DEMOGRAPHICS AND TRENDS IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF POST-SOCIALIST SERBIA

Demographic factors such as age, income, household composition, and population growth profoundly impact housing markets, affecting prices, housing provisions, needs, and types. In post-socialist countries, transition processes, historical heritage, socio-cultural, and political factors additionally influenced demographic trends and trends in housing markets. In these countries, depopulation was one of the significant demographic features. However, modern depopulation trends, characteristic of most developed countries, have not directly impacted trends in the number of apartments but rather on their structural features and spatial distribution. This paper analyzes the relationships between demographic factors and trends in housing developments in Serbia, which are characterized by certain specificities. According to data from the last four Censuses (1991, 2002, 2011, 2022), in the territory of Serbia, in the period from the beginning of the 1990s, a continuous increase in the number of apartments was recorded, while the number of inhabitants was in constant decline. The differences were in their intensity and relationship with population indicators. Trends in housing developments in Serbia are reflected in the increase in the number of apartments, primarily in urban areas, as well as through qualitative characteristics. Changes in the ownership structure of apartments were particularly highlighted. The outlines of the base of apartments in social ownership from the second half of the 20th century were visible until the mid-1990s, while in the following years, they almost completely disappeared. This led to Serbia becoming one of the countries with the smallest share of apartments in public ownership. Regarding this indicator, regional differences within the country are more pronounced compared to the trend of the total number of apartments. They are exceptionally prominent in parts of Serbia, with a specific demographic picture and zones where the secondary sector of the economy is dominant.