Demographics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, during its existence from 1945 until 1991, included population density, ethnicity, education levels, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects. During its last census in 1991, Yugoslavia enumerated 23,528,230 people. Serbs had a plurality, followed by Croats, Bosniaks, Albanians, Slovenes and Macedonians.
Ethnic groups
This is data from the last four Yugoslav censuses (1961, 1971, 1981, and 1991). Ethnic groups that were considered to be constitutive (explicitly mentioned in the constitution, and not considered minority or immigrant) appear in bold text. Nationality 1961 % 1971 % 1981 % 1991 % Serbs 7,806,152 42.1% 8,143,246 39.7% 8,140,507 36.3% 8,526,872 36.2% Croats 4,293,809 23.2% 4,526,782 22.1% 4,428,043 19.7% 4,636,700 19.7% Slavic Muslims 972,960 5.3% 1,729,932 8.4% 1,999,890 8.9% 2,353,002 10.0%Albanians 914,733 4.9% 1,309,523 6.4% 1,730,878 7.7% 2,178,393 9.3% Slovenes 1,589,211 8.6% 1,678,032 8.2% 1,753,571 7.8% 1,760,460 7.5% Macedonians 1,045,516 5.7% 1,194,784 5.8% 1,341,598 6.0% 1,372,272 5.8%Yugoslavs 317,124 1.7% 273,077 1.3% 1,209,024 5.4% 710,394 3.0%Montenegrins 513,832 2.8% 508,843 2.5% 579,043 2.6% 539,262 2.3%Hungarians 504,369 2.7% 477,374 2.3% 426,867 1.9% 378,997 1.6%Romani 78,485 0.4% 148,604 0.7% n/a n/aTurks 127,920 0.6% 101,328 0.5% n/a n/aSlovaks 83,656 0.4% 80,300 0.4% n/a n/aRomanians 58,570 0.3% 54,721 0.2% n/a n/aBulgarians 58,627 0.3% 36,642 0.2% n/a n/aVlachs 21,990 0.1% 32,071 0.1% n/a n/aRusyns 24,640 0.1% 23,320 0.1% n/a n/aCzechs 24,620 0.1% 19,609 0.1% n/a n/aItalians 21,791 0.1% 15,116 0.1% n/a n/aUkrainians 13,972 0.1% 12,716 0.1% n/a n/aGermans 12,875 0.1% ? ? n/a n/aRussians 7,427 ? ? n/a n/aJews 4,811 ? ? n/a n/aPoles 4,033 ? ? n/a n/aGreeks 1,564 ? ? n/a n/aother/not determined 591,585 3.2% 136,398 0.6% 302,254 1.5% n/a n/aTotal 18,549,291 100.00% 20,522,972 100.0% 22,438,331 100.00% 23,528,230 100.0%
Republics by population
The population data are from the 1991 census. Rank Republic/Province Population 1991 % 1 9,791,475 40.9% --- Serbia proper 5,824,126 24.0% 2 4,784,265 20.6% 3 4,364,574 18.8% 4 2,033,964 8.8% --- Vojvodina 2,012,605 8.6% --- 1,954,744 8.4% 5 1,962,606 8.2% 6 615,276 2.6% 23,528,230 100%
Republics by population density
Rank Republic/Province Population Area (km2) Density --- 1,954,744 10,887 183.1 1 9,791,475 88,361 114.0 --- Serbia proper 5,824,126 55,968 99.4 2 1,962,606 20,251 94.5 --- Vojvodina 2,012,605 21,506 92.8 3 4,364,574 51,129 85.6 4 4,784,265 56,538 84.6 5 2,033,964 25,713 79.1 6 615,276 13,810 44.5 23,528,230 255,804 92.6
Largest cities
According to the 1991 census, there were 19 cities in Yugoslavia with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The population of these cities has developed as follows: For 1921: Brockhaus 15th edition; For 1953: Enciklopedija Jugoslavije 1st edition, volume 4, p. 599; For 1981: Brockhaus 19th edition (in the table in the article "Yugoslavia" there are incorrect details for Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Ljubljana due to the inclusion of the agglomerations); For 1991: Brockhaus 20th edition
Population of the largest cities in Yugoslavia (in thousands) City 1921 1953 1981 1991 Belgrade 111.7 470.2 1145 1168 Zagreb 108.3 350.8 768.7 933.9 Sarajevo 60.1 111.7 379.6 415.6 Skopje 41.1 119 405.9 444.7 Ljubljana 53.3 111.2 224.8 267 Split 25 61.2 169.3 189.4 Novi Sad 39.2 83.2 169.8 179.6 Niš 25.1 60.7 161 175.4 Rijeka * 75.3 158.3 168 Kragujevac 15.7 40.6 87 147.3 Zenica 7.6 22.6 63.5 145.6 Banja Luka 18 30.4 123.8 142.6 Tuzla 14.2 25 65 131.9 Mostar 18.2 25.9 110.3 126.1 Titograd 8.7 13.6 95.8 117.8 Priština 14.3 24.1 69.5 108.1 Maribor 30.6 70.8 104.7 103.9 Osijek 34.4 57.4 104.2 104.8 Subotica 101.9 59.8 100.2 100.4
In addition to demographic changes, the incorporation of suburbs is also responsible for the changes in the number of inhabitants. Rijeka (Fiume) was still part of Italy in 1921.
