A spatial perspective on demographic change in Serbian cities and towns

Abstract

The majority of European countries share challenges related to demographic change. A decline in the total population size and population aging have already spread from rural to some urban areas. The case of Serbia is no exception. The focus of this article is the parameters of demographic change analysed particularly for larger (cities) and smaller (towns) urban settlements – population size, birth rate, rate of natural increase, average age of first-time mothers, total fertility rate, share of the young and elderly population, average population age, and developing demographic trends. The paper also stresses the necessity to use other definitions for a “city” than the one used in legislation or statistical reports, by showing the extent to which results might differ depending on the chosen definition. One of the definitions used in this paper relies on a slightly adapted division of settlements used in statistical reporting, while the other is based on the Law on Local Self-Government (2007), the Law on the Territorial Organization of the Republic of Serbia (2007) and functional urban areas defined by the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia. Cities and towns are observed from the perspective of their spatial distribution; therefore, each parameter is considered at the settlement, regional and district level.