Serbia

Abstract

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020. All rights reserved. Serbia is a post-socialist country with approximately 7.1 million people undergoing a strong and continuous process of demographic ageing. The average age of the population has increased to 43.2 years and the proportion older than 65 years has increased to 17.4%. The period of rapid ageing of the population coincided with political and economic crisis in Serbia during the last decade of the 20th century. This period was marked by extensive emigration of the younger population, the delay of birth and a strong decline in fertility. The major economic challenges ahead include: high unemployment rates, the need for job creation in the public sector, structural reforms of state-owned companies, strategic public sector reforms and the need for new foreign direct investment. Serbia has been gradually implementing structural economic reforms needed to ensure the country’s long-term prosperity. Policies designed to extend working life have been one of the dominant responses to population ageing.