Destinations › Europe · The Destination Index · universal template · every figure sourced
Serbia.
Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary. 77,474 sq km and 6,549,143 people, landlocked, with no coastline at all, in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well-distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns).
Region · EuropePopulation · ~6,549,143Languages · Serbian, with Hungarian, Bosnian, Romani, Albanian and SlovakEco Index · 58/100 · Weak
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Conservation
Wildlife
Water
Food & farming
Organic & clean
Climate & energy
Waste
Health
Heritage
Ownership
Governance
Future
The History of Serbia.
Serbia holds a vigorous living folk culture centred on the kolo, the communal circle dance performed at weddings and celebrations and recognised by UNESCO. Brass band music thrives, celebrated each year at the Guca trumpet festival, alongside the epic songs of the one-stringed gusle.
Where the name comes from
Srbija in Serbian, for the Serbs, whose own name has debated Slavic origins. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: rich fertile plains to the north, limestone ranges and basins to the east, ancient mountains and hills to the south east. Its high point is Midžor, 2,169 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
Lepenski Vir, on the Danube
At Lepenski Vir in the Iron Gates gorge, a settlement of trapezoidal houses and carved stone figures stood on the Danube from around 9500 BC, among the earliest planned settlements anywhere in Europe. The Vinca culture that followed, from about 5700 BC, built large settlements, worked copper and used incised symbols. Copper smelting in this region is among the earliest known anywhere in the world.
How it got here
Emperors, a church, an empire
Celtic settlement was followed by Roman rule, and seventeen Roman emperors were born in what is now Serbia. Serbian principalities formed from the ninth century, the church became autocephalous in 1219, and a Serbian empire under Dusan briefly held much of the Balkans with its own legal code. Ottoman rule lasted more than three centuries until an uprising in 1804. Serbia joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918 and became independent again in 2006.
The timeline
c. 9500 to 6000 BC
Lepenski Vir.
A settlement on the Danube in the Iron Gates gorge, with trapezoidal houses and carved stone figures. It is among the earliest planned settlements in Europe. ↗
c. 5700 to 4500 BC
The Vinca culture.
A Neolithic culture of large settlements, copper metallurgy and incised symbols, centred on the Danube. ↗
c. 5500 BC
Early copper.
Copper smelting in this region is among the earliest known anywhere in the world. ↗
4th century BC onward
Celts and Romans.
Celtic settlement is followed by Roman rule; seventeen Roman emperors were born in what is now Serbia. ↗
9th century onward
Serbian principalities.
Serbian principalities form and consolidate from the ninth century, between the Byzantine Empire to the south and the Frankish and Hungarian lands to the north. The position between two Christian powers shaped which church Serbia joined. ↗
1219
An independent church.
The Serbian Orthodox Church becomes autocephalous in 1219, giving the Serbian state its own church rather than one governed from Constantinople. Church and state have been intertwined here ever since. ↗
1346 to 1371
The empire of Dusan.
A Serbian empire briefly holds much of the Balkans, with its own legal code. ↗
1459 to 1804
Ottoman rule.
Ottoman rule lasts more than three centuries, ending with an uprising. ↗
1918 and 2006
Yugoslavia, then independence.
Serbia joins the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918, and becomes independent again in 2006. ↗
Protected areas cover about 14 per cent of the territory (World Bank, 2025), including five national parks such as Djerdap, Tara and Kopaonik. Enforcement is a weak point, with documented illegal logging and controversial small hydropower schemes built inside protected river valleys, and there is no marine estate as the country is landlocked.
Is wild Serbia protected? 14% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
Recorded in Serbia and named in the open record. Endemic status is stated per species, not implied by this list.
Balkan endemic flora on Tara
Ba
Kopaonik
Ko
Relict Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) of the Drina valley
Re
The watchlist
ThreatenedCommon Hamster (Cricetus cricetus)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedVanellus gregariusCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedMerodon clavipesCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedBeluga (Huso huso)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedBalearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedEmberiza aureolaCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedEumerus pannonicusCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedAndrena bicolorCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Serbia in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Serbia. GBIF holds 201 verified occurrence records.
Vanellus gregarius
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Serbia. GBIF holds 27 verified occurrence records.
