Serbia (Republic of Serbia)

Serbia Republic of Serbia
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	55th best
Capital	Belgrade
Land Area	87 460km21
Location	Europe, The Balkans
Population	8.8m2
Life Expectancy	74.19yrs (2017)3
GNI	$19 123 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	RS, SRB, 6885
Internet Domain	.rs, .yu6
Currency	Dinar (RSD)7
Telephone	+3818

1. Overview
2. Serbia National and Social Development
3. Serbia's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Serbia's Health
6. Serbia's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Serbia's Modernity and Learning
8. Serbia's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

“The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945, but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip "TITO" Broz (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although Communist, TITO's new government and his successors (he 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 were ultimately unsuccessful and led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC retained control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999, to the withdrawal of Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999, and to the stationing of a NATO-led force in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the region's ethnic communities. FRY elections in late 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and the installation of democratic government. In 2003, the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 caused the international community to open negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In June 2006, Montenegro seceded from the federation and declared itself an independent nation. Serbia subsequently gave notice that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In February 2008, after nearly two years of inconclusive negotiations, the UN-administered province of Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia - an action Serbia refuses to recognize. At Serbia's request, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2008 sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was in accordance with international law. In a ruling considered unfavorable to Serbia, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion in July 2010 stating that international law did not prohibit declarations of independence. In late 2010, Serbia agreed to an EU-drafted UNGA Resolution acknowledging the ICJ's decision and calling for a new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, this time on practical issues rather than Kosovo's status. The EU-moderated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue began in March 2011 and was raised to the level of prime ministers in October 2012.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Serbia´s long history of multiculturalism and intellectual thought, rich folklore and thriving art and music scenes make it a must-see in the Balkans. During the 1990s Serbia went from being the powerhouse of Yugoslavia to the bully of the Balkans. But reputations can be remade as quickly as they may be lost. Everything you never heard about Serbia is true: it is warm, welcoming and a hell of a lot of fun. Today, the Serbs´ sense of industry, creativity and initiative sees their homeland resuming a pivotal role in the region.Exuding a feisty mix of élan and inat (Serbian trait of rebellious defiance), this country doesn´t do `mild´: Belgrade is one of the world´s wildest party destinations, Novi Sad hosts the rockingly hedonistic EXIT music festival, and even its hospitality is emphatic - expect to be greeted with rakija and a hearty three-kiss hello.

While political correctness is about as commonplace as a nonsmoking bar, Serbia is nevertheless a cultural crucible: there´s the art nouveau town of Subotica, bohemian Niš, and the minaret-studded Novi Pazar, which nudges some of the most sacred sites in Serbian Orthodoxy.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Serbia National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
62	Malaysia	0.803
63=	Mauritius	0.802
63=	Georgia	0.802
63=	Serbia	0.802
66	Thailand	0.800
67	Albania	0.796
68=	Grenada	0.795
68=	Bulgaria	0.795
	Europe Avg	0.87
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
64	Argentina	$20 925
65	Montenegro	$20 839
66	Costa Rica	$19 974
67	Serbia	$19 123
68	Belarus	$18 849
69	Dominican Rep.	$17 990
70	Mexico	$17 896
71	Nauru	$17 730
	Europe Avg	$40 512
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	28.1
2	Norway	31.2
3	Switzerland	32.9
	...
52	Montenegro	72.1
53	Malaysia	72.9
54	Brazil	73.7
55	Serbia	75.5
56	Albania	75.9
57	Macedonia	77.5
58	Jamaica	77.6
59	Trinidad & Tobago	77.9
	Europe Avg	55.7
	World Avg	88.7
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Serbia's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Serbia's population is predicted to rise to 9.479 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.63. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
94	Belarus	9.5m
95	Tajikistan	9.1m
96	Austria	8.9m
97	Serbia	8.8m
98	Papua New Guinea	8.6m
99	Switzerland	8.5m
100	Israel	8.4m
101	Togo	7.9m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
64	Brunei	74.6
65	Hungary	74.5
66	Jordan	74.3
67	Serbia	74.2
68	Romania	74.2
69	Cape Verde	74.1
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
61	Brazil	1.63
62	Czechia	1.62
63	St Martin	2.39
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
147	Albania	31.8
148	Norway	32.2
149	Iceland	32.5
150	Serbia	32.7
151	Hungary	32.9
152	Romania	33.6
153	USA	33.8
154	New Zealand	34.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
59	Italy	10.0%
60	Gambia	9.8%
61	Dominica	9.2%
62	Serbia	9.1%
63	Ivory Coast	9.0%
64	Malaysia	8.5%
65	Portugal	8.5%
66	Suriname	8.5%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
153	Sudan	2.2%
154	Chad	2.1%
155	Australia	2.1%
156	Serbia	2.0%
157	Venezuela	1.8%
158	S. Africa	1.7%
159	Iran	1.7%
160	Libya	1.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #serbia #serbia_human_rights #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
49	Romania	61.3
50	Andorra	61.5
51	Ukraine	63.6
52	Serbia	63.7
53	Mauritius	63.7
54	Jamaica	64.1
	Europe Avg	47.37
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Serbia does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Serbia does the second-best in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. It does better than average in terms of the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₀, opposing gender inequality₂₁, LGBT equality₂₂, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (but one of the lowest in Europe), eliminating modern slavery₂₄, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅ (but bad for Europe), freethought₂₆ (but high for Europe) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but high for Europe). Serbia still has work to do. Serbia does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₇ and in supporting press freedom₂₈. Attacks and threats against journalists continue with an inedquate response from the government, and in fact pro-government media outlets continued engage in "smear campaigns against independent outlets and journalists"₂₉. Rather than help them protect their people, government officials and institutions treat human rights defenders with hostility₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Serbia

