Editing Serbs (section)

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Serbia|Serbs in Vojvodina|Serbs in Kosovo|Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Serbs of Montenegro|Serbs of Croatia|Serbs in North Macedonia|Serbs in Slovenia|Serbs in diaspora}}
[[File:Map of war in Yugoslavia, 1993.png|thumb|Serb-controlled regions within the former Yugoslavia during the [[Yugoslav Wars]].]]
Modern demographic distribution of ethnic Serbs throughout homeland and native regions, as well as in [[Serbs in diaspora|Serbian ethnic diaspora]], represents an outcome of several historical and demographic processes, shaped both by [[economic migrations]] and [[forced displacements]] during the recent [[Yugoslav Wars]] (1991–1999).

=== Balkans ===
According to most recent census conducted in Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, there are nearly 7&nbsp;million Serbs living in their native homelands, within the geographical borders of former [[Yugoslavia]]. In Serbia itself, around 5.5&nbsp;million people identify themselves as ethnic Serbs, and constitute about 83% of the population. More than a million live in [[Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (predominantly in the [[Republika Srpska]]), where they are one of the three [[Nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina|constituent ethnic groups]]. Serbs in [[Serbs in Croatia|Croatia]], [[Serbs of Montenegro|Montenegro]] and [[Serbs of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]] also have recognized collective rights, and number some 186,000, 178,000 and 39,000 people, respectively, while another estimated 96,000 live in the disputed area of [[Serbs of Kosovo|Kosovo]].<ref name="Cocozelli"/> Smaller minorities exist in [[Serbs in Slovenia|Slovenia]], some 36,000 people, respectively.

Outside of the former Yugoslavia, but within their historical and migratory areal, Serbs are officially recognized as national minority in [[Serbs in Albania|Albania]],{{sfn|Djordjević|Zaimi|2019|p=53-69}} [[Serbs in Romania|Romania]] (18,000), [[Serbs in Hungary|Hungary]] (7,000), as well as in the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Serbs of Slovakia|Slovakia]].

===Diaspora===
{{Main article|Serbs in diaspora}}
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There are over 2&nbsp;million Serbs in [[diaspora]] throughout the world; some sources put that figure as high as 4&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biz – Vesti – Srbi za poslom idu i na kraj sveta|date=30 April 2012 |publisher=B92|url=http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2012&mm=04&dd=30&nav_id=605046|access-date=17 April 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213053823/http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2012&mm=04&dd=30&nav_id=605046|archive-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> There is a large diaspora in Western Europe, particularly in [[Serbs in Germany|Germany]], [[Serbs in Austria|Austria]], [[Immigration from the former Yugoslavia to Switzerland|Switzerland]], [[Serbs in France|France]], [[Serbs in Italy|Italy]], [[Swedish Serbs|Sweden]] and [[Serbs in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]. Outside Europe, there are significant Serb communities in the [[Serbian American|United States]], [[Serbian Canadians|Canada]], [[Serbian Australian|Australia]], [[South America]] and [[Southern Africa]]. The existence of a large diaspora is mainly a consequence of either economic or political ([[coercion]] or expulsions) reasons. 

There were several waves of Serb emigration. The first wave took place since the end of the 19th century and lasted until [[World War II]] and was caused by economic reasons; particularly large numbers of Serbs (mainly from peripheral ethnic areas such as [[Herzegovina]], [[Montenegro]], [[Dalmatia]], and [[Lika]]) emigrated to the United States. The second wave of emigration took place after the end of [[World War II]]. At this time, members of royalist [[Chetniks]] and other political opponents of communist regime fled the country mainly going overseas ([[United States]] and [[Australia]]) and, to a lesser degree, [[United Kingdom]]. The third wave of Serb emigration, by far the largest, consisted of economic emigration beginning in the 1960s when several Western European countries signed bilateral agreements with Yugoslavia, allowing the recruitment of industrial workers to those countries; this lasted until the end of the 1980s. The major  destinations for migrants were [[West Germany]], [[Austria]], and [[Switzerland]], and to a lesser extent [[France]] and [[Sweden]]. That generation of diaspora is collectively known as ''gastarbajteri'', after German ''[[gastarbeiter]]'' ("guest-worker"), since most of the emigrants headed for German-speaking countries. These migrations left some parts of Serbia sparsely populated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-16 |title="Европски Љубичевац": Гастарбајтерско село у којем има свега, само нема људи |url=https://www.bbc.com/serbian/cyr/srbija-61815453 |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=BBC News на српском |language=sr-cyrl |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714203755/https://www.bbc.com/serbian/cyr/srbija-61815453 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later emigration took place during the 1990s, and was caused by both political and economic reasons. The [[Yugoslav wars]] caused many Serbs from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to leave their countries in the first half of the 1990s. The [[Sanctions against Yugoslavia|economic sanctions]] imposed on Serbia caused an economic collapse with an estimated 300,000 people leaving Serbia during that period, 20% of which had a higher education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emg.rs/en/news/serbia/61642.html|title=Serbia seeks to fill the '90s brain-drainage gap|publisher=EMG.rs|date=5 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529021627/http://www.emg.rs/en/news/serbia/61642.html|archive-date=29 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="survey">{{cite web|url=http://www.pregled-rs.com/article.php?pid=208&id=19625&lang=en|title=Survey S&M 1/2003|publisher=Yugoslav Survey|access-date=13 December 2013|archive-date=11 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111073313/http://www.pregled-rs.com/article.php?pid=208&id=19625&lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>