| Native Name Lang: | sr |
| Official Name: | Žitorađa |
| Settlement Type: | Village and municipality |
| Coordinates: | 43.1833°N 64°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Serbia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Southern and Eastern Serbia |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Toplica |
| Parts Type: | Settlements |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | 30 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Ivan Stanojević |
| Leader Party: | SNS |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Village |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 21.81 |
| Area Blank2 Title: | Municipality |
| Area Blank2 Km2: | 214 |
| Elevation M: | 221 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Town |
| Population Blank1: | 2992 |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Municipality |
| Population Blank2: | 13782 |
| Population Density Blank2 Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 18412 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | +381(0)27 |
| Blank Name: | Car plates |
| Blank Info: | PK |
Žitorađa (Serbian: Житорађа, in Serbian pronounced as /ʒîtorad͡ʑa/) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of southern Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2022 census, the population of the municipality is 13,782 inhabitants.
Žitorađa is 35 km to the south-west from Niš. It lies 10 km from Corridor 10, which connects Serbia with North Macedonia, Greece and further east.
Aside from the town of Žitorađa, the municipality includes the following settlements:
The village has its origins in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) town "Ad Herculum" (Ad Hercules), which existed in the 4th century. The archaeological site of the Byzantine town is known as Žitoradsko kale, located on the Pasjača mountain, while a "Latin church" dating to the period is located in Glašince.
The primary school was founded in 1873. In 1877, the region was liberated from the Ottoman Empire. This event is considered the founding year of Žitorađa municipality.
In the Expulsion of the Albanians during 1877 and 1878, many Albanians were forced to leave Žitorađa and its surroundings and became muhaxhirs.[2]
The municipality had 16,368 people, according to the 2011 census.
The ethnic composition of the municipality:
| Ethnic group | Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 14,735 | 90.02% | |
| Roma | 1,366 | 8.35% | |
| Montenegrins | 113 | 0.69% | |
| Macedonians | 11 | 0.07% | |
| Others | 143 | 0.87% | |
| Total | 16,368 |
The economy of Žitorada is mostly based on agriculture.[3] There are 23,300 hectares of arable land.[3] The farm “December 1st” has the capacity of 30,000,000 fattened pigs per year, and it is one of the most successful in the whole of Serbia.[3]
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[4]
| Activity | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 100 | |
| Mining and quarrying | align="right" | - |
| Manufacturing | 201 | |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 10 | |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 29 | |
| Construction | 138 | |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 260 | |
| Transportation and storage | 30 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 22 | |
| Information and communication | 5 | |
| Financial and insurance activities | 5 | |
| Real estate activities | align="right" | - |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 45 | |
| Administrative and support service activities | 20 | |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 119 | |
| Education | 243 | |
| Human health and social work activities | 138 | |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 28 | |
| Other service activities | 23 | |
| Individual agricultural workers | 266 | |
| Total | 1,685 |
The village was the site of the pre-ceremonial wedding of Serbian folk singer Svetlana Ražnatović "Ceca", who was born in the village, and Željko Ražnatović "Arkan", a notorious career criminal and paramilitary leader, on 19 February 1995.[5] The whole wedding was broadcast nationwide on RTV Pink.