United Nations projections show that by 2100, the population in the former Yugoslavia will nearly halve.

The UN recently updated its extensive database, “World Population Prospects,” which provides estimates of global demographic and population trends.

The data offer insights into historical demographic trends and a glimpse into the future.

The UN estimates that today, the global population stands at 8.17 billion people, and it will reach a peak in 2084 at 10.3 billion, followed by a slight decline.

Although global population growth is expected to continue for several decades, the growth rate is rapidly slowing, according to the report.

Region to lose half of its population

This European trend is strongly reflected in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, where UN projections indicate that the population will almost halve by 2100.

Al Jazeera Balkans (AJB) examined population trends for seven countries in the region – Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo.

Among the listed countries, Serbia is the most populous in 2024, with 6.7 million residents. It is followed by Croatia with 3.9 million, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 3.2 million, Slovenia with 2.1 million, North Macedonia with 1.8 million, Kosovo with 1.7 million, and Montenegro with approximately 638,000 residents. This means that the former Yugoslavia region has a total population of around 20 million in 2024, according to UN data.

By 2050, the region will have 3 million fewer people, with a total population of 16.9 million.

Projections show that by 2100, the region will have just 11 million residents, almost half of today’s population of 20 million.

The numbers suggest that by 2100, Serbia will have 3 million fewer residents, leaving it with 3.7 million people.

Croatia will have 1.7 million fewer people, with a population of 2.1 million.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will lose 1.8 million residents, with a population of 1.36 million. North Macedonia will see a decrease of nearly one million people, and the UN projects the country will have 863,000 residents by 2100.

Slovenia will lose the least proportionally, with a projected population of 1.6 million by 2100—surpassing Bosnia and Herzegovina, which currently has a significantly larger population, the analysis concludes.