Suchergebnisse

The data analysis on the Serbian emigrants based on the results of several recent censuses in Serbia indicates that in the last 3-4 decades certain regions of the country have developed strong migration ties with the most important European immigration countries. The number and structure of Serbian citizens abroad, especially in certain destination countries of Europe, although caused by the demographic characteristics of the population as well as economic and political conditions in Serbia, were also essentially caused by the general socio-economic and political circumstances in the countries of destination, measures of their immigration policies, but also the efficiency of the established migration ties and networks both in Serbia and in the receiving countries.

Serbia is a country with a long tradition of emigration, specific economic and political emigration context, a large number of its citizens abroad, as well as their very heterogeneous geographic distribution and differentiated structures. The main objective of the paper is to show that between the region of origin in Serbia and certain destination countries there are ties, on the basis of which migrant networks originate and spread. Over time, networks towards some countries lose their importance or are diverted to other directions. Through incorporating a regional approach, the analysis includes the results of the last five population censuses conducted between 1971 and 2011. It is based on data on the number, share of emigrants from Serbia, with regard to the length of stay abroad, educational structure, as well as the most represented receiving countries from the regional aspects (municipalities and the intense emigration zones in Serbia). Furthermore, attention is paid to the possibilities and the main problems of statistical monitoring of international migration. Such an approach has both the research and the wider social significance, particularly because most of the population abroad covered by the census maintain ties with Serbia, often visit their hometowns and present an important resource for the socioeconomic development of the country.

In the last few decades there have been changes in the nature of international migration trends and spatial mobility of population on the world level. This was influenced by significant changes on the political scene of Europe and the world, globalisation, international capital flows, technical-technological progress, the IT revolution and so forth. International migration trends are mainly analysed from the perspective of the recipient countries, while research from the perspective of the origin countries is much rarer, and especially those which include both aspects. At the same time, there is an evident lack of reliable information containing data on migration trends between countries of origin and destination, regional origin and demographic structures of migrants, which hinders a more detailed territorial analysis. Serbia does not have satisfactory statistics on international migration as well, even though it is a country with long emigration tradition. The census data on the Serbian nationals working or residing abroad, regardless of the relatively large census undercount, present the main sources of statistical information on the characteristics of Serbian emigration, and practically the only source of data on their regional origin and socio-demographic features. Regional differences in view of the share of nationals abroad are very pronounced in Serbia. They were established as early as 1971 the Census and confirmed by every following census. The 2002 Census results indicated there were three typical emigration zones. The aim of the paper is to determine whether there have been changes in the spatial distribution of the emigrants from the regional aspect of Serbia as an origin country, based on 2011 Census final results. The characteristics of the Serbian citizens abroad, according to age and sex, length of stay abroad, country of destination and ethnic composition, have also been analyzed in this paper.

In the last few decades there have been changes in the nature of
international migration trends and spatial mobility of population on the
world level. This was influenced by significant changes on the political
scene of Europe and the world, globalisation, international capital flows,
technical-technological progress, the IT revolution and so forth.
International migration trends are mainly analysed from the perspective of
the recipient countries, while research from the perspective of the origin
countries is much rarer, and especially those which include both aspects. At
the same time, there is an evident lack of reliable information containing
data on migration trends between countries of origin and destination,
regional origin and demographic structures of migrants, which hinders a more
detailed territorial analysis. Serbia does not have satisfactory statistics
on international migration as well, even though it is a country with long
emigration tradition. The census data on the Serbian nationals working or
residing abroad, regardless of the relatively large census undercount,
present the main sources of statistical information on the characteristics of
Serbian emigration, and practically the only source of data on their regional
origin and socio-demographic features. Regional differences in view of the
share of nationals abroad are very pronounced in Serbia. They were
established as early as 1971 the Census and confirmed by every following
census. The 2002 Census results indicated there were three typical emigration
zones. The aim of the paper is to determine whether there have been changes
in the spatial distribution of the emigrants from the regional aspect of
Serbia as an origin country, based on 2011 Census final results. The
characteristics of the Serbian citizens abroad, according to age and sex,
length of stay abroad, country of destination and ethnic composition, have
also been analyzed in this paper.

