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Economy of Serbia vs Syria compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

Serbia has a GDP of $89.1B compared to $20B for Syria, ranking 75/197 and 129/197 by economy size, respectively.

Serbia has $39.6B in government debt (44.4% of GDP), compared to $18.4B (30% of GDP) in Syria.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

Serbia
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Syria
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
Serbia Syria
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1960 - - $857,704,413 $2,416,812,218
1961 - - $945,244,972 $2,678,627,030
1962 - - $1,110,565,881 $3,335,461,124
1963 - - $1,200,447,408 $3,046,852,122
1964 - - $1,339,494,267 $3,329,336,867
1965 - - $1,472,036,540 $3,405,890,769
1966 - - $1,342,287,553 $3,145,031,364
1967 - - $1,580,229,799 $3,404,738,073
1968 - - $1,753,746,430 $3,531,703,487
1969 - - $2,245,011,515 $4,194,530,603
1970 - - $2,140,384,010 $4,119,161,060
1971 - - $2,589,851,325 $4,488,065,486
1972 - - $3,059,681,698 $5,639,735,188
1973 - - $3,239,487,516 $5,049,263,095
1974 - - $5,159,557,148 $6,351,759,533
1975 - - $6,826,980,444 $7,390,372,324
1976 - - $7,633,528,867 $8,296,021,554
1977 - - $7,696,011,396 $8,146,733,163
1978 - - $9,275,200,458 $8,956,729,450
1979 - - $9,929,681,529 $9,036,264,207
1980 - - $13,062,420,382 $10,347,255,986
1981 - - $15,518,201,335 $11,149,721,268
1982 - - $16,298,929,011 $11,460,696,656
1983 - - $17,589,277,143 $11,726,623,777
1984 - - $17,503,078,174 $10,834,153,805
1985 - - $16,403,539,893 $11,847,234,654
1986 - - $13,293,205,278 $10,905,032,498
1987 - - $11,356,215,543 $11,088,485,935
1988 - - $10,577,041,645 $13,085,648,672
1989 - - $9,853,395,762 $11,299,813,273
1990 - - $12,308,624,418 $11,722,376,107
1991 - - $12,981,833,333 $12,621,068,342
1992 - - $13,253,565,861 $14,258,373,042
1993 - - $13,695,962,055 $15,135,390,679
1994 - - $10,122,020,000 $16,227,110,829
1995 $17,921,892,655 $22,980,131,489 $11,396,706,587 $17,367,323,301
1996 $23,277,430,168 $24,396,847,843 $13,789,560,878 $19,073,761,706
1997 $27,153,408,995 $26,576,270,133 $14,505,233,463 $20,031,990,206
1998 $21,004,077,441 $27,996,145,144 $15,200,846,154 $21,391,221,744
1999 $20,878,694,851 $25,105,401,157 $15,873,875,969 $20,631,095,403
2000 $7,326,373,882 $26,625,556,359 $18,937,052,543 $20,770,487,870
2001 $13,599,378,662 $28,430,374,779 $20,237,024,725 $20,988,014,510
2002 $17,930,583,571 $30,290,019,296 $20,669,357,462 $21,818,055,209
2003 $23,593,044,418 $31,671,150,129 $21,828,144,686 $23,389,922,826
2004 $26,845,632,342 $33,788,958,042 $25,086,950,495 $25,004,519,711
2005 $28,334,256,181 $35,783,688,498 $28,858,965,517 $26,558,570,073
2006 $33,298,057,362 $37,179,489,902 $33,751,788,856 $27,898,767,456
2007 $44,888,028,946 $40,091,414,195 $40,465,318,382 $29,481,908,620
2008 $54,220,641,202 $42,160,489,092 $52,557,913,569 $30,801,717,185
2009 $46,955,984,410 $40,835,549,150 $54,111,735,629 $32,622,727,886
2010 $43,536,629,233 $41,493,398,683 $61,390,830,875 $34,316,469,201
2011 $51,251,098,408 $41,515,918,179 $67,539,428,159 $35,294,489,549
2012 $45,103,269,969 $41,331,605,757 $43,190,318,033 $25,998,267,919
2013 $50,455,529,604 $41,518,250,511 $21,361,254,635 $19,160,700,666
2014 $49,114,321,280 $40,769,149,069 $21,502,061,466 $17,185,167,298
2015 $41,297,410,635 $41,297,410,635 $16,466,863,117 $16,466,863,117
2016 $42,225,495,910 $42,526,090,284 $12,597,854,877 $15,412,063,258
2017 $45,972,834,714 $43,531,149,260 $16,369,843,352 $15,300,590,613
2018 $52,787,520,249 $45,555,064,903 $21,497,782,868 $15,513,754,781
2019 $53,864,693,665 $47,719,025,212 $22,583,045,060 $15,703,131,996
2020 $55,874,017,669 $47,265,683,024 $12,047,752,036 $15,593,656,904
2021 $66,159,884,073 $51,022,858,875 $14,353,205,678 $15,882,796,970
2022 $66,797,564,758 $52,365,263,375 $23,622,827,080 $15,999,183,136
2023 $81,342,660,752 $54,380,001,765 $19,993,439,950 $15,806,030,725
2024 $89,083,506,277 $56,488,865,192 - -

