Population by economic activity

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia publishes the final results of the 2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings on the population of the Republic of Serbia by economic activity, age and sex, up to the level of municipalities and cities.

According to economic activity, the population is divided into economically active population (labour force) and economically inactive population.

The labour force contingent consists of the employed and the unemployed persons, while the economically inactive population includes: children under 15 years of age, pupils and students aged 15 and over, pensioners, persons with income from property or investments, persons engaged in the production of goods for the needs of their own households, persons who perform unpaid housework in their own household and other persons who are not economically active.

In the 2022 Census, 2 401 690 persons (1 287 053 men and 1 114 637 women) declared that in the week preceding the Census, they performed any kind of paid work for at least one hour or worked as contributing members in family business that brings income, or they had a paid job from which they were absent in the week preceding the Census due to illness, vacation or some other reason, and to which they will return after absence. These persons are included in the contingent of the employed.

Th unemployed persons are considered to be persons who stated that during September 2022 they were actively looking for a job or trying to start an independent business, and who declared that they could start working within next two weeks if they were offered a job. A total of 402 831 persons (220 451 men and 182 380 women) are classified as the unemployed.

Таble 1: Population by economic activity and sex

		Total	Men	Women
Republic of Serbia		6 647 003	3 231 978	3 415 025
Economically active population (labour force)	All	2 804 521	1 507 504	1 297 017
	Employed	2 401 690	1 287 053	1 114 637
	Unemployed	402 831	220 451	182 380
Економски неактивно становништво	All	3 842 482	1 724 474	2 118 008
	Children under 15	955 452	492 239	463 213
	Pupils and students (15+)	433 344	201 312	232 032
	Pensioners	1 592 567	694 653	897 914
	Persons with income from property or investments	19 125	13 519	5 606
	Persons engaged in the production of goods for the needs of their own households	84 129	65 648	18 481
	Persons who perform unpaid housework in their own household	459 344	73 485	385 859
	Other persons and unknown	298 521	183 618	114 903

The contingent of economically inactive population includes 3 842 482 persons (1 724 474 men and 2 118 008 women). Among the economically inactive population, the most are pensioners (almost 1.6 million), followed by children under the age of 15 (955 452 children), then persons who perform unpaid housework in their own household (around 459 344 persons) and pupils/students aged 15 and over (433 344 persons).

Population by economic activity, age and sex