Merodon clavipes
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Serbia. GBIF holds 16 verified occurrence records.
Beluga (Huso huso)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Serbia. GBIF holds 15 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Serbia filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Nature reserve in West Backa Administrative District, mapped and named in the open record for Serbia. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Serbia.
Serbia is water rich, threaded by the Danube, Sava, Great Morava and Tisza and backed by good groundwater, so raw supply is plentiful. Yet only about 75 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024), and parts of Vojvodina have long-standing arsenic contamination in the supply. Belgrade tap water is safe, but rural quality is uneven.
Does Serbia have enough fresh water? Under pressure
75% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: The Uvac and Drina rivers and the upper Danube in the Iron Gates.
How much fresh water does Serbia have, per person?
1,261 m³
Serbia
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Serbia withdraws about 5,091 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 5.7% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 8%, homes and towns 14%, industry 78%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
Where does the sewage go?
24.1%
of people have safely managed sanitation
24.1% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
Is the tap water safe in Serbia?
75% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 1,261 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 6 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 60.6% of what Serbia renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Serbia? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
.
How much fresh water does Serbia actually have?
Nature renews about 1,261 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Serbia 67 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus. It is one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries and a major maize, wheat and plum producer, so self-sufficiency is high.
Where does the food in Serbia come from?
5.8% imported
On the plate: Bread, beans (prebranac), cabbage (sarma), peppers and ajvar, maize (proja), plums and raspberries.
How often each food is on the plate
Share of people eating each one regularly. These overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Bread60%
Peppers33%
Ajvar24%
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
Food is 5.8% of everything Serbia imports (2007, World Bank). Farming itself is 3.3% of the economy and 40.4% of the land is agricultural, of which 31% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Serbia? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined72.2%
Diabetes10.5%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 54.3%.
Can Serbia feed itself?
31.0%
Arable land
40.4%
Agricultural land
598,699
Farmers
6,432,143
Arable acres
3.3%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Raspberries and plums in summer; peppers for ajvar and grapes in September to October.
Feeding itself
Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus. It is one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries and a major maize, wheat and plum producer, so self-sufficiency is high.
Certification
Only about 0.6 per cent of Serbia's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture), a small but slowly growing niche despite the country's strong conventional farming base.
Water for crops
Serbia is water rich, threaded by the Danube, Sava, Great Morava and Tisza and backed by good groundwater, so raw supply is plentiful. Yet only about 75 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024), and parts of Vojvodina have long-standing arsenic contamination in the supply.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for Serbia, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 40.4% of the country is agricultural land and 31% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Serbia are maize, wheat, sugar beet and sunflower seed (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small. Per-person emissions sit at about 6.24 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, and climate policy is weak, with new coal and gas capacity still under discussion despite an EU accession pledge to decarbonise. Air quality in cities such as Belgrade and Bor is among the worst in Europe, largely because of coal and industry.
What powers Serbia?
Renewable 27.8%Fossil 72.2%
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
6.24 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The grid
Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small.
Pollution
The annual mean PM2.5 is about 16.95 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022), but winter air in Belgrade and valley towns spikes to among the world's worst readings because of lignite power and household coal and wood burning. Plastic policy is still partial and litter and illegal dumping are common.
Water stress
Serbia is water rich, threaded by the Danube, Sava, Great Morava and Tisza and backed by good groundwater, so raw supply is plentiful. Yet only about 75 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024), and parts of Vojvodina have long-standing arsenic contamination in the supply.
What pollutes most here
1The gridThe share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.67.9%
2IndustryLignite mining and coal power around Kolubara and Kostolac, and unregulated small hydropower on protected rivers..named
3AirModelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.16.95
4On the recordThe annual mean PM2.5 is about 16.95 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022), but winter air in Belgrade and valley towns spikes to among the world's worst readings because of lignite power and household coal and wood burning.
What has Serbia promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today35% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target14% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 35% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 65% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year6.24 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.83 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.86 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.69 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.43 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.31 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Serbia emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Serbia.
Data centres
10
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
27.8 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Serbia?
Most of the power behind a machine here is still burned.
