Ivan Čipin

Abstract
This study provides an in-depth analysis of cohort fertility, parity progression, and family size in the
former Yugoslav countries, which include Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North
Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Though politically united for much of the 20th century, these
countries exhibit diverse fertility patterns due to their distinct socio-economic and cultural histories.
The analysis utilizes census data to compute completed cohort fertility rates (CFR) and parity
progression ratios (PPR), revealing the different paces of fertility decline. Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia
form a low-fertility cluster, with cohort fertility stabilizing at around two children per woman by the
1930 cohort. Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro constitute a high-fertility cluster
where the fertility transition occurred more gradually. Kosovo remains unique with persistently high
fertility, though it has experienced substantial declines in recent cohorts. The findings highlight how
socio-economic transformations, cultural norms, and historical legacies have shaped fertility
behaviours in each country, providing insights into long-term fertility trends.