Vital statistics
Vital statistics 1947–1991
Vital statisticsAverage populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Total fertility rateFemale fertile population (15–49 years)194715,679,000416,799199,902216,89726.612.713.8194815,901,032446,634214,015232,61928.113.514.6194916,133,000483,663217,180266,48330.013.516.5195016,339,860492,993212,165280,82830.213.017.23.774,411,195195116,578,223446,254234,689211,56526.914.212.83.324,455,670195216,793,498498,172197,520300,65229.711.817.93.654,500,131195317,048,601484,139211,790272,34928.412.416.03.414,544,601195417,284,632493,567187,521306,04628.610.817.73.404,600,326195517,522,438471,394199,982271,41226.911.415.53.184,656,054195617,690,580460,235198,497261,73826.011.214.83.044,711,776195717,865,515426,701190,334236,36723.910.713.22.774,745,520195818,034,999432,399166,801265,59824.09.214.72.794,749,438195918,226,203424,276180,747243,52923.39.913.42.764,708,379196018,402,257432,595182,693249,90223.59.913.62.834,689,628196118,592,567422,180167,447254,73322.79.013.72.784,670,880196218,815,935413,093186,843226,25022.09.912.02.684,766,916196319,036,409407,406169,744237,66221.48.912.52.644,804,648196419,260,364401,104181,255219,84920.89.411.42.624,861,010196519,489,605408,158170,549237,60920.98.812.22.694,938,773196619,739,122399,802159,570240,23220.38.112.22.645,043,670196719,960,120389,640174,060215,58019.58.710.82.555,176,374196820,121,246382,543174,800207,74319.08.710.32.475,291,934196920,251,498382,764188,693194,07118.99.39.62.435,421,866197020,386,272363,278181,843181,43517.88.98.92.275,492,906197120,579,890375,762179,113196,64918.38.79.62.385,458,432197220,797,221380,743190,578190,16518.39.29.12.365,518,843197321,008,154379,051180,997198,05418.08.69.42.315,575,065197421,223,359382,947177,691205,25618.08.49.72.295,596,395197521,441,297388,037184,907203,13018.18.69.52.285,651,830197621,674,043392,364182,965209,39918.18.49.72.265,684,130197721,900,681384,637182,803201,83417.68.39.22.195,706,563197822,121,687381,387191,087190,30017.28.68.62.165,720,058197922,297,376378,803190,304188,49917.08.58.52.135,748,224198022,359,500382,120197,369184,75117.18.88.32.145,776,387198122,499,154369,047201,201167,84616.48.97.52.095,706,892198222,646,153378,814203,272175,54216.79.07.82.145,686,451198322,800,697374,610218,980155,63016.49.66.82.115,704,798198422,954,868377,362214,725162,63716.49.47.12.115,729,944198523,121,383366,629212,883153,74615.99.26.62.055,764,187198623,259,342359,626213,149146,47715.59.26.32.005,830,545198723,393,494359,338214,666144,67215.49.26.22.005,820,653198823,526,195356,268213,466142,80215.19.16.11.985,838,991198923,594,157336,394215,483120,91114.39.15.11.885,895,545199023,657,623335,152212,148123,00414.29.05.21.875,922,912199123,532,279325,922221,929103,99313.89.44.41.945,669,046Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Total fertility rateFemale fertile population (15–49 years)
Marriages and divorces 1947–1991
Average populationMarriagesDivorcesCrude marriage rate (per 1000)Crude divorce rate (per 1000)Divorces per 1000 marriages194715,679,000205,83520,91513.11.3101.6194815,901,032203,82224,58612.81.5120.6194916,133,000184,07816,98511.41.192.3195016,339,860185,96517,87911.41.196.1195116,578,223170,13315,53810.30.991.3195216,793,498176,05512,35910.50.770.2195317,048,601167,94016,0209.90.995.4195417,284,632171,54716,0539.90.993.6195517,522,438162,71119,3899.31.1119.2195617,690,580156,37919,3368.81.1123.6195717,865,515154,97020,4218.71.1131.8195818,034,999170,24221,8569.41.2128.4195918,226,203163,57221,4839.01.2131.3196018,402,257168,12022,0859.11.2131.4196118,592,567168,51021,5329.11.2127.8196218,815,935162,67221,1988.61.1130.3196319,036,409157,90921,3288.31.1135.1196419,260,364166,99821,4058.71.1128.2196519,489,