Serbia Population
Serbia had an estimated population of 6,549,143 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 109th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.08% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.57% a year.
Serbia at a glance
How Serbia's population is changing
Serbia's population is shrinking: −0.57% a year, which works out to about −37,227 people per year, or −102 a day. Births (9.2 per 1,000) and deaths (14.9 per 1,000) alone would give −0.57% a year; net migration removes about 13,086 people a year (−0.20%). Roughly one in every 1,254 people on Earth lives in Serbia.
Population of Serbia since 1960
In 1960, Serbia had 6,638,992 people. By 2025 that was 6,549,143 — almost unchanged. The population peaked in 1990 at 7,897,937 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 8%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6,638,992 | — |
| 1970 | 7,164,993 | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 7,709,544 | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 7,897,937 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 7,516,346 | −4.8% |
| 2010 | 7,291,436 | −3.0% |
| 2020 | 6,899,126 | −5.4% |
| 2025 | 6,549,143 | −5.1% |
Serbia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Serbia at about 2,147,197 people in 1800; the UN estimates 6,689,038 in 2025 (3× 1800) and projects 3,701,503 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1987 at 7,885,364 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,147,197 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,020,891 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,313,842 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 6,009,201 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 7,694,608 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 6,689,038 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 5,532,862 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 4,511,866 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 3,701,503 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Serbia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 6,549,143. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgrade | 1,121,410 | UN urban centre | 17.12% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Novi Sad | 262,324 | UN urban centre | 4.01% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Novi Beograd | 209,763 | GeoNames settlement | 3.20% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Niš | 199,431 | UN urban centre | 3.05% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Zemun | 155,591 | GeoNames settlement | 2.38% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Kragujevac | 130,084 | UN urban centre | 1.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Novi Pazar | 79,249 | UN urban centre | 1.21% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Subotica | 77,043 | UN urban centre | 1.18% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Kraljevo | 66,017 | UN urban centre | 1.01% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Užice | 63,577 | GeoNames settlement | 0.97% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Serbia compares
Serbia has almost the same population as Republic of the Congo (6,484,437).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Serbia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #107 |  Paraguay | 7,013,078 | +7% | compare → |
| #108 |  Nicaragua | 7,007,502 | +7% | compare → |
| #110 |  Republic of the Congo | 6,484,437 | −1% | compare → |
| #111 |  Bulgaria | 6,433,302 | −2% | compare → |
Compare Serbia with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Serbia
Land neighbours (8)
Romania 19,020,271 · 2.9× the population · compare
Hungary 9,514,251 · 1.5× the population · compare- Bulgaria 6,433,302 · about the same population · compare
Croatia 3,876,200 · 1.7× smaller · compare
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,140,095 · 2.1× smaller · compare
North Macedonia 1,820,909 · 3.6× smaller · compare
Kosovo 1,576,876 · 4.2× smaller · compare
Montenegro 623,129 · 10.5× smaller · compare
Serbia's 8 neighbours together hold 46,005,033 people — 7.0× Serbia's population. The most populous is Romania (19,020,271).
In its region
Serbia is the 27th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.7% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Serbia
Cities
Belgrade, Novi Sad, Novi Beograd, Niš, Zemun, Kragujevac, Novi Pazar, Subotica — all Serbia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Serbia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.