Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia
Serbia: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 2.43 million people in 2020. ▼ Falling
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Serbia recorded 2.43 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia peaked at 2.96 million people in 1980 and was at its lowest, 2.43 million people, in 2020.
That places Serbia 95th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.72 million people | — |
| 1955 | 2.78 million people | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 2.83 million people | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 2.88 million people | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 2.92 million people | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 2.95 million people | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 2.96 million people | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 2.96 million people | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 2.94 million people | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 2.89 million people | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 2.82 million people | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.73 million people | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 2.65 million people | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 2.55 million people | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 2.43 million people | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.75 million people | 2.72 million people | 2.78 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.86 million people | 2.83 million people | 2.88 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.94 million people | 2.92 million people | 2.95 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 2.96 million people | 2.96 million people | 2.96 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.91 million people | 2.89 million people | 2.94 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.78 million people | 2.73 million people | 2.82 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.60 million people | 2.55 million people | 2.65 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.43 million people | 2.43 million people | 2.43 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Serbia
More population data for Serbia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.7734 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.21 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.7734 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,778 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.6883 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.9703 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.8% (2100)
- Population density 44.02 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 141,046 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Serbia was 2.43 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Serbia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.96 million people in 1980.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Serbia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.43 million people in 2020.
- How does Serbia rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Serbia ranks 95th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Serbia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Serbia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.