605174,30121,6498.91.1124.2196619,739,122168,78923,0428.61.2136.5196719,960,120169,28220,8408.51.0123.1196820,121,246170,47020,9848.51.0123.1196920,251,498174,50720,1788.61.0115.6197020,386,272182,70420,4739.01.0112.1197120,579,890183,91621,3478.91.0116.1197220,797,221186,15622,0409.01.1118.4197321,008,154183,66523,2218.71.1126.4197421,223,359181,19224,8028.51.2136.9197521,441,297180,04625,1378.41.2139.6197621,674,043174,91824,4318.11.1139.7197721,900,681178,78322,9908.21.0128.6197822,121,687178,81924,1808.11.1135.2197922,297,376176,31021,9527.91.0124.5198022,359,500171,43922,5837.71.0131.7198122,499,154173,03622,5577.71.0130.4198222,646,153172,35922,7157.61.0131.8198322,800,697171,90622,1277.51.0128.7198422,954,868167,78922,2607.31.0132.7198523,121,383163,02223,9527.11.0146.9198623,259,342160,27722,5576.91.0140.7198723,393,494163,46922,9077.01.0140.1198823,526,195160,41923,1276.81.0144.2198923,594,157158,54422,7616.71.0143.6199023,657,623146,97520,5516.20.9139.8199123,532,279134,82617,5515.70.7130.2Average populationMarriagesDivorcesCrude marriage rate (per 1000)Crude divorce rate (per 1000)Divorces per 1000 marriages
History of national minorities in SFR Yugoslavia
1940s and 1950s The SFRY recognised "nations" (narodi) and "nationalities" (narodnosti) separately; the former included the constituent Slavic peoples, while the latter included other Slavic and non-Slavic ethnic groups such as Bulgarians and Slovaks (Slavic); and Hungarians and Albanians (non-Slavic). About a total of 26 known ethnic groups were known to live in Yugoslavia, including non-European originated Romani people.
Some of the largest non-Slavic ethnic minorities – Hungarians of Serbia, Germans (predominantly Danube Swabians), Kosovar Albanians and Istrian Italians – had been considered "troublesome" by Yugoslav authorities already in the first, interwar Yugoslavia, in part for supporting their ethnic interests and nation states as opposed to pan-Slavic ambitions during World War I.
Yugoslavia's National Minorities under Communism by Paul Shoup In: Slavic Review, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Mar., 1963), pp. 64-81 Minority rights of non-Slavs were neither guaranteed nor upheld, but rather stifled if they had proved "anti-Yugoslavian". Education in Hungarian and German was limited, a number of Hungarian and German cultural societies had been banned in the Kingdom until the late 1930s, when the country drifted towards pro-axis positions. Nonetheless, local Germans collaborated with the Nazi occupation forces during World War II, and ethnic Hungarians generally welcomed the return of Bačka region to Hungary. The Yugoslav communist partisan movement was unpopular among those minorities, with the German Ernst Thälmann unit existing merely on paper and the Hungarian Petőfi unit numbering mere hundred men. After the occupation forces were pushed out of Yugoslavia, tens of thousands of Germans, Hungarians and Italians were either imprisoned in labor camps or executed in summary executions.
After World War II, around 250,000 Germans and Italians were expelled or fled from the country, fearing reprisals, their property confiscated, in the events known as the expulsion of Germans after World War II and Istrian–Dalmatian exodus, the latter in the newly annexed areas in Istria and Rijeka, as well as from Dalmatia. Hundreds (several thousands, according to some estimates) were summarily killed in the process. The same befell Hungarians, who faced mass murders in Vojvodina.
During the era of Tito–Stalin split, many Hungarians (who in 1953 made up around 25% of the population in Vojvodina) were sympathetic towards the Hungarian People's Republic, and the words of Radio Budapest spread among the villagers.