Renewable 27.8%Fossil 72.2%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 35% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Serbia has 10 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Belgrade (7), Kragujevac (2), Nis (1), alongside 2 internet exchanges (SOX Serbia, NaissIX IXP). Named sites include Serbia BroadBand, Ninet DC Nis, Absolut Solutions, Cetin Data Center.
78% residents to 22% visitors across a year. 1,847,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 6,549,143 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Serbia
446k
Visitors a year
0.1
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Serbia?· for every $100 Serbia earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2000 peak
$ 201The worst year on the IMF record. Serbia owed $201 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2000signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 43What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 42The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $42 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Serbia earns in a year, it owes $43 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Serbia?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 1,847,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 6,549,143 residents, one visitor a year for every 4 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play
2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Serbia is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published
3
The plate
Food is only 5.8% of everything Serbia imports (2007, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, maize, wheat, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, soybeans, potatoes, barley, apples, plums, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown
4
The power
65% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away
5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the power leaves and the plate stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split
6
Pay the bank first
Serbia owes $43 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$43 per $100
7
A spread hand
The largest single export, electrical machinery and electronics, is 16.5% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 16.5%
8
Community chest
Tourism earns 5.6% of everything Serbia makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
5.6% of exports
9
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$112 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$112bn
GDPUS$100.0bn
Agriculture, share of GDP3.3%
Visitors a year446,000
Visitors per resident0.1
Residents~6,549,143
Agriculture
Farming is 3.3% of the economy. Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus.
Natural materials
Serbia keeps living textile traditions, above all the Pirot kilim (cilim) wool weaving that carries a protected geographical indication, alongside wool knitwear, hemp and flax heritage and hand-made opanci leather footwear.
Energy
Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Serbia?
By rooms · company records and press.
Ethno village Latkovac · ~10 roomsIndependentnot published
Eco ethno village Vranesa · ~11 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20151,132k
20161,281k
20171,497k
20181,711k
20191,847k
2020446k
International tourism receipts run at about US$1.42 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 5.6% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
All-inclusive resortForeign-owned hotel and tourist restaurantsLocally owned stay and local restaurantsGuesthouse, markets and public transport
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, maize, wheat, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, soybeans, potatoes, barley, apples and plums, over an imported menu. The checked list →
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours →
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays →
4. Use the transport residents use Buses reach most towns and trains are slower; a car helps for the mountains and countryside.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
swipe →
First time here
Serbia is a water-abundant, strongly agricultural country with living folk culture, held back on the eco scorecard by coal power, weak recycling and uneven tap-water quality.
Best time: Late spring and early autumn.
Getting around
Buses reach most towns and trains are slower; a car helps for the mountains and countryside.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is maize, wheat, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, soybeans, potatoes, barley, apples and plums. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
None of the 2 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Serbia.
How well is Serbia actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Serbia scores 46 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
How well is Serbia run? · each scored out of 100, higher is better
Clean government, scored 37 of 100
Control of corruption scores 36.5 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is below the halfway mark of governments measured.
37
Freedom and rights, scored 49 of 100
Voice and accountability, which measures free expression, free media and the ability to choose a government, scores 48.7 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Citizens have some room to question their government.
49
Government effectiveness, scored 53 of 100
Government effectiveness, which measures the quality of public services and how well policy is actually delivered, scores 53.3 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Delivery is rated above average.
53
Income equality, scored 33 of 100
The Gini index of income inequality reads 32.8 (2023, World Bank). Zero is perfect equality and 100 is one person holding everything. Below 40 is the level usually treated as manageable, and Serbia sits inside it.
33
LGBTQ+ status: MixedSolo female travel: Easy99.3% adult literacyIndustry to avoid: Lignite mining and coal power around Kolubara and Kostolac, and unregulated small hydropower on protected rivers.
What is daily life in Serbia really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Buses reach most towns and trains are slower; a car helps for the mountains and countryside.
✓Air quality, measured Modelled annual mean 16.95. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
✓Where the air is cleanest Mountain areas such as Tara, Zlatibor and Kopaonik.
✓Tap water Varies
✓What to drink Belgrade tap is drinkable; rural areas better bottled.
✓Plastic rules No full ban yet; as an EU candidate Serbia is aligning with EU single-use plastic rules and phasing out lightweight bags.
