Serbia

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Previous reports: 2023/24




Conscription currently imposed? No Suspended in 2011.
Conscientious objection first recognised 1992

Constitution of Serbia and Montenegro, Article 58 (guaranteed unarmed military service only)

Regulation on Civilian Service 37/2003
CO release of professional soldiers – No specific provisions beyond constitutional guarantees (see below)
Minimum recruitment age 18
Population 1
Total % males 15-19 Thus approx. annual cohort reaching 18
6,652,212 2.7% 35,922
Armed forces
Total strength Of which conscripts Compared to annual cohort above
28,150 – Total strength is 78.4% of cohort
Military expenditure
$ (% change from 2023) Per capita % of GDP
2,323m (+23.5%) $344 2.6%

* The figures above do not include Kosovo. The situation there is covered in Kosovo

Principal EBCO concerns

  • It is unclear if and how the law on alternative service would apply to an event of reintroduction of conscription or emergency mobilisation.

  • The law on alternative service lacks basic guarantees to the rights of conscientious objectors, such as accessibility to all without discrimination, full control of civilian authorities.

Developments

On January 4, 2024, the General Staff of the Armed Forces submitted a proposal for the reintroduction of obligatory military service for four months,2 following up on previous plans.3 The Ministry of Defence described the proposal as aimed at increasing “the defence capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, through the rejuvenation and improvement in the training of the active and reserve forces” and that it came after "a detailed consideration of the general security situation and current challenges faced by the Republic of Serbia as a militarily neutral country."

On September 14, 2024, the President stated that he signed his consent to a military term of 75 days.4

No legislation was passed in 2024 that would implement those changes.

Other notes

Compulsory military service is suspended since January 1, 2011.5

Since our last coverage in 2023, we are not aware of any updates to the provisions around voluntary recruitment, conscientious objection of military personnel and reservists, or militarisation of the education system.

We could not find data on military recruitment numbers or asylum applications filed by foreign nationals on the grounds of fear of persecution as conscientious objectors.

  1. Population and armed forces figures are derived from The Military Balance 2025, published by the international Institute for Strategic Studies; military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2025. ⤴
  3. War Resisters' International, “WiB Belgrade Statement: On possible reintroduction of military service in Serbia”, 28 May 2021.⤴
  5. Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 95/10.⤴