Bosnia and Herzegovina Travel Podcast with Amina Begović

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Terrain

Mountains and valleys

Climate

Hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

Elevation

Highest point

Maglic 2,386 m

Lowest point

Adriatic Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

500 m

Area

Total

51,197 sq km

Land

51,187 sq km

Water

10 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than West Virginia

Coastline

20 km

Land borders

Total

1,543 km

Border countries

Croatia 956 km; Montenegro 242 km; Serbia 345 km

Natural resources

Coal, iron ore, antimony, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

21.7% (2023 est.)

Arable land

7.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

1.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

12.8% (2023 est.)

Forest

42.2% (2023 est.)

Other

36.1% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes

Note

Within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Montenegro

Population

Total

3,653,499 (2025 est.)

Male

1,778,548

Female

1,874,951

Nationality

Noun

Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)

Adjective

Bosnian, Herzegovinian

Ethnic groups

Bosniak 50.1%, Serb 30.8%, Croat 15.4%, other 2.7%, not declared/no answer 1% (2013 est.)

Languages

Languages

Bosnian (official) 52.9%, Serbian (official) 30.8%, Croatian (official) 14.6%, other 1.6%, no answer 0.2% (2013 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Knjiga svjetskih činjenica, neophodan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Bosnian)

Religions

Muslim 50.7%, Orthodox 30.7%, Roman Catholic 15.2%, atheist 0.8%, agnostic 0.3%, other 1.2%, undeclared/no answer 1.1% (2013 est.)

Median age

Total

45.7 years (2025 est.)

Male

43.1 years

Female

46.5 years

Life expectancy

Total population

78.5 years (2024 est.)

Male

75.5 years

Female

81.6 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

50.3% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The northern and central areas of the country are the most densely populated

Largest cities

346,000 SARAJEVO (capital) (2023)

Background

After four centuries of Ottoman rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary took control in 1878 and held the region until 1918, when it was incorporated into the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. After World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY).

Bosnia and Herzegovina declared sovereignty in October 1991 and independence from the SFRY on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. Bosnian Serb militias, with the support of Serbia and Croatia, then tried to take control of territories they claimed as their own. From 1992 to 1995, ethnic cleansing campaigns killed thousands and displaced more than two million people. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement, and the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995.

The Dayton Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multiethnic and democratic government composed of two entities roughly equal in size: the predominantly Bosniak-Bosnian Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the predominantly Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Dayton Accords also established the Office of the High Representative to oversee the agreement's implementation. In 1996, the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) took over responsibility for enforcing the peace. In 2004, European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR. As of 2022, EUFOR deploys around 1,600 troops in Bosnia in a peacekeeping capacity. Bosnia and Herzegovina became an official candidate for EU membership in 2022.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Sarajevo

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

None

Independence

1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)

National day

Independence Day, 1 March (1992) and Statehood Day, 25 November (1943) - both observed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity; Victory Day, 9 May (1945) and Dayton Agreement Day, 21 November (1995) - both observed in the Republika Srpska entity

Overview

Import-dominated economy; remains consumption-heavy; lack of private sector investments and diversification; jointly addressing structural economic challenges; Chinese energy infrastructure investments; high unemployment; tourism industry impacted by COVID-19

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$20,400 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$19,800 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$19,300 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

1.7% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

6.1% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

14% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

10.8% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

10.7% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

12.7% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

1.808 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

1.809 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

1.859 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1.654 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1.717 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, ammunition, domestic appliances, oil refining

Agriculture

Maize, milk, vegetables, potatoes, plums, wheat, apples, barley, chicken, tomatoes (2023)

Airports

20 (2025)

Railways

Total

965 km (2014)

Standard gauge

965 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (565 km electrified)

Ports

Total ports

1 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

0

Small

1

Very small

0

Ports with oil terminals

0

Key ports

Neum

Internet domain

.ba

Internet users

Percent of population 83% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

3.84 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

121 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution; deforestation and illegal logging; inadequate wastewater treatment and flood management facilities; urban waste disposal; uncleared land mines from the 1990s

Fresh water

37.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)