✓Sockets and voltage Type C/F, 230V
99.3%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 3.4% of GDP and 8.4% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 89.8% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2024).
Made in Serbia.
Serbia keeps living textile traditions, above all the Pirot kilim (cilim) wool weaving that carries a protected geographical indication, alongside wool knitwear, hemp and flax heritage and hand-made opanci leather footwear. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Serbia actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Serbia sells the world is electrical machinery and electronics, 16.5% of all exports in 2023 (about US$5.11 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are machinery and mechanical appliances at 8.6%, mineral fuels and oils at 6.1%, ores, slag and ash at 5.0%, plastics at 4.2%.
Made now · natural materials
Serbia keeps living textile traditions
Worked in Serbia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Alongside wool knitwear
Worked in Serbia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Hemp
Worked in Serbia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Flax heritage
Worked in Serbia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Hand-made opanci leather footwear
Worked in Serbia from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 12.6% of imports
Other
Serbia imported US$5.00 billion of other in 2023, 12.6% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.8% of imports
Vehicles
Serbia imported US$1.92 billion of vehicles in 2023, 4.8% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 3.9% of imports
Pharmaceuticals
Serbia imported US$1.54 billion of pharmaceuticals in 2023, 3.9% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 2.6% of imports
Iron and steel articles
Serbia imported US$1.03 billion of iron and steel articles in 2023, 2.6% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Serbia produces about US$100 billion a year, which is roughly US$15,262 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 3.3% of that, while food is 5.8% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 31% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
A living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Guca brass band music
A living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Gusle epic singing
A living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Orthodox Slava family patron-saint tradition
A living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Vlach ancestral healingA living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Spiritual practiceA living tradition of Serbia, still practised rather than archived.
Does Serbia protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Serbia holds a vigorous living folk culture centred on the kolo, the communal circle dance performed at weddings and celebrations and recognised by UNESCO. Brass band music thrives, celebrated each year at the Guca trumpet festival, alongside the epic songs of the one-stringed gusle. The Orthodox Slava, the household celebration of a family's patron saint passed down through generations, remains a defining ancestral custom.
Who it belongs to. Living folk culture is strong, from the kolo circle dance and Orthodox village traditions to Vojvodina salas farmsteads and a growing ethno-village and rural homestay scene. Tourism is relatively low volume and largely locally owned, so more of the spend stays in communities.
Only here. The Guca Trumpet Festival, the world's largest brass band gathering, held each year in the village of Guca..
Three futures for Serbia, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: National Museum of Serbia (Belgrade), Museum of Contemporary Art (Belgrade), Nikola Tesla Museum (Vracar Urban Municipality), Military Museum (Belgrade), Museum of Vuk and Dositej (Belgrade). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Ambient Lux, ArtTex, Basket, Biro servis, Bumbar plus, Delta plast.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
+8%
Forest cover
2006: 29.9 % → 2023: 32.4 %
-5%
Renewable electricity
1995: 37 % → 2021: 35 %
+43%
Tourist arrivals
2002: 312 k → 2020: 446 k
+89%
Protected land
2013: 7.4 % → 2025: 14 %
-53%
Farm workforce
1995: 38.5 % → 2025: 18 %
0%
Agricultural land
2006: 40.4 % → 2023: 40.4 %
+18%
Urban population
1995: 52.9 % → 2025: 62.6 %
-31%
Air pollution
1995: 27.9 µg/m³ → 2023: 19.3 µg/m³
+11%
Fresh water per person
2006: 1134.3 m³ → 2022: 1261.5 m³
+17%
Adult overweight
1995: 46.4 % → 2022: 54.3 %
+0%
Electricity access
1995: 100 % → 2024: 100 %
+550%
GDP per person
1995: 2349 → 2025: 15262
-14%
Population
1995: 7628 k → 2025: 6549 k
+17%
Renewable energy use
1995: 23.3 % → 2021: 27.2 %
+33%
Energy per person
1995: 1782 kg → 2023: 2378 kg
+89%
Protected area, total
2013: 7.4 % → 2025: 14 %
+5%
Life expectancy
1995: 72.6 yrs → 2024: 76 yrs
+37%
Cereal yield
2006: 4455 ha → 2023: 6106 ha
-5%
Fertiliser use
2006: 144.5 ha → 2023: 137.8 ha
-21%
Rural population
1995: 47.1 % → 2025: 37.4 %
+7%
Water productivity
2006: 9.6 $/m3 → 2022: 10.3 $/m3
+38%
Health spending
2000: 5.81 % → 2023: 8.03 %
