Society

According to data from 2017, Serbia has a population of 7.04 million, which represents a decline relative to the last population census in 2011, when the population of Serbia was 7.27 million. Of these, 51.3% are women and 48.7% are men, while the average age is 42.2 years. The most numerous demographic group (2.9 million people) is the generation between 50 and 59 years of age. Serbia has 2.45 million households with an average of 2.9 household members.

According to the projections of the Ipsos Strategic Marketing Agency, the number of inhabitants will decline to 6.18 million by 2041.

The results of the last census show that although the population is ageing, the literacy rate is rising. The number of highly educated people has risen from 6% in 1981 to 16% in 2011.

The 2011 census results also showed that the level of illiteracy had halved compared to the previous census of 2002. Of the total population which is older than 10 years of age, a total of 6.5 million are literate, while 127,463 are illiterate. There are four times as many illiterate women (104,000) than men (23,000).

It should be stressed that almost 164,000 people are without vocational qualifications, while more than half a million people (677,500) have an incomplete primary school education, around 10% of the total population.

In addition, the data of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications shows that around 50% of the population over the age of 15 is computer illiterate. As a result, in 2018 the Ministry initiated the creation of a strategy for the development of digital capabilities.

The purchasing power of the population is rising, although average salaries are relatively low and averaged around €420 in 2018.

The latest official statistical dana from the third quarter of 2018 shows that around 2 million people in Serbia have formal employment, while the rate of unemployment stands around 11%. The rate of unemployment among the young (between 15 and 24) is still high and stands at 25.3%

The official language of the country is Serbian. In an ethnic sense, the Republic of Serbia is a multinational community. Aside from Serbs, who represent 83% (5,988,150) of the population, the most numerous groups are ethnic Hungarians (253,899), Roma (147,604) and Bosniaks (145,278).