5. Serbia's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #serbia #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to Europe (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
33	Albania	79.0
34	Hungary	79.5
35	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81.5
36	Serbia	82.2
37	Lithuania	82.2
38	Belarus	82.3
39	Bulgaria	83.5
40	Armenia	85.7
41	Latvia	87.8
	Europe Avg	86.87
q=48.

Health (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
65	Grenada	81.0
66	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81.5
67	Uruguay	81.6
68	Serbia	82.2
69	Lithuania	82.2
70	Belarus	82.3
71	Bulgaria	83.5
72	Colombia	84.3
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₁.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₁.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Serbia has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Serbia does better than average for childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₃₂, its adolescent birth rate₃₃ (but bad for Europe), its fertility rate₁₄, its average life expectancy₁₁ (but bad for Europe) and in its immunizations take-up₃₄ (but low for Europe). Serbia still has work to do. Serbia does worse than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅ (one of the highest in Europe), the prevalence of overweight adults₃₆ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₇. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 for its suicide rate₃₈ and in its smoking rate₃₉. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Serbia improved by +6.4yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Serbia has had a long-term consistent fertility rate, and is one of only 22 countries to vary by less than 1.0 each decade since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 2.11 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
64	Brunei	74.6
65	Hungary	74.5
66	Jordan	74.3
67	Serbia	74.2
68	Romania	74.2
69	Cape Verde	74.1
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
	Europe Avg	78.36
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better37
Pos.		2016 Per Capita37
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
159=	Finland	10.7
160	Uruguay	10.8
161=	Cyprus	10.8
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
164=	Andorra	11.3
164=	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
166	Hungary	11.4
	Europe Avg	10.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
61	Brazil	1.63
62	Czechia	1.62
63	St Martin	2.39
	Europe Avg	1.53
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better39
Pos.		Total %39
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
158	Indonesia	38.2%
159	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	38.8%
160	Bulgaria	39.5%
161	Serbia	39.6%
162	Papua New Guinea	39.7%
163	Kiribati	39.7%
164	Myanmar	44.4%
165	Nauru	48.3%
	Europe Avg	27.0%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

In the 2010s, Serbia was one of only 10 countries that had an average smoking rate of over 40% of the population.