+4%
Forest area
2006: 26118 km2 → 2023: 27236 km2
+42%
Electric power use
1995: 3588 kWh → 2023: 5090 kWh
-53%
Emissions: Agriculture
1990: 12.3 e → 2023: 5.8 e
+4%
Emissions: Building
1990: 2.72 e → 2023: 2.84 e
-25%
Emissions: Electricity/Heat
1990: 40.6 e → 2023: 30.6 e
-27%
Emissions: Energy
1990: 67 e → 2023: 49 e
+100%
Emissions: Industrial Processes
1990: 1.77 e → 2023: 3.54 e
-68%
Emissions: Manufacturing/Construction
1990: 9.83 e → 2023: 3.14 e
+75%
Emissions: Transportation
1990: 4.57 e → 2023: 8.01 e
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 29.9% to 32.4% across 17 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 37.0% to 35.0% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 312k to 446k across 18 recorded years.
World Bank ST.INT.ARVL
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 7.4% to 14.0% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 38.5% to 18.0% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 40.4% to 40.4% across 17 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.AGRI.ZS
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 52.9% to 62.6% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 27.9 µg/m³ to 19.3 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1134.3 m³ to 1261.5 m³ across 16 recorded years.
World Bank ER.H2O.INTR.PC
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 46.4% to 54.3% across 27 recorded years.
World Bank SH.STA.OWAD.ZS
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100.0% to 100.0% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 2349 to 15262 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 7628k to 6549k across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.POP.TOTL
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 23.3% to 27.2% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 1782 kg to 2378 kg across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 7.4% to 14% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 72.62 yrs to 75.97 yrs across 29 recorded years.
World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 4455 kg/ha to 6106 kg/ha across 17 recorded years.
World Bank AG.YLD.CREL.KG
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 144.45 kg/ha to 137.8 kg/ha across 17 recorded years.
World Bank AG.CON.FERT.ZS
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 47.09% to 37.36% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 9.6 $/m3 to 10.29 $/m3 across 16 recorded years.
World Bank ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 5.81% to 8.03% across 23 recorded years.
World Bank SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 26118 km2 to 27236 km2 across 17 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.K2
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 3588 kWh to 5090 kWh across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 12.25 to 5.77 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 2.72 to 2.84 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 40.58 to 30.56 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 66.95 to 48.98 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 1.77 to 3.54 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 9.83 to 3.14 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 4.57 to 8.01 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, energy at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
Current path
Every line above is a recorded World Bank series for this country. The current path is simply those series continuing at the pace already measured.
Computed from: recorded series, no policy change assumed
Best case
The pledges are met on their own stated timetables and the weakest pillars are lifted to match the strongest. Serbia already shows it can do this: food and farming scores 5/5.
Computed from: each published target delivered on its own date
What the best case actually asks for
Lift energy
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Serbia's record. Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small. Per-person emissions sit at about 6.24 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, and climate policy is weak, with new coal and gas capacity still under discussion despite an EU accession pledge to decarbonise. Air quality in cities such as Belgrade and Bor is among the worst in Europe, largely because of coal and industry. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Serbia's record. Only about 0.6 per cent of Serbia's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture), a small but slowly growing niche despite the country's strong conventional farming base. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift pollution
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Serbia's record. The annual mean PM2.5 is about 16.95 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022), but winter air in Belgrade and valley towns spikes to among the world's worst readings because of lignite power and household coal and wood burning. Plastic policy is still partial and litter and illegal dumping are common. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Serbia.
