Demographic Limits to Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in Serbia - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 176

Table 14.1 Dependency ratios of two geographical areas by urban/rural distinction

65/0-19 65/20-64

Area Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total

The 2002 Census Plains 0.67 0.88 0.76 0.23 0.33 0.27

Mountains 0.43 0.98 0.70 0.18 0.40 0.28

The 2007 LSMS Plains 0.76 0.95 0.84 0.23 0.33 0.27

Mountains 0.53 1.43 0.91 0.20 0.49 0.33

Sources: Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia ( 2003a ); World Bank ( 2007 ).

51.7% against 48.3% while in low lands area this relation is quite opposite: 41.5%
against 58.5%.
Table 14.1 shows homogenization of the population aging across the country
according to usual summary indicators—age dependency ratios. Results from both
sources the 2002 Census of population and the 2007 LSMS are presented.
As it was noted earlier, there is no substantial difference between high and low
lands according to the dependency ratios for total population by both surveys.
However, it can be noted that old population (aged 65 and over) make somewhat
higher pressure in the Mountains than in the Plains if rural settlements are consid-
ered. 3 On the other hand, urban places are older in the Plains than in the Mountains.
The difference between these two areas in the level of dependency ratios for urban
population (aging index particularly) indicates the direction which dominates migra-
tion streams in the country during the last five decades. Since the majority of
the settlements' population is presented by migrants who settled down during the
1960s-1980s period, these places are now facing strong population aging caused by
entering of big immigrant cohorts into old ages.
While the direction of internal migrations in Serbia is still generally from the
Mountains to the Plains, the most attractive targets of migrants are the biggest
cities in the country, now. Since the industrialization almost exhausted population
stock of rural areas, particularly in the Mountains, small- and middle-sized towns
became new sources of population influx for several large urban oases in Serbia.
Consequently, this directed more detailed analysis of the sex ratio at the most
dynamic part of migrating population, those aged 20-39 years, which represents
the population of the highest reproductive potential at the same time. Table 14.2
shows the ratio for this population segment depending on its geographical location
and type of settlement.
According to the 2002 Census, both geographical areas are characterized by male
surplus of the group if rural population is considered while surplus of females is
common feature for urban centers of the two areas. Furthermore, the 2007 LSMS
shows that only urban areas of low lands are populated by more women than men

3 The difference is more pronounced by the 2007 LSMS, which can be accounted for continuation
of the process and, to a certain extent, for the variation of the sample.