Suicide Rate38
Pos.		2013 Per 100k38
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
75	Switzerland	36.2
76	Croatia	36.4
77	Estonia	37.9
78	Serbia	38.1
79	Finland	39
80	Belgium	39.1
81	Slovenia	44
82	Ukraine	44.8
	Europe Avg	26.99
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
103	Barbados	103
104	Venezuela	104
105	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	105
106	Serbia	106
107	Zimbabwe	107
108	Central African Rep.	108
109	Benin	109
110	Costa Rica	110
	Europe Avg	47.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better36
Pos.		1976 %36
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
129	Fiji	35.6
130	Finland	35.7
131	Slovenia	36.1
132=	Serbia	36.5
132=	Norway	36.5
132=	Romania	36.5
135	Denmark	36.7
136	Slovakia	37.0
	Europe Avg	38.2
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better40
Pos.		2022 %40
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
105	Iran	25.3%
106	Bosnia & Herzegovina	25.5%
107	Moldova	25.6%
108	Serbia	26.1%
109	Belarus	26.6%
110	Albania	26.6%
111	Estonia	26.7%
112	Ecuador	27.0%
	Europe Avg	25.9%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better33
Pos.		2022 Per 100033
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
54	Algeria	11.6
55	Saudi Arabia	11.6
56	New Zealand	11.8
57	Serbia	14.4
58	Albania	14.5
59	Russia	14.5
60	USA	15.1
61	Ukraine	15.2
	Europe Avg	11.4
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better34
Pos.		2015 Avg %34
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
90	Serbia	93.5
91	Egypt	93.4
92	Cape Verde	93.4
93	Burundi	93.3
94	Chile	93.3
	Europe Avg	92.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better32
Pos.		Total Per 100032
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
39	New Zealand	5.66
40	Cuba	6.25
41	Slovakia	6.31
42	Serbia	6.52
43	Malta	6.58
44	Bosnia & Herzegovina	6.75
45	USA	6.83
46	Turks & Caicos Islands	6.89
	Europe Avg	6.30
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

6. Serbia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #serbia #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Europe (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Switzerland	45.0
2	Denmark	50.4
3	Liechtenstein	56.8
	...
40	Montenegro	97.3
41	Azerbaijan	101.2
42	Bosnia & Herzegovina	103.5
43	Serbia	104.8
44	Armenia	108.2
45	Belarus	116.0
46	San Marino	134.9
47	Andorra	136.3
48	Vatican City	138.3
	Europe Avg	86.45
q=48.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
161	USA	103.8
162	Lebanon	103.9
163	Papua New Guinea	104.5
164	Serbia	104.8
165	Haiti	105.8
166	Samoa	107.0
167	Bahrain	107.9
168	Mongolia	108.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₂. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

In terms of its responsibility towards the environment, Serbia ranks 164th in the world. This rank is computed from 21 data sets. Serbia does better than average in terms of its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₃, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₄ and in its environmental performance₄₅ (but bad for Europe). Serbia does not succeed in everything, however. Serbia does worse than average in energy to GDP efficiency₄₆ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₇. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Environmental Performance Higher is better45
Pos.		201845
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
81	Belize	57.8
82	Philippines	57.7
83	Mongolia	57.5
84=	Serbia	57.5
84=	Chile	57.5
86	Saudi Arabia	57.5
87	Ecuador	57.4
88	Algeria	57.2
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better46
Pos.		2022 Avg46
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
137	UAE	1.73
138	Zimbabwe	1.74
139	Saudi Arabia	1.76
140	Serbia	1.79
141	Paraguay	1.79
142	Jamaica	1.83
143	Moldova	1.88
144	S. Africa	1.97
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
177	Niue	42%
178	Solomon Islands	42%
179	Marshall Islands	42%
180	Serbia	41%
181	Grenada	41%
182	Afghanistan	41%
183	Tuvalu	40%
184	Sao Tome & Principe	40%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better44
Pos.		2011 %44
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
63	Jordan	41.4%
64	India	41.2%
65	Canada	41.2%
66	Serbia	41.1%
67	Ghana	40.4%
68	Moldova	40.4%
69	Cameroon	39.0%
70	Uganda	38.6%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better47
Pos.		2021 kg47
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
137	Austria	76.4
138	Germany	76.6
139	Greece	76.8
140	Serbia	77.6
141	Russia	78.4
142	Bolivia	78.4
143	Grenada	78.6
144	Ireland	80.2
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Serbia's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Europe (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
33	Belarus	51.5
34	Cyprus	55.6
35	Turkey	55.9
36	Serbia	57.1
37	Montenegro	64.9
38	Bosnia & Herzegovina	65.6
39	Georgia	65.6
40	Moldova	68.9
41	Albania	76.4
	Europe Avg	39.81
q=45.