Who is in charge of Serbia now · office-holders and institutions as published by the state itself; scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024
Djuro Macut
Prime Minister
Djuro Macut is the head of government of Serbia, in office since 16 April 2025. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government: 48.7 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Control of corruption: 36.5 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Political stability and absence of violence: 63 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Rule of law: 53.5 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Regulatory quality: 56.1 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Djuro MacutPrime Minister
National Assembly (Narodna skupstina)Legislature, unicameral
Next election2028
Last election17 December 2023
Constitutioncurrent text dates from 2006
Government typeparliamentary republic
Serbia national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! behind
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Serbia currently protects 14% of its land, which is 47% of the way to the pledge. ↗
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on record
Serbia has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. ↗
Plastic policy
no national ban
No full ban yet; as an EU candidate Serbia is aligning with EU single-use plastic rules and phasing out lightweight bags..
Grid, as it stands
32.1% renewable
Recorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. ↗
Plain Answers About Serbia.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
swipe →
Is Serbia sustainable?
Serbia scores 58 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Serbia is a water-abundant, strongly agricultural country with living folk culture, held back on the eco scorecard by coal power, weak recycling and uneven tap-water quality.
Is the water in Serbia safe and plentiful?
Serbia is water rich, threaded by the Danube, Sava, Great Morava and Tisza and backed by good groundwater, so raw supply is plentiful. Yet only about 75 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024), and parts of Vojvodina have long-standing arsenic contamination in the supply. Belgrade tap water is safe, but rural quality is uneven.
Can Serbia feed itself?
Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus. It is one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries and a major maize, wheat and plum producer, so self-sufficiency is high.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Serbia?
Fresh produce, beans (prebranac), cabbage, peppers and ajvar are everywhere, and the Orthodox fasting (posno) tradition provides a genuine everyday plant-based repertoire. Day-to-day cuisine, however, is very meat heavy (grilled rostilj and cevapi), so committed plant eating takes a little effort outside fasting periods.
How much of Serbia is actually protected?
Protected areas cover about 14 per cent of the territory (World Bank, 2025), including five national parks such as Djerdap, Tara and Kopaonik. Enforcement is a weak point, with documented illegal logging and controversial small hydropower schemes built inside protected river valleys, and there is no marine estate as the country is landlocked.
What wildlife is left in Serbia?
Serbia has solid Carpathian and Balkan wildlife, from bears, wolves and lynx in the east to griffon vultures in the Uvac canyon and rich birdlife in wetlands like Zasavica, with 45 threatened species recorded (IUCN via World Bank, 2022). Balkan mountain endemics exist, most famously the relict Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), but overall endemism is modest.
Is Serbia on clean energy?
Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small. Per-person emissions sit at about 6.24 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, and climate policy is weak, with new coal and gas capacity still under discussion despite an EU accession pledge to decarbonise.
How polluted is Serbia?
The annual mean PM2.5 is about 16.95 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022), but winter air in Belgrade and valley towns spikes to among the world's worst readings because of lignite power and household coal and wood burning. Plastic policy is still partial and litter and illegal dumping are common.
Does recycling work in Serbia?
Serbia recycled about 15.2 per cent of its municipal waste in 2023 (Eurostat, recycling rate of municipal waste), with most refuse still going to landfill and collection infrastructure uneven outside the cities.
Is the farming in Serbia organic?
Only about 0.6 per cent of Serbia's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 (FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture), a small but slowly growing niche despite the country's strong conventional farming base.
Are there natural materials and craft in Serbia?
Serbia keeps living textile traditions, above all the Pirot kilim (cilim) wool weaving that carries a protected geographical indication, alongside wool knitwear, hemp and flax heritage and hand-made opanci leather footwear.
Is there living culture in Serbia?
Living folk culture is strong, from the kolo circle dance and Orthodox village traditions to Vojvodina salas farmsteads and a growing ethno-village and rural homestay scene. Tourism is relatively low volume and largely locally owned, so more of the spend stays in communities.
What heritage does Serbia keep alive?
Serbia holds a vigorous living folk culture centred on the kolo, the communal circle dance performed at weddings and celebrations and recognised by UNESCO. Brass band music thrives, celebrated each year at the Guca trumpet festival, alongside the epic songs of the one-stringed gusle. The Orthodox Slava, the household celebration of a family's patron saint passed down through generations, remains a defining ancestral custom.
So is Serbia actually green? The measured answer
What is working: the record is thin on the headline measures, and the sourced numbers below say why.
