The process of demographic ageing in Vojvodina and central Serbia during the last two decades of the 20th century

Abstract

After five decades of insufficient reproduction of Vojvodina?s and Central Serbia?s population, the process of demographic ageing, came into the focus of the broadest public at last. Current Serbia?s population (without Kosovo and Metohija?s population) belongs to the group of the oldest populations in the world according to a number of indicators of demographic change. Considering population ageing as a planetary process without precedent in the human history, we tried to point out the main features of its evolution regarding spatial implications on population living in this part of Europe. The evolution of the process of population ageing during the 1981-2002 period was considered through functional relations between specific age groups. It was ascertained that the process started its spreading over Vojvodina at first, but continued to spread over Central Serbia afterwards moving the pole of demographic ageing to that part of the country. Some specific centres of demographic ageing as well as the regions which are still demographically more vital than the others were located by the analysis at the municipality level.