Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Serbia instead of Russia, you would:

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 29.2% less likely to die by suicide

Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Serbia, it is 15.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 24.0% more likely to be obese

In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 28.1% less spent on your healthcare

Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Serbia spends $2,303 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 39.4% fewer doctors per person

Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Serbia has 31.0 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Serbia, that number is 7.1% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Russia, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Serbia, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 13.0% less money

Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Serbia, the GDP per capita is $15,262 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 22.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Serbia, 11.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 12.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Russia, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Serbia, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 18.3% less on education

Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Serbia spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 14.1% more on healthcare

Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Serbia, that number is 8.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 80.6% less likely to be murdered

Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Serbia, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 30.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Serbia, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 23.0% more home broadband

Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Serbia has 33.4 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 39.3% more strain on fresh water

Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Serbia withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 30.1% less electricity

Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Serbia uses 5,090 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 15.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Serbia, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Russia vs. Serbia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Serbia is 2.1% cheaper than Russia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Russia is about 221 times bigger than Serbia.
→
Moving from Russia to Serbia · UN DESA 2020
2,999 people born in Russia live in Serbia.
→

Serbia: At a glance

Serbia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 77,474 sq km. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators as well. The military and political movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when their domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Although communists, TITO and his successors (Tito died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions were ultimately unsuccessful and, after international intervention, led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC retained control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999. Serbian military and police forces withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999, and the UN Security Council authorized an interim UN administration and a NATO-led security force in Kosovo. FRY elections in late 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and the installation of democratic government. In 2003, the FRY became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 let to more intense calls to address Kosovo's status, and the UN began facilitating status talks in 2006. In June 2006, Montenegro seceded from the federation and declared itself an independent nation. Serbia subsequently gave notice that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In February 2008, after nearly two years of inconclusive negotiations, Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia - an action Serbia refuses to recognize. At Serbia's request, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2008 sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was in accordance with international law. In a ruling considered unfavorable to Serbia, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion in July 2010 stating that international law did not prohibit declarations of independence. In late 2010, Serbia agreed to an EU-drafted UNGA Resolution acknowledging the ICJ's decision and calling for a new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, this time on practical issues rather than Kosovo's status. The EU-moderated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue began in March 2011 and was raised to the level of prime ministers in October 2012. Serbia and Kosovo signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two countries in April 2013 and are in the process of implementing its provisions.
Read more

How big is Serbia compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Serbia or Russia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.