Recent changes in mortality in Serbia

Radivojević, Biljana and Marinković, Ivan (2017) Recent changes in mortality in Serbia. In: La population des Balkans à l’aube du XXième siecle = The population of the Balkans at the dawn of the 21st century. Institut économique Université Saints-Cyrille-et-Méthode de Skopje / Institute of Economics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, pp. 99-118. ISBN 978-608-4519-19-5

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Abstract

The paper deals with the mortality of population in Serbia since the beginning of the 21st century. The analysis is based on the observed long-term trends, but focuses on the most recent period. The aim of the analysis is to draw attention to the recent changes in the level and structure of mortality and highlight the most important issues and challenges to further reduce mortality and extend life expectancy. The crude death rate in Serbia is about 14 per 1000. Compared with the former Yugoslav republics, the death rate is the highest in Serbia. The main reason for high death rate in Serbia is unfavourable age structure, i.e. intensified aging of the population in recent decades. In the period from 1950 to 2014, positive results were achieved in reducing mortality by age. The changes were intense in the initial period, followed by a slowdown, and then stagnation in the last decade of the 20th century. In the beginning of the 21st century mortality by age began to go down again. The greatest decrease in the most recent period (2001-2014) recorded in children and youth, moderate in the middle-aged, while it is significantly less in the people over 60 (particularly in those 80 or more). Nevertheless age-specific mortality rates in Serbia are from 2 up to 3 times higher than those of the most developed European countries. According to the data from 2012, life expectancy for the male in Serbia was 72.2 years, and for the female 77.3 years. Compared to the 2002, the increase in life expectancy was relatively small, in men by 2.6 years and in women by 2.3 years. The changes in the mortality of the population over 65 had a more significant contribution to the increase in length of life in terms of percentage. In men, the contribution was over 31% and in women about 50%. Increasing the share of deaths from chronic non-communicable diseases in the overall population mortality, especially cardiovascular diseases and cancers indicates they are the key issues for further improvement of the general mortality conditions in the country. A growing share of aged population (over 60) and the expressed feminisation of the elderly represent a major challenge for the changes necessary in the functioning of health care. The old and older middle-aged men are identified as the most vulnerable categories of the population.

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