Background: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators as well. The military and political movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when their domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Although communists, TITO and his successors (Tito died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia and his ultranationalist 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 April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions ultimately failed and, after international intervention, led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995.

Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 21 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 77,474 km²
Land: 77,474 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 2,322 km
Border countries: (8) 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

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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)

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

Elevation
Highest point: Midzor 2,169 m
Lowest point: Danube and Timok Rivers 35 m
Mean elevation: 442 m

Natural resources: oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 57.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 31.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 10.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 520 km² (2020)

Major rivers
By length in km: Danube (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 659.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 4.057 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 660.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 162.2 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) (note - includes Kosovo)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes

Geography
Note: landlocked; controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East

Population
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations: 6,739,471 (2022 est.)
Note: does not include the population of Kosovo
Growth rate: -0.75% (2022 est.)
Below poverty line: 23.2% (2018 est.)

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.)
Note: most ethnic Albanians boycotted the 2011 census; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5-11% of Serbia's population

Languages: Serbian (official) 88.1%, Hungarian 3.4%, Bosnian 1.9%, Romani 1.4%, other 3.4%, undeclared or unknown 1.8%; note - Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, and Ruthenian (Rusyn) are official in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina; most ethnic Albanians boycotted the 2011 census (2011 est.)
Major language samples:

Religions: Orthodox 84.6%, Catholic 5%, Muslim 3.1%, Protestant 1%, atheist 1.1%, other 0.8% (includes agnostics, other Christians, Eastern, Jewish), undeclared or unknown 4.5% (2011 est.)
Note: most ethnic Albanians boycotted the 2011 census

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.07% (male 508,242/female 478,247)
15-24 years: 11.04% (male 399,435/female 374,718)
25-54 years: 41.19% (male 1,459,413/female 1,429,176)
55-64 years: 13.7% (male 464,881/female 495,663)
65 years and over: 20% (male 585,705/female 816,685) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.8
Youth dependency ratio: 21.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 31.9
Potential support ratio: 3.1 (2021 est.) data include Kosovo

Median age
Total: 43.4 years
Male: 41.7 years
Female: 45 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.75% (2022 est.)

Birth rate: 8.92 births/1000 population (2022 est.)

Death rate: 16.39 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2022 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 57.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data include Kosovo

Major urban areas
Population: 1.408 million BELGRADE (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube; inadequate management of domestic, industrial, and hazardous waste
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 24.27 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 45.22 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 11.96 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.2 years (2020 est.)
Note: data does not cover Kosovo or Metohija

Maternal mortality ratio: 12 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.81 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5.43 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.16 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.17 years
Male: 71.5 years
Female: 77 years (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 62.3% (2019)

Current health expenditure: 8.7% of GDP (2019)

Physicians density: 3.11 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 5.6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: (2021 est.) <0.1%

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 7.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 1.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 39.8% (2020 est.)
Male: 40.5% (2020 est.)
Female: 39.1% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 1% (2019)

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.5%
Male: 99.9%
Female: 99.1% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 25.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 23.5%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 28.8% (2021 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Serbia
Conventional short form: Serbia
Local long form: Republika Srbija
Local short form: Srbija
Former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia
Etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but seems to be related to the name of the West Slavic Sorbs who reside in the Lusatian region in present-day eastern Germany; by tradition, the Serbs migrated from that region to the Balkans in about the 6th century A.D.

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Belgrade (Beograd)
Geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: the Serbian "Beograd" means "white fortress" or "white city" and dates back to the 9th century; the name derives from the white fortress wall that once enclosed the city

Administrative divisions: 117 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina) and 28 cities (gradovi, singular - grad)

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 (Yugoslavia) established)

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

Constitution
History: many previous; latest adopted 30 September 2006, approved by referendum 28-29 October 2006, effective 8 November 2006
Amendments: proposed by at least one third of deputies in the National Assembly, by the president of the republic, by the government, or by petition of at least 150,000 voters; passage of proposals and draft amendments each requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly; amendments to constitutional articles including the preamble, constitutional principles, and human and minority rights and freedoms also require passage by simple majority vote in a referendum

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descentonly: at least one parent must be a citizen of Serbia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Aleksandar VUCIC (since 31 May 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ana BRNABIC (since 29 June 2017)
Cabinet: Cabinet elected by the National Assembly
Elections and appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 April 2022 (next to be held in April 2,027); prime minister elected by the National Assembly; note - in October 2020 President VUCIC called for early elections
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodna Skupstina (250 seats; members directly elected by party list proportional representation vote in a single nationwide constituency to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 3 April 2022 (next to be held in April 2026)
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - Together We Can Do Everything 44.2%, UZPS 14.1%, Ivica Dacic - Prime Minister 11.8%, NADA 5.6%, We Must 4.9%, Dveri-POKS 3.9%, SSZ 3.8%, other 11.7%; seats by party/coalition - Together We Can Do Everything 120, UZPS 38, Ivica Dacic - Prime Minister 31, NADA 15, We Must 13, Dveri-POKS 10, SSZ 10, SVM 6, SPP 3, other 4; composition - men 150, women 100, percent of women 40%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of 36 judges, including the court president); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court justices proposed by the High Judicial Council (HJC), an 11-member independent body consisting of 8 judges elected by the National Assembly and 3 ex-officio members; justices appointed by the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges elected - 5 each by the National Assembly, the president, and the Supreme Court of Cassation; initial appointment of Supreme Court judges by the HJC is 3 years and beyond that period tenure is permanent; Constitutional Court judges elected for 9-year terms
Subordinate courts: basic courts, higher courts, appellate courts; courts of special jurisdiction include the Administrative Court, commercial courts, and misdemeanor courts