Economic indicators

Serbia Syria
Gross domestic product
$89.1B
2024
$20B
2023
GDP rank
75/197
2024
129/197
2023
GDP growth
9.52%
2023-2024
-15.4%
2022-2023
GDP per capita
$13,524
2024
$847
2023
GDP per capita rank
74/197
2024
184/197
2023
GDP per capita, PPP
$31,867
2024
$4,650
2023
Government debt
$39.6B
2024
$18.4B
2010
Debt-to-GDP ratio
44.4%
2025
30%
2010
Government debt per person
$6,015
2024
$820
2010
Government debt per person rank
74/185
2024
148/185
2010
Average annual personal income after taxes
$11,469
2025
$731
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies
$4.06B
2011
n/a
Income share by richest 10%
24.7%
2022
21.1%
2022
Income share by poorest 10%
2.4%
2022
3.8%
2022
Government expenditure, % of GDP
43.4%
2025
28.6%
2010
Consumer prices inflation
4.67%
2023-2024
13.4%
2018-2019
Central bank interest rate
5.75%
2024
n/a
Unemployment rate
7.24%
2024
8.61%
2010
Population
6541064
26304877

GDP per capita in Serbia vs Syria

Serbia's GDP per capita is $13,524, ranking 74/197, compared to $847 in Syria, ranking 184/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), Serbia ranks 69th at $31,867, while Syria ranks 160th at $4,650.

Serbia
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Syria
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
Serbia Syria
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 - - $183.5 -
1961 - - $196.3 -
1962 - - $223.9 -
1963 - - $234.9 -
1964 - - $254.2 -
1965 - - $270.8 -
1966 - - $239.3 -
1967 - - $272.9 -
1968 - - $293.3 -
1969 - - $364 -
1970 - - $335 -
1971 - - $393 -
1972 - - $448 -
1973 - - $459 -
1974 - - $707 -
1975 - - $904 -
1976 - - $976 -
1977 - - $951 -
1978 - - $1,108 -
1979 - - $1,146 -
1980 - - $1,458 -
1981 - - $1,676 -
1982 - - $1,703 -
1983 - - $1,776 -
1984 - - $1,706 -
1985 - - $1,544 -
1986 - - $1,208 -
1987 - - $997 -
1988 - - $898 -
1989 - - $809 -
1990 - - $978 -
1991 - - $1,000 -
1992 - - $990 -
1993 - - $993 -
1994 - - $712 -
1995 $2,349 $5,021 $780 -
1996 $3,054 $5,433 $918 -
1997 $3,574 $6,039 $941 -
1998 $2,775 $6,459 $961 -
1999 $2,769 $5,895 $978 -
2000 $975 $6,414 $1,138 -
2001 $1,812 $6,803 $1,187 -
2002 $2,391 $7,563 $1,183 -
2003 $3,154 $8,024 $1,220 -
2004 $3,597 $8,716 $1,368 -
2005 $3,808 $9,398 $1,534 -
2006 $4,493 $10,466 $1,719 -
2007 $6,081 $11,686 $1,938 -
2008 $7,377 $13,123 $2,429 -
2009 $6,414 $13,031 $2,462 -
2010 $5,971 $13,322 $2,731 -
2011 $7,082 $14,298 $2,952 -
2012 $6,263 $14,506 $1,898 -
2013 $7,040 $15,247 $986 -
2014 $6,887 $15,296 $1,061 -
2015 $5,820 $15,550 $848 -
2016 $5,982 $16,455 $656 -
2017 $6,548 $17,285 $852 $3,265
2018 $7,560 $18,469 $1,098 $3,456
2019 $7,756 $20,587 $1,110 $3,502
2020 $8,099 $21,013 $572 $3,738
2021 $9,681 $23,406 $664 $4,593
2022 $10,023 $26,242 $1,052 $4,772
2023 $12,282 $28,748 $847 $4,650
2024 $13,524 $31,867 - -