Modernity & Learning (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
51	Cyprus	55.6
52	Turkey	55.9
53	S. Africa	56.9
54	Serbia	57.1
55	Uruguay	57.6
56	Malaysia	59.4
57	Kazakhstan	59.8
58=	Saudi Arabia	62.0
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₉.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2952
2	Israel	4.1152
3	Japan	3.5852
	...
43	Ukraine	0.7653
44=	Morocco	0.7354
44=	S. Africa	0.7355
44=	Serbia	0.7353
44=	Hong Kong	0.7355
48	Tunisia	0.6855
49=	Egypt	0.6853
50	Belarus	0.6753
	Europe Avg	1.32
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better56
Pos.		201856
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
39	Australia	90.4%
40	Romania	90.0%
41	Botswana	90.0%
42	Serbia	89.5%
43	Denmark	89.3%
44	Israel	89.1%
45	Sweden	88.9%
46	Mongolia	88.8%
	Europe Avg	88.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better57
Pos.		2021 Years57
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
76	Cuba	14.4
77	Colombia	14.4
78	Moldova	14.4
79	Serbia	14.4
80	Luxembourg	14.4
81	China	14.2
82	Romania	14.2
83	Antigua & Barbuda	14.2
	Europe Avg	16.1
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
25	S. Africa	25
26	Singapore	26
27	Greece	27
28	Serbia	28
29	Canada	29
30	Romania	30
31	Cyprus	31
32	Ireland	32
	Europe Avg	31.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity Lower is better58
Pos.		2018 %58
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
33=	Uzbekistan	29
33=	Uruguay	29
35	Poland	30
36	Serbia	34
37=	Israel	36
37=	Portugal	36
39	Azerbaijan	38
40	Chile	41
	Europe Avg	25.8
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better59
Pos.		201659
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
88	Costa Rica	56%
89	Kazakhstan	56%
90=	US Virgin Islands	54%
90=	Serbia	54%
92	Maldives	54%
93	Georgia	53%
94	China	52%
95=	Vietnam	52%
	Europe Avg	76.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better60
Pos.		2017 Ratio60
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
76=	Panama	0.1
76=	Croatia	0.1
76=	Costa Rica	0.1
76=	Serbia	0.1
80	Liechtenstein	0.0
81=	Cyprus	0.0
82	Philippines	0.0
83=	Macedonia	0.0
	Europe Avg	8.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better61
Pos.		202461
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
45	China	54.8%
46	Uruguay	54.8%
47	Ukraine	54.4%
48	Serbia	53.5%
49	Turkey	52.2%
50	Russia	52.1%
51	Thailand	51.4%
52	Bahrain	51.1%
	Europe Avg	61.0%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Serbia's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #serbia #social_development #terrorism

Compared to Europe (2020)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Denmark	12.2
2	Netherlands	14.0
3	Norway	14.1
	...
30	Moldova	57.1
31=	Albania	61.3
32	Bulgaria	61.3
33	Serbia	62.4
34	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.9
35	Greece	64.8
36	Kosovo	66.2
37	Belarus	72.6
38	Montenegro	72.6
	Europe Avg	48.48
q=44.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Denmark	12.2
2	Netherlands	14.0
3	Norway	14.1
	...
54	Bulgaria	61.3
55	Israel	61.6
56	Oman	61.8
57	Serbia	62.4
58	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.9
59	Greece	64.8
60	Jamaica	65.5
61	Kosovo	66.2
	World Avg	76.86
q=178.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 28 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty in the 2020s (so far), Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

World Giving Index Higher is better63
Pos.		2022 %63
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
19=	Philippines	47.0
19=	Argentina	47.0
19=	Poland	47.0
22	Serbia	46.0
23=	Netherlands	46.0
23=	Jamaica	46.0
23=	Russia	46.0
23=	Iceland	46.0
	Europe Avg	39.0
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better64
Pos.		2022 Points64
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
98	Morocco	38.0
99	Ivory Coast	37.0
100=	Lesotho	37.0
101	Serbia	36.0
102=	Peru	36.0
102=	Turkey	36.0
102=	Sri Lanka	36.0
102=	Panama	36.0
	Europe Avg	57.61
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Throughout the 2000s, Serbia made serious improvements to its Corruption Perception Index score and sat amongst the top-10 best-improvers that decade.

