Dr Vladimir Nikitović

Dr Vladimir Nikitović
Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Demographic Research
of the National Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade

President of the Association of Demographers of Serbia

vnikitovic@idn.org.rs | v.nikson@gmail.com

Fields of research

population projections
fertility of population
population aging
migration
population policy
geodemography

Biography

Vladimir Nikitović was born in 1973 in Titovo Užice, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Užice, Republic of Serbia), where he completed his primary and secondary education. Between 1992 and 1993, he completed one year of mandatory military service. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Belgrade, where he received his higher education.

Nikitović began his research career in January 1999 as a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Science at the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. In August 2005, he joined the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade. From May 2011 to December 2024, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Stanovništvo, one of the world’s oldest demographic journals. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Economics and Business and at the Belgrade Open School. From February 2022 to February 2026, he served as Head of the Centre for Demographic Research at the Institute of Social Sciences.

His publications include numerous articles, conference papers, and six monographs in the field of demography. His work has been cited in leading international journals and books published by major academic publishers. Nikitović has extensive experience as a project manager, national consultant, thematic expert, and mentor on scientific and development projects, including those supported by the European Commission, UNDP, UNFPA, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

Since 2009, he has been actively involved in the preparation of national strategies and public policies in the fields of demography and spatial development. He serves as an evaluator of international scientific projects, a supervisor of doctoral dissertations, a mentor to early-career researchers, and a reviewer for leading international journals. Since 2003, Nikitović has played an active role in public discourse in Serbia and the wider region through public debates, authored articles, and media interviews, with the aim of raising awareness of the contemporary role of demographic factors in societal development. He also served as a scientific consultant for the acclaimed documentary television series Zadnja kuća (Last House), Serbia, produced by the national public broadcaster RTS and dedicated to the issue of depopulation in Serbia (2010–2015).

Since November 2024, Nikitović has served as President of the Association of Demographers of Serbia.

Current research projects

Population aging in Serbia (UNFPA, 2025-2026)
Population of Serbia – dynamics and structures (EU, IPA, 2024-2025)

Membership in professional organisations

European Association for Population Studies – EAPS
Association of Demographers of Serbia (president)
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts – Board for the Study of Population

Education

2009, PhD in Demography (Probabilistic approach to projecting population of Serbia), University of Belgrade - Faculty of Economics
2003, MSc in Demography, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Geography, Institute for Demography (1999-2001)
1998, BSc in Geography, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Sciences
Graduated from Užice grammar school (Užička gimnazija) - mathematics & programming (1988-1992)

Fields of research

Biography

Education

Multimedia