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, Serbia's government spending was $37.8B, accounting for 43.4% of its GDP, while Syria's spent $17.6B, or 28.6% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 44.4% in Serbia and 30% in Syria, ranking 117/185 and 159/185, respectively.

Serbia
Government spending

Government debt
Syria
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
Serbia Syria
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1990 - - 28.3% 189.8%
1991 - - 34.3% 182.4%
1992 - - 34.2% 173.6%
1993 - - 29.4% 171.9%
1994 - - 30.3% 163%
1995 - - 29.8% 152.6%
1996 - - 27.7% 141.5%
1997 - - 29% 147.6%
1998 - - 28.8% 151.2%
1999 - - 28% 147.7%
2000 28% 200.6% 27.4% 152.1%
2001 30.5% 95.9% 28% 144.5%
2002 38.6% 68.4% 28.5% 132.4%
2003 37.6% 64.4% 32.6% 133.4%
2004 37.8% 57.6% 31.3% 113%
2005 38.9% 50.1% 28.2% 50.7%
2006 41.3% 37% 26.3% 45%
2007 40.6% 30% 25.7% 42.7%
2008 43.7% 29.4% 22.9% 37.3%
2009 41.1% 32.6% 26.7% 31.2%
2010 41.2% 38.2% 28.6% 30%
2011 40% 42% - -
2012 43.3% 51.7% - -
2013 40.6% 54.1% - -
2014 42.9% 63.5% - -
2015 41% 67.1% - -
2016 40.3% 65% - -
2017 38.5% 55.3% - -
2018 39% 51.1% - -
2019 40.2% 49.5% - -
2020 46% 54.3% - -
2021 44.4% 53.6% - -
2022 41.4% 50.9% - -
2023 40.6% 45.7% - -
2024 42.4% 44.5% - -
2025 43.4% 44.4% - -

Government deficit by year

In 2010, Serbia's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$1.46B, equivalent to -3.35% of GDP. This compares to Syria's deficit of -$4.78B, or -7.79% of GDP.

Over the past 11 years, Serbia recorded a fiscal deficit in 8 of those years, while Syria ran a deficit in 10 years. On average, Serbia posted an annual deficit equal to -1.46% of GDP, compared to deficit of -2.73% of GDP for Syria.

Deficit/surplus
Serbia

Syria
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
Serbia Syria
1990 - -3.92%
1991 - -6.57%
1992 - -7.26%
1993 - -4.96%
1994 - -6%
1995 - -3.81%
1996 - -2.83%
1997 - -1.78%
1998 - -2.81%
1999 - -1.47%
2000 -0.15% -1.36%
2001 0.32% 2.3%
2002 -2.33% -2.02%
2003 -2.39% -2.7%
2004 0.06% -4.18%
2005 1.02% -4.41%
2006 -0.9% -1.12%
2007 -0.8% -2.99%
2008 -4.25% -2.86%
2009 -3.3% -2.89%
2010 -3.35% -7.79%
2011 -3.75% -
2012 -6.11% -
2013 -4.79% -
2014 -5.61% -
2015 -3.25% -
2016 -1.08% -
2017 1.32% -
2018 0.78% -
2019 -0.004% -
2020 -6.91% -
2021 -3.16% -
2022 -0.14% -
2023 -1.21% -
2024 -1.73% -
2025 -2.77% -

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 24 years, Serbia has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 20.7%, compared with 11.3% in Syria. In 2019, inflation was 4.67% in Serbia and 13.4% in Syria.