Happiness Higher is better65
Pos.		2024 Score65
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
28	Uruguay	6.7
29	Kosovo	6.7
30	Kuwait	6.6
31	Serbia	6.6
32	Saudi Arabia	6.6
33	France	6.6
34	Singapore	6.6
35	Romania	6.6
	Europe Avg	6.37
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
30	Spain	30
31	Romania	31
32	Costa Rica	32
33	Serbia	33
34	S. Korea	34
35	New Zealand	35
36	Belize	36
37	Iceland	37
	Europe Avg	35.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
4	Netherlands	4
5	Switzerland	5
6	Serbia	6
7	Belgium	7
8	Norway	8
9	Finland	9
10	Croatia	10
11	Georgia	11
12	Philippines	12
	Europe Avg	42.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better66
Pos.		2023 Score66
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
62	Jordan	1.90
63	Zambia	1.90
64	Cyprus	1.90
65	Serbia	1.92
66	Armenia	1.93
67	France	1.94
68	Panama	1.94
69	Paraguay	1.94
	Europe Avg	1.70
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
81	Gabon	81
82	Russia	82
83	Iran	83
84	Serbia	84
85	Mexico	85
86	Cambodia	86
87	Bangladesh	87
88	Honduras	88
	Europe Avg	84.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
42	Iceland	42
43	Hungary	43
44	Kenya	44
45	Serbia	45
46	Bolivia	46
47	Japan	47
48	Czechia	48
49	Argentina	49
	Europe Avg	37.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better67
Pos.		2019 Score67
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
24	Lesotho	0.10
25	Liberia	0.11
26=	Moldova	0.12
26=	Serbia	0.12
26=	Estonia	0.12
29	New Zealand	0.14
30	Uruguay	0.17
31	Dominican Rep.	0.18
	Europe Avg	1.62
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better68
Pos.		Total %68
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
53	Vietnam	1.45%
54	Romania	1.65%
55	Armenia	1.86%
56	Serbia	1.92%
57	Costa Rica	1.99%
58	Palestine	2.07%
59	Suriname	2.18%
60	Montenegro	2.37%
	Europe Avg	1.20%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better69
Pos.		201969
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
34	Belarus	4.40
35=	Canada	4.60
35=	Malta	4.60
37	Serbia	4.90
38	Slovakia	5.00
39	Cuba	5.10
40	UAE	5.20
41=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	5.40
	Europe Avg	4.86
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better70
Pos.		2023 %70
1	Slovakia	24.1%71
2	Slovenia	24.3%71
3	Belarus	24.4%72
	...
59=	Japan	32.9%73
59=	S. Korea	32.9%71
61	Bosnia & Herzegovina	33.0%74
62	Serbia	33.1%71
63=	Guinea-Bissau	33.4%71
63=	Bangladesh	33.4%75
65	Macedonia	33.5%76
66=	Georgia	33.5%75
	Europe Avg	30.7%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better77
Pos.		2018 Severity77
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
4	Turkmenistan	.001
5	Jordan	.002
6	Kazakhstan	.002
7	Montenegro	.002
8	Trinidad & Tobago	.002
9	Maldives	.003
10	Albania	.003
11	Thailand	.003
12	Moldova	.004
	Europe Avg	.004
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)58
Pos.		Lower is better %58
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
33=	Uzbekistan	29
33=	Uruguay	29
35	Poland	30
36	Serbia	34
37=	Israel	36
37=	Portugal	36
39	Azerbaijan	38
40	Chile	41
41=	Croatia	42
41=	Moldova	42
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47=	Tajikistan	50
47=	Romania	50
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₇₈:

	2010	2020
Christian	95.5%	91.5%
Muslim	3.24%	4.42%
Unaffiliated	1.22%	4.01%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Other	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 96% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 34% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Serbian Orthodox 85%, Catholic 5.5%, Protestant 1.1%, Muslim 3.2%, unspecified 2.6%, other, unknown, or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)₇₉.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

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