Demographic losses of Serbia in the first world war and their long-term consequences

Abstract

Proportional to the total population, Serbia was the country with the highest number of casualties in the First World War. According to the first estimates presented at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, total Serbian casualties were 1,250,000, over 400,000 of which were military losses while the rest were civilian deaths. Besides direct losses, which include casualties in war events and deaths resulting from military operations, the Serbian population also suffered significant indirect losses originating from the reduced number of births during the war and postwar years, increased death rate after the war as a consequence of war events, and more intensive emigration. The paper analyses some of the most-quoted estimates of demographic losses (the Paris Peace Conference, Djuric, Notestein et al.), which differ in the methodology applied, the territory covered, and the obtained results. Moreover, the paper specifies the long-term demographic consequences of the First World War, primarily on the population size of Serbia and its age and gender structure. Generations that suffered the biggest losses and those whose sex structure was disrupted the most are indicated.