Challenges in a population policy toward migrations under the conditions of uneven distribution of population potentials in Serbia

Abstract

Population distribution, as one of the key topics in geographical research, reflects the integrity of physical, social, economic and historical factors of certain area. This paper provides an overview of the spatial concentration of population in Serbia at the beginning of XXI century (Censuses 2002 and 2011). The analysis of population distribution and redistribution was performed at different levels of territorial structure of Serbia. The results indicate uneven distribution of population potentials (both in quantitative and qualitative ways) by expanding the area of extremely low and extremely high concentration. However, there remains a need for a broader scientific consideration of migration flows in order to create migration policies. Those policies are of interest to geographers because they represent attempts to manage the flow of people and to alter the geographical pattern of population distribution and characteristics.