Serbia

Population: 7 million

Developers: 35,000

Universities: 17

GDP total: $55 billion (81st)

GDP per capita: $8,000 (76th)

Language: Serbian

Alphabet: Cyrillic and Latin

Time Zone: UTC +2

This small Southeastern European country is an emerging hub for new businesses and software development outsourcing. Serbia has been making the news thanks to the world’s number one tennis player Novak Djokovic.

The IT sector is the fastest growing sector in the country and has become one of the most important drivers of Serbian economy. There are around 35,000 software engineers who are increasingly becoming one of the most in-demand professionals in the world for their high proficiency, European approach, great English skills and affordable rates. 

Local salaries in the IT sector are steadily rising but are still considerably lower compared to the West. Many talented developers look for job offers in the rest of Europe, Asia or the United States, but since Serbia is not (yet) a member of the European Union, the developers' options are more limited. Therefore, many resort to freelancing and being remotely outsourced by a foreign company, rather than having to go through an extensive process of moving abroad.

As of the 2018/2019 school year, there were over 250,000 students enrolled at Serbian universities and colleges. IT education is extremely popular, with a third of graduates having a technical background, and it is not uncommon students start working while still studying.

Thanks to the excellent engineering and computer science educational programs, thousands of capable young professionals enter the job market every year.

Serbian developers have a broad scope of knowledge. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a front end, back end, or mobile developer, you will be able to find there a suitable candidate.

On a regular basis, Serbs place among the top 5 of the best non-native English-speaking countries. English is taught at pre-schools, schools, and universities and is an important asset of every software developer in the country.

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