Information technology (IT) in the Western Balkans - statistics & facts
The Western Balkan region displays varying degrees of development in terms of IT competitiveness. Kosovo was found to be in the best position in 2024, mainly due to its strong talent pool. At the same time, Serbia displayed the most developed IT infrastructure owing to good connectivity and advanced digital transformation.
Even though the gap between the Western Balkans and the European Union is gradually closing in terms of IT competitiveness, the region still has a long way to go. Digitalization remains a main objective, with several economies experiencing strong growth in the information technology sector, resulting in a rise in the exports of ICT services.
Data center numbers are growing
The data center market has been expanding in the region in recent years. Serbia had 13 data centers as of 2024, the highest number recorded in the Western Balkans, followed by North Macedonia with seven data centers. As a result, Serbia achieved the largest revenue of 486 million euros from data centers in 2023. It is predicted that this number will rise steadily and reach a high of 687 million euros by 2029.Serbia dominates the software market
In 2023, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded the highest software market revenues at 163 and 150 million U.S. dollars, respectively. In comparison, Albania and North Macedonia generated the lowest revenues at 45 and 48 million U.S. dollars. At the same time, Serbia’s public cloud revenue peaked at approximately 288 million U.S. dollars, out of which software as a service accounted for 120 million. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the second most prominent country in terms of public cloud services with a revenue of over 95 million U.S. dollars, with SaaS accounting for over 50 percent.IT salaries strongly vary in Western Balkan economies
Until 2020, Kosovo had the highest share of IT professionals in the region, peaking at four percent. However, this figure decreased over the following years and totaled approximately 2.4 percent in 2024. In the same year, Serbia recorded the largest proportion of IT workers in the workforce at 3.9 percent, followed by North Macedonia with 3.7 percent. However, Montenegro registered the highest share of companies employing ICT workers in 2022, at 28 percent. Albania and Serbia followed in the ranking, with 26 and 24 percent, respectively. Notable differences can be observed in the region considering IT salaries, with Serbia leading the way with an average salary of approximately 2,160 euros, while ICT professionals employed in Albania earned approximately 830 euros a month.Even though the gap between the Western Balkans and the European Union is gradually closing in terms of IT competitiveness, the region still has a long way to go. Digitalization remains a main objective, with several economies experiencing strong growth in the information technology sector, resulting in a rise in the exports of ICT services.
