| Competition: | Prva savezna liga |
| Season: | 1952 - 53 |
| Winners: | Red Star (2nd title) |
| Runners-Up: | Hajduk Split |
| Relegated: | Velež Napredak Kruševac |
| League Topscorer: | Todor Živanović (17) |
| Matches: | 132 |
| Total Goals: | 452 |
| Prevseason: | 1952 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
Two clubs relegated at the end of the previous season were Rabotnički and Mačva. Teams promoted to the 1952–53 Yugoslav First League were Velež and Spartak.
| Team | Location | Position in 1952 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSK Belgrade | Belgrade | 5th | |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Zagreb | 4th | |
| Hajduk Split | Split | 1st | |
| Lokomotiva | Zagreb | 3rd | |
| Partizan | Belgrade | 6th | |
| Red Star | Belgrade | 2nd | |
| Sarajevo | Sarajevo | 9th | |
| Spartak | Subotica | ||
| Vardar | Skopje | 7th | |
| Velež | Mostar | ||
| Vojvodina | Novi Sad | 8th | |
| NK Zagreb | Zagreb | 10th | |
Champions:
players (league matches/league goals):
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Todor Živanović | Red Star | 17 |
| 2 | Zdravko Rajkov | Vojvodina | 16 |
| 3 | Todor Veselinović | Partizan | 15 |
| Marko Valok | Partizan | ||
| 5 | Bernard Vukas | Hajduk Split | 12 |
| Vladimir Firm | Lokomotiva | ||
| 7 | Frane Matošić | Hajduk Split | 11 |
| Božo Broketa | Hajduk Split | ||
| 9 | Vladimir Zelenika | Velež | 10 |
| Dobrivoje Živkov | Sarajevo | ||
| Đorđe Cincijevski | Vardar |