pensions, believe that tax burdens in their countries are too high, and increasingly fear losing their jobs due to frequent company closures and reduced chances of finding new employment.
It is noticeable that over the past five years, assessments of the prospects for domestic economies have significantly worsened. Currently, more than 45 per cent of residents in the region believe that things are moving in the wrong direction, fewer than a quarter believe that the domestic economy will grow, while the rest are undecided.
Albania and North Macedonia deviate somewhat from the overall results, where optimism in 2025 has slightly increased compared to previous years. A completely opposite trend is recorded in Montenegro. Following the political change in the 2021 parliamentary elections, 62 per cent of Montenegrin citizens believed that the domestic economy had good development prospects, whereas in 2025, only 27 per cent of respondents were fully or partially convinced of this.
Pessimism is most pronounced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where almost 60 per cent of residents do not believe in the stabilisation of economic conditions, and this sentiment has been continuously present over the past five years. Public perception in Serbia regarding the state of the domestic economy has deteriorated more markedly since 2023, and last year more than 52 per cent of respondents assessed the situation as extremely poor. Serbia records the largest increase in dissatisfaction in 2025 and the most radical change in mood within just one year compared to all other countries in the region, the survey states.
As for Kosovo*, it is indicative that compared to 2021, economic optimism more than tripled in 2022, when 48 per cent of citizens believed in economic improvement, but last year only 29 per cent of respondents held that view.
An unstable Balkans in an unstable world
The 2025 results show that Western Balkan residents are not particularly convinced by their politicians’ claims that their country is successfully coping with global shocks. On the contrary, they are most fearful that the domestic economy will become collateral damage in current political and economic conflicts worldwide. Secondly, they fear that political disagreements within the region itself could escalate into new wars, while fears of terrorist attacks and possible internal clashes are somewhat less pronounced.
Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the most concerned about new armed conflicts in the Balkans, with 55 per cent of respondents very worried about this. Respondents in Kosovo* are the least fearful of a potential war in the region at 24 per cent, followed by residents of Albania at 41 per cent, while in the remaining countries the percentage of those concerned ranges from 45 to 50 per cent.
Despite considerable political and economic dissatisfaction, populations in most Western Balkan countries do not believe this will lead to civil war. The exceptions are Bosnia and Herzegovina, where 57 per cent of respondents fear this, and Serbia, where more than 60 per cent expressed such concerns.
However, there is a significant difference between these two countries. A great concern about the outbreak of civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been continuously present over the past five years. By contrast, Serbia is the only country in the region where a major reversal has occurred on this issue within just one year, with fear of civil war rising dramatically during 2025, the authors of the survey note.
Political parties without a shred of trust
Around two-fifths of respondents across the region believe that the quality and performance of public institutions have remained roughly the same over the past five years, one third believe they have worsened, and one-fifth conclude that their work has improved. Serbia leads with the most negative view of institutional performance, where more than 48 per cent of respondents believe that the work of institutions has deteriorated.
When asked whether public institutions treat all people equally, regardless of social status, political views or ethnic background, almost half of the respondents in Western Balkan countries gave a negative answer, while fewer than a quarter responded positively.
Kosovo* is the only place in the region where a slightly higher number of respondents believe that institutions have improved and treat all citizens equally than those who conclude the opposite. However, researchers note that the positive view is predominantly expressed by Albanians rather than by the Serbian population. In addition, only 2 per cent of respondents completely agree with the claim of equal treatment of all citizens, signalling that even those who generally agree are not certain that this is truly the case, the survey states.
The 2025 results show that 60 per cent of Western Balkan residents do not trust their governments, only a quarter trust parliament, one third have confidence in civil services, and political parties rank worst, with only 18 per cent of citizens across the region trusting them. Distrust in state institutions and political parties is most pronounced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by Serbia, which again records the largest decline in trust in the region over the past year.
The collapse of social values
Corruption remains a chronic problem in Western Balkan countries. More than four-fifths of respondents across the region are convinced that corruption is widespread in their country, and nearly half believe it has increased further over the past three years. According to respondents’ personal experience, corruption is most prevalent in healthcare, education, the judiciary and public administration.
When it comes to the erosion of social values, Serbia once again stands out, where public perception of these problems deteriorated sharply last year. Citizens of Serbia identify as the greatest threats the enormous rise in corruption and the growing influence of organised crime in society, alongside the decline of democratic and human rights standards.
Researchers also note that residents of Serbia are the most negative in their assessments that the welfare of society is being subordinated to foreign interests.
(Biznis i Finansije, 24.02.2026)
https://bif.rs/2026/02/stanovnici-zapadnog-balkana-o-ekonomskoj-i-drustvenoj-stabilnosti/