Political parties and leaders: Albanian Democratic Alternative (coalition of ethnic Albanian parties) [Shaip KAMBERI]
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM or VMSZ [Istvan PASZTOR]
Better Serbia or BS [Dragan JOVANOVIC]
Democratic Party or DS [Zoran LUTOVAC]
Dveri [Bosko OBRADOVIC]
Greens of Serbia or ZS [Ivan KARIC]
Ivica Dacic - Prime Minister of Serbia [Ivica DACIC] (coalition includes SPS, JS, ZS)
Justice and Reconciliation Party or SPP [Usame ZUKORLIC] (formerly Bosniak Democratic Union of Sandzak or BDZS)
Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia or POKS [Vojislav MIHAILOVIC]
Movement of Free Citizens or PSG [Pavle GRBOVIC]
Movement of Socialists or PS [Aleksandar VULIN]
National Democratic Alternative or NADA [Milos JOVANOVIC and Vojislav MIHAILOVIC] (coalition includes DSS and POKS)
New Democratic Party of Serbia or NDSS or New DSS [Milos JOVANOVIC] (formerly Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS)
Party of Democratic Action of the Sandzak or SDA [Sulejman UGLJANIN]
Party of Freedom and Justice or SSP [Dragan DILAS]
Party of United Pensioners, Farmers, and Proletarians of Serbia - Solidarity and Justice or PUPS - Solidarity and Justice [Milan KRKOBABIC] (formerly Party of United Pensioners of Serbia or PUPS)
People's Party or NS or Narodna [Vuk JEREMIC]
People's Peasant Party or NSS [Marijan RISTICEVIC]
Serbian Party Oathkeepers or SSZ [Stefan STAMENKOVSKI]
Serbian People's Party or SNP [Nenad POPOVIC]
Serbian Progressive Party or SNS [Aleksandar VUCIC]
Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC]
Social Democratic Party of Serbia or SDPS [Rasim LJAJIC]
Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC]
Strength of Serbia or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]
Together for Serbia or ZZS [Nebojsa ZELENOVIC]
Together We Can Do Everything [Milenko JOVANOV] (includes SNS, SDPS, PUPS, PSS, SNP, SPO, PS, NSS, USS, BS)
United for the Victory of Serbia or UZPS (includes NS, SSP, DS, PSG) (dissolved April 2022)
United Peasant Party or USS [Milija MILETIC]
United Serbia or JS [Dragan MARKOVIC]
We Must or Moramo [Nebojsa ZELENOVIC, Dobrica VESELINOVIC, Aleksandar JOVANOVIC CUTA, Biljana STOJKOVIC, Radomir LAZOVIC, Biljana DORDEVIC]
Note: Serbia has more than 110 registered political parties and citizens' associations

International organization participation: BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Marko DJURIC (since 18 January 2021)
In the us chancery: 2,233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-3,933
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL (since 1 April 2022)
From the us embassy: 92 Bulevar kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica, 11,040 Belgrade
From the us mailing address: 5,070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20,521-5,070
From the us telephone: [381] (11) 706-4,000
From the us FAX: [381] (11) 706-4,481
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white - the Pan-Slav colors representing freedom and revolutionary ideals; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side; the principal field of the coat of arms represents the Serbian state and displays a white two-headed eagle on a red shield; a smaller red shield on the eagle represents the Serbian nation, and is divided into four quarters by a white cross; interpretations vary as to the meaning and origin of the white, curved symbols resembling firesteels (fire strikers) or Cyrillic "C's" in each quarter; a royal crown surmounts the coat of arms
Note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia

National symbols: white double-headed eagle; national colors: red, blue, white

National anthem
Name: "Boze pravde" (God of Justice)
Lyrics and music: Jovan DORDEVIC/Davorin JENKO
Note: adopted 1904; song originally written as part of a play in 1872 and has been used as an anthem by the Serbian people throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 4 (all cultural)
Selected world heritage site locales:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 78.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 10.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 18.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 52.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -61.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 41.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 49.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: maize, wheat, sugar beet, milk, sunflower seed, potatoes, soybeans, plums/sloes, apples, barley

Industries: automobiles, base metals, furniture, food processing, machinery, chemicals, sugar, tires, clothes, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 3 million (2020 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 19.4%
By occupation industry: 24.5%
By occupation services: 56.1% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 25.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 23.5%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 28.8% (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line: 23.2% (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.2%
Highest 10: 23.8% (2011)

Budget
Revenues: $17.69 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $17.59 billion (2017 est.)
Note: data include both central government and local goverment budgets
Surplus or deficit: $0.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 42.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.38% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0.25% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: Germany 12%, Italy 10%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 7%, Romania 6%, Russia 5% (2019)
Commodities: insulated wiring, tires, corn, cars, iron products, copper (2019)

Imports:
Partners: Germany 13%, Russia 9%, Italy 8%, Hungary 6%, China 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 8.986 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 29,933,262,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: $5.943 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 5.002 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission distribution losses: 4.332 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 69.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 2.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 27.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 39.673 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 40.83 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 72,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 987,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 7.514 billion metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 15,200 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 79,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 53,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 77.5 million barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 74,350 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 15,750 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 18,720 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 455.787 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 2,619,191,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 1,980,647,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 48.139 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 47.735 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 32.686 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 10.17 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 4.878 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 98.195 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,572,254 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 8,260,758 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2020 est.)

Internet
Country code: .rs
Users total: 5,381,318 (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 78% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1,730,496 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

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