GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Serbia


Serbia Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Serbia; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankNational Bank of Serbia
International ReservesUS$ 13.308 billion (Source: World Bank; Data updated: November 2010)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 45.641 billion (2010 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)83.41 billion of International dollars (2010 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
5.3%5.6%3.9%2.4%8.5%5.4%5.2%6.9%
2008200920102011*
5.5%-3.1%1.8%3%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 6,158 (2002 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$11,255 International Dollars (2002 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
N/AN/A0.1%0.11%0.11%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 12.3% 
  • industry: 22.5% 
  • services: 65.2% (2011 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)N/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
12.4%(2008)8.1%6.2%9.9%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
14.7%17.4%19.4%(2009)19.6%

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
35.2%33.4%36.8%44%40.5%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
-1.9%-2.6%-4.1%-4.8%-4%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: BB-/Stable/B

Moody's rating: N/A

Moody's outlook: N/A

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
US$23.934 billionUS$12.165 billionUS$11.522 billion
Largest companies in SerbiaN/A
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ -3.4 billion (2009 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP-7.4% of GDP (2009 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

26.6% (2009)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.06%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.1%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsUS$9.7 billion f.o.b. (2010 estimate)
Export commoditiesmanufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment
Total importsUS$18.35 billion (2007 estimate)
Import commoditiesN/A
Exports - major partnersN/A
Imports - major partnersN/A
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$2,955 millionUS$1,959 million(2009)US$1,329 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
US$283 millionUS$52 millionUS$189 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
US$-7 millionUS$-174 million(2009)N/A(2009)N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 89 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 83 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 100 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 138 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 15 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 74 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 74 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 94 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		95

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 101 Score: 58 (Mostly Unfree) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC+1
Total area 88,361 km2 (2006)
CapitalBelgrade (Beograd) (2009)
CurrencySerbian dinars (RSD) (2009)
Government typerepublic (2009)
LanguagesSerbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census)
ReligionsSerbian Orthodox 85%, Catholic 5.5%, Protestant 1.1%, Muslim 3.2%, unspecified 2.6%, other, unknown, or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
N/AN/A7.52 million7.4 million7.47 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
N/AN/A51.1%52.2%
Population median age37.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate-0.4% (2009)
Life expectancy74 years (2007)
Adult literacyN/A
% of population living on less than $2 a day<2% (2011)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

28.2 (2008)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:2
Civil Liberties:2 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

169.71% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population40.9% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

Belgrade: 189th (2011)

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

5.0749 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks UniCredit Bank (National, 2011)

WORLD'S BEST EMERGING MARKET BANKS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Raiffeisen Bank International Serbia (National, 2012)
2011:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Komercijalna banka a.d. Beograd (National, 2011)
2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Raiffeisen Banka (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Raiffeisen Banka (National, 2009)
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE