Serbia on alert, urges women to give birth to more children

Don't slow down. That is the request of the Serbian government for young couples. “Let's hear baby cry”, is another similar slogan in Serbia that is trying to increase the number of births.

Women say they need more support, not just words of encouragement, to increase the country's population.

Mass migration, combined with the declining fertility rate, has reduced the Serb population to below 7 million.

Currently, the country has a growth rate of 1.5 percent per household, among the lowest in Europe. According to the United Nations, the population in Serbia is expected to be reduced by 15 percent by 2050.

Depressed to stop this trend, Serbian officials have made some tempting proposals, including a plan announced in June to build ground houses in lower-level fertility areas.

President Aleksandar Vucic said it was based on a study showing that couples double the number of children at home by two to four stories, compared to multistory apartment blocks.

Comments confused the local press, with a daily without success, asked for an academic or expert who might have heard of such a study, but was met with only laughter.

However, in addition to declining birthrates, the removal of <x0trutor” also causes thousands of young Serbs to pack their bags each year to study and live in richer countries. This means that the challenge is not only encouraging more births, but also convincing Serbs to give birth to children in their country.