Ethnic diversity changes of Vojvodina between 1990 and 2020

Vojvodina, a region in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain, is home to a significant Hungarian ethnicminority living beyond the borders of Hungary. Located in northern Serbia, it has become one of Europe'smost ethnically diverse regions since the 17th and 18th centuries. This diversity is largely due to plannedand spontaneous migrations aimed at compensating for the substantial population loss that occurredduring the Ottoman conquest of the region and the subsequent wars of reconquest. Historical, political,and economic transformations have drastically altered the dynamics between ethnic groups multipletimes. In the second half of the 20th century, homogenization at the provincial level became apredominant trend. Conversely, at the municipal level, various degrees of parallel homogenization anddiversification can be observed, depending on local ethnic structures and regional demographic changes.Analyzing ethnic diversity plays a crucial role in quantitative ethnic studies; however, the societal effectsof this diversity are still widely debated. Using the ethnic diversity index, we analyze census results fromYugoslavia and Serbia to identify major trends regarding changes in ethnic diversity at both the regionaland municipal levels. We argue that large-scale homogenization occurred in the 1990s at the regional level, a trend that has continued thereafter, albeit at a reduced pace. Changes at the municipality level,however, varied significantly, influenced by both spatial and ethnic factors. We have organized themunicipalities into four basic groups based on their ongoing diversification processes and current levelsof ethnic diversity compared to the regional average.