Economic structures of the rural population in Yugoslavia
Authors: Radivojevic Biljana 
Published: May 2019

The inter-dependence of demographic and economic development both determines
and is reflected in the economic structure of the population.
Industrialization and the process of deagrarization have strongly influenced
the changes in rural population structures. The underdeveloped economy of
Yugoslavia before the II World War of mostly agrarian character and
underdeveloped industry was characterized by excess labor force in villages
and substantial agrarian overpopulation. Preferential treatment of industry
during the post-war period, based on the outpouring of savings from
agriculture, hindered agricultural activity and created discrepancy in the
level or industrial and agricultural development. This led to mass migration
of rural population into cities and its engagement in non-agricultural
activities. Hence, by changing the structure of the economy, the process of
accelerated urbanization also changed the economic structure of the
population. The transfer of rural population continued throughout the period
following the II World War. It was very intensive during certain periods and
far in excess of the natural growth in agricultural population. Abandoning
agriculture and migration to cities has had numerous negative effects,
particularly because of its immoderate and rapid development. Senilization
and feminization of villages practically left them without labor force,
while agriculture became a neglected economic activity. Based on the 1981
census, 45.5% of population in non-urban settlements of Yugoslavia were
economically active, 4.9% were self-employed, while 49.6% were dependents.
The rate of economically active population in these settlements was somewhat
higher than for the total urban and non-urban population. The economically
active population in non-urban settlements is still most highly concentrated
in the agricultural sector, followed by industry and mining. Thus, in 1991,
77.6% of the economically active population of central Serbia were employed
in these three sectors (of which 58.1 % in agriculture). The other three
sectors with relative importance are construction, transport and
communication, and trade. The decline in agricultural population is one of
the most significant changes in the social and economic structure of
population in Yugoslavia. In the period from 1953 to 1991, it declined by
over 3 million persons, while its share in the total decreased almost four
times. Based on the 1981 census, 93.9% of total agricultural population of
Yugoslavia lived in villages. At the same time, it accounted for 43.9% of
population in those settlements. The downward tendency in agricultural
population has continued in recent years as is shown by the 1991 census data
for territories in which it was fully conducted. With the decline in
agricultural population there was also recorded a decline in the number of
persons actively engaged in agriculture as well as a decline in their share
in the work force of non-?urban settlements_ Based on the 1981 census,
almost every second person living in these settlements was an agricultural
producer. General rate of economic activity of agricultural population
amounted to 59.7% and was higher than the rate for total non-urban
population (45.5%) because of higher engagement of border age categories of
the economically active population in agricultural activities.