Disastrous demographic statistics in Serbia in 2020: Births and deaths below and above the line

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When it comes to demographics, last year was devastating for Serbia, as for the first time since records are kept they showed that we had less than 62,000 newborn babies and more than 115,000 deaths, PM's advisor for activities to implement the UN 2030 Agenda Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said today.

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Speaking for TV Prva, Dejanovic stressed that these statistics are devastating for the demographic future of Serbia unless something seriously changes.

She pointed out that this data would have been even worse, if it weren'z for the current president, at the time prime minister, who in 2016 assessed that this was one of the state, political, and national priorities, and if a segment of the Serbian government that deals with it had not been formed -from the Strategy for Encouraging Birth to a lot being done about it in each local self-government unit.

Dejanovic said that experts warned in the 1950s that we would find ourselves in this situation, adding that it is not specific only to Serbia, but to most of Europe, North America and Canada, who, she said, have similar parameters.

"When we analyze that global scene, we see that those countries that have active measures and are actively engaged in encouraging birth, do so by governments, local authorities, the NGO sector, the media, academia and all individuals working together so that as many citizens as possible understand the issue of demographics as a basic issue of life and the issue of the future," said Dejanovic.

She pointed out that Serbia started to increase the visibility and importance of that topic, and added that the issue has become a problem due to migration of young people, as well as the decreasing number of women who can give birth.

Dejanovic said that some of them have health problems, others postpone having children because of their careers, while others still do so because they think that "there is time."

She pointed out that our nation is "old" and that the average age of the population in our country is 43.

She recalled that the state has introduced numerous measures to encourage giving birth, such as financial aid for the first, second and third child, financial aid for IVF, but pointed out that the financial element is not crucial.

"What is key is a set of measures that we will apply everywhere and in every place, and above all where young people need to establish their partnership, to make a decision to live and work, to go in the direction of having living conditions and a standard worthy of a young person," said Dejanovic.

She stressed that investments, better working and living conditions, as well as harmonizing work and parenthood are the things what prevent young people from leaving the country.

Dejanovic emphasized that when analyzing practical life, it comes down to the fact that a young person wants to be educated, to have professional achievements and to become a parent, and usually achieves that through the birth of their first child.

However, she pointed out that every next order of births is rare, because people wants to raise their standard first.

(Telegraf.rs)