The paper analyzed the dynamics of the emigration of the population of Serbia
in the period of 1971 to 2011, primarily based on the results of the five
latest population censuses. Special attention was paid to the spatial aspect
of emigration, at the level of the lowest administrative units
(municipalities). It was shown that the shares of persons working or living
aboard were very uneven by municipality, and that the differences became
increasingly pronounced over time. Very uneven shares of persons working or
living abroad in the total population of Serbia by municipality, as well as
the trend of increasing differences, also influenced the very heterogeneous
spatial distribution of that emigration contingent. Based on the
concentration of population abroad, as well as the percentage of persons
abroad in the total population (in the country and abroad), the paper defines
three "hot" zones of substantial emigration. Zone 1 (in the central-eastern
Serbia) is traditionally a high emigration area, which, for all three
observed points in time (1991, 2002 and 2011), had at least twice as high a
share of population abroad as the average for Serbia. Zone 2 (in the south of
Serbia) consists of the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo, where the
majority of the population consists of ethnic Albanians. The shares of
population abroad was already in 1981 and 1991 noticeably higher than the
average for Serbia, but also significantly lower than in Zone 1. Between 1991
and 2002, the number of emigrants from that zone was more than tripled, and
their share in the total population of emigration Zone 2 increased from 6.1%
to 23.1% in 2011. Zone 3 (five municipalities from the Serbian part of the
region of Sandzak) did not join the group of notably emigration areas until
the 1990s. Between 1991 and 2002, the number of persons abroad increased by
up to six times, and their share in the total population of those five
Sandzak municipalities increased from 2.3% to 12.6%. In this paper, all three
zones were analyzed, as well as the structures of emigrants based on the
length of their stay abroad, the country of destination and ethnic
composition. For all three zones, it is notable that the countries of
destination do not differ significantly in terms of length of stay abroad,
based on which the authors conclude that new emigrants primarily go to places
that already have formed migrant networks. In all three zones, the share of
ethnic Serbs in the total population of the country is greater than their
share in the total number of emigrants. Additionally, census data indicated
that members of the local major ethnic group in Zones 2 and 3 participated
significantly more often in international migration than "local" ethnic
Serbs. In connection to this, the authors stress the importance of the
political aspect of this issue, especially in the period of crises and wars
during the 1990s.

The aim of the paper is to consider the population trends in Serbia and their components over the last three decades. It is a period of profound political, economic and social transformations. The analysis is based on vital statistics data (1991-2017), the 1991, 2002 and 2011 census data, as well as the official and the authors' estimates. In this period, some of the prior long-term processes continued (decline in fertility, decrease in mortality, emigration). However, some new phenomena and processes emerged (population decline, negative population growth, and immense forced migration). The authors point to the interdependence of the analyzed changes in the components of demographic growth and the long-term population ageing process and conclude that these are the most important components that will decisively influence the demographic development of Serbia in the decades to come.

On the basis of the analyzed demographic data for the last decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, one could conclude that the most significant characteristics of the population of Vojvodina are: slow demographic increase; negative population growth; more and more unfavourable age structure; increase in the decision to remain single; relatively low level of urbanization, a very heterogeneous national composition of the population; acceptance of low reproductive norms in the majority of the population; and a very probable depopulation in the future. The discussed demographic features characteristic for Vojvodina as a whole are also present in most of the smaller territorial-administrative units like districts and muinicipalities. Their population is also characterized by the negative population growth, low birthrate and fertility, high general mortality-rate as well as by a very advanced process of demographic ageing. The analysis about the demographic situation in Vojvodina was primarily based on the data from the 1991 and 2002 censuses, as well as on the data of the vital statistics for that inter-census period.