СТАРЕЊЕ ДРУШТВА И ДЕМОГРАФСКЕ ПРОМЕНЕ КАО ФАКТОР САВРЕМЕНЕ СОЦИЈАЛНЕ ПОЛИТИКЕ РЕПУБЛИКЕ СРБИЈЕ

The paper is focused on sociodemographic causes of population ageing in Serbia, its effects on the parts of the social protection system, and public policy recommendations. Its aim is to synthesise recent trends and identify guidelines for the pension system, healthcare, long-term care and social welfare services. methodologically, it is a narrative review with elements of a scoping approach; domestic and international sources (2010-2025) are included, along with standard indicators: share of 65+, old-age dependency ratio (OADR), total fertility rates (TFR), life expectancy and healthy years of life (HALE), as well as the ratio of insured persons to pension beneficiaries. The findings show that Serbia belongs to an older society (65+ ≈ 22,1%; OADR ≈ 34,8), with a persistently low TFR (≈ 1,61) and HALE around 63,9 years; the ratio of insured persons to pension beneficiaries is approximately 1:1.7. This structure increases pressures on pensions, healthcare and long-term care, but also opens up space for a „silver economy”. Therefore, the following is recommended: flexible retirement with protection of the lowest pensions, integrated care pathways (needs assessment, case management, home and community services), a minimum package of services available in each local community, and active ageing programmes (lifelong learning, digital skills for 55+). Limitations of the paper are its narrative nature and the unevenness of the sources. Future research should include microdata on migration and evaluations of pilot integrated care programmes.