Belgrade's 2025 population is now estimated at 1,412,950. In 1950, the population of Belgrade was 432,028. Belgrade has grown by 2,250 in the last year, which represents a 0.16% annual change. These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects . These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Belgrade, which typically includes Belgrade's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.
The capital city of Serbia is Belgrade. It is the largest city in the country and has been known as a strategic location for many years. Belgrade’s location is so prized among nations that it has been fought over in at least 115 wars. The name may seem a bit peculiar, but the translation of is simply White City as much of the country’s architecture is white. The recent population estimates give a total population of over 1 million.
The area of Belgrade takes up 360 square kilometers of surface area within Serbia. The population density is 3,241 people per square kilometer.
The population of Belgrade is very much on the rise. According to the most recent census, there is currently a population of 1,166,800. The total number of residents in Belgrade make up 12.93% of the population of Serbia. The growth rate between 2001 and 2011 was .46% per year and, if the totals remain at this rate, the population of 2017 will be 1,199,359 people. According to population statistics dating back to 1953, growth is always part of the economy except for 1991 to 2002 which reflected a negative growth rate of -.39%.
There is a lot of diversity within Belgrade, but the primary ethnicity in the city remains the Serbs. Over a million and a half people make up this group at 89.9% of the total population in the city. The rest of the ethnicities represented are fractions of the overall population, including Romani at 1.2%, Montenegrins at 1.3%, and Yugoslavs at 1.4%. There is also a part of the population that is undeclared at 1.6% and a few that are of unknown ethnic origin at 1.3%. Diversity in the city is growing, but not at a substantial rate as with other cities in the world.
Religion is a significant part of life in Belgrade and Orthodoxy makes up the majority of the religious affiliation in the city. Approximately 89.9% of people identify as practicing Eastern Orthodoxy. 1.9% of the population are Muslims, and .8% are Roman Catholics. The smallest religions represented are Protestantism at .2%, Asian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism at .02%, and Judaism at a minuscule .02% of the overall population. 3.3% have not declared any religion, while those who do not currently know which religious affiliation they belong to make up 1.6% of the population. 2.4% of the total population identify as Atheists.
One of the best aspects of Belgrade is the fact that it is a relatively safe city. As with any large city, it does have some risk of potential crimes, but Belgrade’s crime rate is remarkably low compared to the national average and even surrounding countries. Robberies, thefts, and petty crimes are quite a low risk, but there is a substantially higher crime rate when it comes to bribery and corruption. Belgrade is among the safest cities in Serbia for walking alone during the day and just a bit riskier when walking at night.
The area that Belgrade occupies has a long and colorful history, and it has seen through all three Crusades - though the city was in ruins during the Third Crusade. During the late 1300s, Belgrade was home to numerous people fleeing Ottoman rule, and the population is thought to be near 40,000 to 50,000 around this time. By the end of the 1500s, the Ottomans had seized the area, and the population had grown to somewhere near 100,000 people. Four hundred years later, in the 1900s, Belgrade’s population had dropped to as low as 70,000 before beginning to re-establish a positive growth rate. By 1940, the population had swelled to over 300,000 and has continued to multiply since that time.
| City | 2025 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Nis | 250,000 | |
| Novi Sad | 215,400 | |
| Zemun | 155,591 | |
| Kragujevac | 147,473 | |
| Cacak | 117,072 | |
| Subotica | 100,000 | |
| Leskovac | 94,758 | |
| Novi Pazar | 85,996 | |
| Kraljevo | 82,846 | |
| Zrenjanin | 79,773 | |
| Pancevo | 76,654 | |
| Krusevac | 75,256 | |
| Uzice | 63,577 | |
| Smederevo | 62,000 | |
| Valjevo | 61,035 | |
| Vranje | 56,199 | |
| Sabac | 55,114 | |
| Zajecar | 49,800 | |
| Trstenik | 49,043 | |
| Sombor | 48,454 | |
| Kikinda | 41,935 | |
| Pozarevac | 41,736 | |
| Pirot | 40,678 | |
| Bor | 39,387 | |
| Sremska Mitrovica | 39,084 | |
| Vrsac | 36,300 | |
| Jagodina | 35,589 | |
| Ruma | 32,229 | |
| Backa Palanka | 29,449 | |
| Prokuplje | 27,673 | |
| Smederevska Palanka | 27,000 | |
| Ingija | 26,247 | |
| Vrbas | 25,907 | |
| Becej | 25,774 | |
| Knjazevac | 25,000 | |
| Arangelovac | 24,309 | |
| Gornji Milanovac | 23,982 | |
| Lazarevac | 23,551 | |
| Sremcica | 23,000 | |
| Cuprija | 20,585 | |
| Senta | 20,302 | |
| Apatin | 18,320 | |
| Negotin | 17,612 | |
| Obrenovac | 16,821 | |
| Stara Pazova | 16,217 | |
| Backa Topola | 16,154 | |
| Nova Pazova | 15,488 | |
| Kovin | 14,250 | |
| Petrovaradin | 13,917 | |
| Surcin | 12,575 | |
| Bela Crkva | 10,675 | |
| Veternik | 10,226 | |
| Vrnjacka Banja | 10,207 | |
| Kanjiza | 10,200 | |
| Majdanpek | 10,071 |
