Serbia Travel Podcast with Milica Jovanović

Location

Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary

Terrain

Extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills

Climate

In the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well-distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)

Elevation

Highest point

Midzor 2,169 m

Lowest point

Danube and Timok Rivers 35 m

Mean elevation

442 m

Area

Total

77,474 sq km

Land

77,474 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than South Carolina

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Land borders

Total

2,322 km

Border countries

Bosnia and Herzegovina 345 km; Bulgaria 344 km; Croatia 314 km; Hungary 164 km; Kosovo 366 km; North Macedonia 101 km; Montenegro 157 km; Romania 531 km

Natural resources

Oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

40.4% (2023 est.)

Arable land

31% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

2.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

6.6% (2023 est.)

Forest

40.4% (2023 est.)

Other

27.2% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes

Note

Landlocked; controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East

Population

Total

6,652,212 (2024 est.)

Male

3,242,751

Female

3,409,461

Nationality

Noun

Serb(s)

Adjective

Serbian

Ethnic groups

Serb 83.3%, Hungarian 3.5%, Romani 2.1%, Bosniak 2%, other 5.7%, undeclared or unknown 3.4% (2011 est.)

Languages

Languages

Serbian (official) 88.1%, Hungarian 3.4%, Bosnian 1.9%, Romani 1.4%, other 3.4%, undeclared or unknown 1.8% (2011 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Knjiga svetskih činjenica, neophodan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Serbian)

Religions

Serbian Orthodox 81.1%, unknown 5.3%, Islam 4.2%, Catholic 3.9%, no response 2.5%, atheist 1.1%; less than 1%: other Christians, Protestant, agnostic (2022)

Median age

Total

44.1 years (2025 est.)

Male

42.4 years

Female

45.4 years

Life expectancy

Total population

75.3 years (2024 est.)

Male

72.7 years

Female

78.1 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

57.1% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

A fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

Largest cities

1.408 million BELGRADE (capital) (2023)

Background

In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. The monarchy remained in power until 1945, when the communist Partisans headed by Josip Broz (aka TITO) took control of the newly created Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). After TITO died in 1980, communism in Yugoslavia gradually gave way to resurgent nationalism. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia, and his calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in 1992, and MILOSEVIC led military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions ultimately failed, and international intervention led to the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995.

In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo resulted in a brutal Serbian counterinsurgency campaign. Serbia rejected a proposed international settlement, and NATO responded with a bombing campaign that forced Serbian forces to withdraw from Kosovo in June 1999. In 2003, the FRY became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. In 2006, Montenegro seceded and declared itself an independent nation.

In 2008, Kosovo also declared independence -- an action Serbia still refuses to recognize. In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two countries. Additional agreements were reached in 2015 and 2023, but implementation remains incomplete. Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012, and President Aleksandar VUCIC has promoted the ambitious goal of Serbia joining the EU by 2025.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Belgrade (Beograd)

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republika Srbija

Independence

5 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro); notable earlier dates: 1217 (Serbian Kingdom established); 16 April 1346 (Serbian Empire established); 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Serbian independence); 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes established, later known as Yugoslavia)

National day

Statehood Day, 15 February (1835), the day the first constitution of the country was adopted

Overview

Upper middle-income Balkan economy; current EU accession candidate; hit by COVID-19; pursuing green growth development; manageable public debt; new anticorruption efforts; falling unemployment; historic Russian relations; energy import-dependent

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$26,900 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$25,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$24,600 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

4.7% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

12.4% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

12% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

7.4% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

8.3% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

8.5% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Serbian dinars (RSD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

108.208 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

108.403 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

111.662 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

99.396 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

103.163 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Automobiles, base metals, furniture, food processing, machinery, chemicals, sugar, tires, clothes, pharmaceuticals

Agriculture

Maize, wheat, sugar beets, milk, sunflower seeds, soybeans, potatoes, barley, apples, plums (2023)

Airports

46 (2025)

Railways

Total 3,333 km (2020) 1,274 km electrified

Internet domain

.rs

Internet users

Percent of population 85% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

8.53 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

124 (2021 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes in rivers; inadequate management of domestic, industrial, and hazardous waste

Fresh water

162.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

1

Global geoparks and regional networks

Djerdap (2023)