Inflation
Serbia

Syria
Year Inflation
Serbia Syria Serbia Syria
1996 95.6% 8.25%
1997 23.3% 1.89%
1998 30.2% -0.8%
1999 42.5% -3.7%
2000 71.1% -3.85%
2001 95% 3%
2002 19.5% -0.13%
2003 9.88% 5.8%
2004 11% 4.43%
2005 16.1% 7.24%
2006 11.7% 10%
2007 6.39% 3.91%
2008 12.4% 15.7%
2009 8.12% 2.92%
2010 6.14% 4.4%
2011 11.1% 4.75%
2012 7.33% 36.7%
2013 7.69% 40%
2014 2.08% 10.9%
2015 1.39% 38.5%
2016 1.12% 47.7%
2017 3.13% 18.1%
2018 1.96% 0.94%
2019 1.85% 13.4%
2020 1.58% -
2021 4.09% -
2022 12% -
2023 12.4% -
2024 4.67% -

Top exports between countries

Serbia
Export category Export value
Metals $843K
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $509K
Textiles & consumer goods $391K
Chemicals & pharma $312K
Raw materials & minerals $215K
Machinery & equipment $161K
Raw agricultural goods $10K
Miscellaneous $2K
Syria
Export category Export value
Textiles & consumer goods $2.54M
Raw agricultural goods $279K
Wood & paper products $6K
Precious metals & jewellery $2K

Balance of trade

Serbia Syria
Current account balance
-$4.31B
2024
-$367M
2010
Current account balance ranking
162/189
2024
100/189
2010
Current account balance, % of GDP
-4.84%
2024
-0.6%
2010
Goods imports
$39.6B
2024
$15.9B
2010
Goods exports
$32.2B
2024
$12.3B
2010
Service imports
$12.7B
2024
$3.53B
2010
Service exports
$15.6B
2024
$7.33B
2010
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
58.8%
2024
28.8%
2022
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
52.7%
2024
6.81%
2022

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

Serbia Syria
Economic freedom 64.4 51.2
Economic freedom ranking 71/197 155/197
Property rights 58.9 2.6
Government integrity 37.2 3.3
Judicial effectiveness 50.8 3.7
Tax burden 87.3 86.2
Government spending 40.2 78.5
Fiscal health 91.2 13.8
Business freedom 74.7 35
Labor freedom 66.6 46.5
Monetary freedom 68.5 60.6
Trade freedom 77.2 47
Investment freedom 70 0
Financial freedom 50 20

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for Serbia is 64.4, ranking 71/197, compared to 51.2 for Syria, ranking 155/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

Serbia
Syria
Year Economic freedom index
Serbia Syria
1996 - 42.3
1997 - 43
1998 - 42.2
1999 - 39
2000 - 37.2
2001 - 36.6
2002 46.6 36.3
2003 43.5 41.3
2004 - 40.6
2005 - 46.3
2006 - 51.2
2007 - 48.3
2008 - 47.2
2009 56.6 51.3
2010 56.9 49.4
2011 58 51.3
2012 58 51.2
2013 58.6 -
2014 59.4 -
2015 60 -
2016 62.1 -
2017 58.9 -
2018 62.5 -
2019 63.9 -
2020 66 -
2021 67.2 -
2022 65.2 -
2023 63.5 -
2024 62.7 -
2025 64.4 -

More economic indicators

Serbia Syria
Services, % of GDP
58.5%
2024
44.9%
2022
Industry, % of GDP
23.3%
2024
12%
2022
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
3.15%
2024
43.1%
2022
GNI, Atlas method
$76.2B
2024
$18.2B
2023
GNI per capita, PPP
$29,870
2024
$4,480
2023
Total reserves including gold
$30.5B
2024
$20.6B
2010
Total reserves ranking
55/177
2024
62/177
2010
Net foreign direct investment
-$4.98B
2024
-$1.47B
2010
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$5.64B
2024
$804M
2011
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$660M
2024
$0
1989
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
7.86%
2023
0.15%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines
19.7%
2023
35.2%
2007
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
25.6%
2024
16%
1969

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.