North Macedonia vs Serbia
Serbia is 3.44 times larger than North Macedonia. North Macedonia would fit into Serbia about 3.4 times.
North MacedoniaSerbiaNorth Macedonia moved onto Serbia · Equal-area projection
0.29×
North Macedonia is 0.29× the area of Serbia. Put the other way, Serbia is 3.44× the size of North Macedonia.
 North Macedonia |  Serbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSerbia: 3.44× the area | 25,713 km²#146 of 194 | 88,499 km²#111 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSerbia: 3.6× the population | 1,820,909#149 of 194 · 2025 | 6,549,143#109 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySerbia: 1.04× the density | 71 / km²#115 of 194 | 74 / km²#112 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 63%#98 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSerbia: 1.17× the births per woman | 1.40 per woman#157 of 192 · 2024 | 1.64 per woman#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNorth Macedonia: 0.38 points higher | −0.19%#173 of 192 · 2025 | −0.57%#183 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSerbia: 1.05× the birth rate | 8.8 per 1,000#158 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSerbia: 1.34× the death rate | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 14.9 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15North Macedonia: 2.2 points higher | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 14.3%#174 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Serbia: 4.6 points higher | 18.5%#37 of 192 · 2025 | 23.1%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSerbia: 1.1 per 1,000 higher | −3.1 per 1,000#160 of 192 · 2025 | −2.0 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSerbia: 4.36× the refugees for its size | 1.04 per 1,000#57 of 190 · 2025 | 4.53 per 1,000#29 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorth Macedonia: 0.6 years longer | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 | 76.0 years#78 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySerbia: 1.84× the infant mortality | 2.5 per 1,000 births#173 of 191 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSerbia: 1.05× the doctors per person | 2.94 per 1,000#62 of 178 · 2022 | 3.10 per 1,000#57 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSerbia: 1.28× the university enrolment | 55.0%#66 of 145 · 2023 | 70.6%#44 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSerbia: 0.018 higher | 0.815#67 of 190 · 2023 | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSerbia: 1.42× the income per person | $9,490#82 of 185 · 2025 | $13,480#70 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSerbia: 5.23× the economy | $19.1B2025 | $99.95B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Serbia: 1.21× the output per person | $28,029#74 of 184 · 2025 | $33,910#64 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNorth Macedonia: 1.5 points higher | +3.5%#86 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNorth Macedonia: 0.2 points higher | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNorth Macedonia: 1.73× the unemployment | 12.3%#23 of 178 · 2025 | 7.1%#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNorth Macedonia: 3.55× the share in extreme poverty | 3.9%#59 of 149 · 2019 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)North Macedonia: 0.7 higher | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2019 | 32.8#97 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSerbia: 9.5 points higher | 8.5% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Macedonia: 3.5 points higher | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 | 27.1% of jobs#27 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNorth Macedonia: 6.0 points higher | 60.9% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 | 54.9% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSerbia: 0.4 points higher | 3.5% of GDP#56 of 184 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#49 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNorth Macedonia: 5.3 points higher | 59.6% of GDP#34 of 168 · 2025 | 54.3% of GDP#42 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSerbia: 1.4× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#66 of 155 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#36 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorth Macedonia: 1.06× the share online | 93%#39 of 184 · 2025 | 88%#69 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSerbia: 1.15× the mobile subscriptions | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 | 124 per 100#71 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Macedonia: 1.04× the forest share | 41% of land#65 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energySerbia: 7.7 points higher | 19.5%#109 of 190 · 2021 | 27.2%#89 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Macedonia: 1.13× the air pollution | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 | 19.3 µg/m³#89 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNorth Macedonia: 15.0 points higher | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 | 14.0% of land#123 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSerbia: 12.8 points higher | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 | 29.0% of land#31 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Macedonia: 9.23× the water stress | 52.6%#35 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | 619 mm#128 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Macedonia: 0.70 higher | +0.38#76 of 193 · 2025 | −0.32#124 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNorth Macedonia: 0.30 higher | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 | −0.60#128 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNorth Macedonia: 1.15× the homicide rate | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2023 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | NATO | — |
| Capital | Skopje | Belgrade |
| Currency | Macedonian denar (MKD) | Serbian dinar (RSD) |
| Official languages | Albanian, Macedonian | Serbian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +389 | +381 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. North Macedonia sits at about 42° N and is stretched to 1.79× its true area; Serbia at 44° N is stretched to 1.95×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is North Macedonia bigger than Serbia?
- No. North Macedonia is 3.44 times smaller than Serbia. North Macedonia covers 25,713 km² and Serbia covers 88,499 km².
- How many times does North Macedonia fit into Serbia?
- About 3.4 times: Serbia has 3.44× the area of North Macedonia.
- Why do North Macedonia and Serbia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. North Macedonia is drawn about 1.79× its true area there and Serbia about 1.95×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, North Macedonia or Serbia?
- Serbia: 6,549,143 people against 1,820,909. Density: North Macedonia 71 per km², Serbia 74 per km².
- Which is richer, North Macedonia or Serbia?
- By gross national income per person, Serbia: $13,480 against $9,490 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.42× as much.
- Where do people live longer, North Macedonia or Serbia?
- In North Macedonia: life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years, against 76.0 — 0.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do North Macedonia and Serbia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).