What is not: land protected at 14% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 35% against a 100% mark.
Serbia sits 68 of 77 at 58/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking →
What is Serbia particularly good at?
✓Food and farming, scored 5/5. Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus. It is one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries and a major maize, wheat and plum producer, so self-sufficiency is high.
✓Culture, scored 4/5. Living folk culture is strong, from the kolo circle dance and Orthodox village traditions to Vojvodina salas farmsteads and a growing ethno-village and rural homestay scene. Tourism is relatively low volume and largely locally owned, so more of the spend stays in communities.
✓Heritage, scored 4/5. Serbia holds a vigorous living folk culture centred on the kolo, the communal circle dance performed at weddings and celebrations and recognised by UNESCO. Brass band music thrives, celebrated each year at the Guca trumpet festival, alongside the epic songs of the one-stringed gusle. The Orthodox Slava, the household celebration of a family's patron saint passed down through generations, remains a defining ancestral custom. In the east, Vlach communities keep distinctive ancestral healing and spiritual traditions alive.
Where does Serbia score worst?
✕Pollution, scored 2/5. The annual mean PM2.5 is about 16.95 micrograms per cubic metre (UChicago AQLI, 2022), but winter air in Belgrade and valley towns spikes to among the world's worst readings because of lignite power and household coal and wood burning. Plastic policy is still partial and litter and illegal dumping are common.
✕Recycling, scored 2/5. Serbia recycled about 15.2 per cent of its municipal waste in 2023 (Eurostat, recycling rate of municipal waste), with most refuse still going to landfill and collection infrastructure uneven outside the cities.
✕Water, scored 2/5. Serbia is water rich, threaded by the Danube, Sava, Great Morava and Tisza and backed by good groundwater, so raw supply is plentiful. Yet only about 75 per cent of the population uses safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, 2024), and parts of Vojvodina have long-standing arsenic contamination in the supply. Belgrade tap water is safe, but rural quality is uneven.
Similar countries doing it better and worse
FranceScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.78
SwitzerlandScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.75
GermanyScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.75
IcelandScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.65
United KingdomScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.65
MontenegroScored on the same twelve pillars as Serbia.63
A note from the lens of mother natureswipe →
Energy, 2/5
Serbia's power system is built on coal, with domestic lignite generating around two thirds of electricity, giving it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in Europe. Renewables supply roughly a third of generation, almost all of it long-standing hydropower, while wind and solar are still small.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Serbia's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Food and farming, 5/5
Serbia is strongly agricultural and a net food exporter, with fertile Vojvodina plains and an agri-food trade surplus. It is one of the world's leading exporters of frozen raspberries and a major maize, wheat and plum producer, so self-sufficiency is high.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Serbia's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Heritage, 4/5
Serbia holds a vigorous living folk culture centred on the kolo, the communal circle dance performed at weddings and celebrations and recognised by UNESCO. Brass band music thrives, celebrated each year at the Guca trumpet festival, alongside the epic songs of the one-stringed gusle.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Serbia's record, so it is where the score moves first.
The Serbia Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Serbia, checked and listed.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Government effectiveness
53.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Rule of law
53.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Political stability
63 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Voice and accountability
48.7 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Environmental Performance Index
49.8 / 100 · 62 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 62 of 180 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
57.4 / 100 · 57 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 57 of 180 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
53.4 / 100 · 71 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 71 of 180 countries assessed.
Air pollution
86.3 / 100 · 43 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 43 of 180 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
29.7 / 100 · 133 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 133 of 180 countries assessed.
How Serbia Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Conservation
Land and sea actually protected, not pledged
02
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost
03
Water
Fresh water per person, and the ocean’s health
04
Food & farming
Whether the place can feed itself
05
Organic & clean
Certified land and pesticide reality
06
Climate & energy
Emissions per person, how the grid is powered
07
Waste
Where the rubbish goes, what comes back
08
Health
What people eat and die of
09
Heritage
Living culture, and what the law keeps standing
10
Ownership
Who owns the economy, how much of a dollar stays
11
Governance
Freedom, honesty, promises kept
12
Future
Measured trends run forward, pledges against pace
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
One index, every destination. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
