Introduction
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 new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In 1945, Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), until declaring independence in 1992. Three years of interethnic war ended in 1995 with the Dayton Accords. Bosnia and Herzegovina became an official candidate for EU membership in 2022.
Geography
Area
total: 51,197 sq km
land: 51,187 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Climate
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, antimony, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
People and Society
Population
total: 3,798,671
male: 1,852,164
female: 1,946,507 (2024 est.)
Ethnic groups
Bosniak 50.1%, Serb 30.8%, Croat 15.4%, other 2.7%, not declared/no answer 1% (2013 est.)
Languages
Bosnian (official) 52.9%, Serbian (official) 30.8%, Croatian (official) 14.6%, other 1.6%, no answer 0.2% (2013 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate
-0.25% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Sarajevo
Executive branch
chief of state: Chairperson of the Presidency Denis BECIROVIC (chairperson since 16 March 2024; presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Bosniak seat); Zeljka CVIJANOVIC (presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Serb seat); Zeljko KOMSIC (presidency member since 20 November 2018 - Croat seat)
head of government: Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Borjana KRISTO (since 25 January 2023)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of:
House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members designated by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's House of Peoples and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly serve 4-year terms)
House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats to include 28 seats allocated to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 to the Republika Srpska; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral legislature that consists of the House of Peoples (80 seats - 23 Bosniak, 23 Croat, 23 Serb, 11 other) and the House of Representatives (98 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms); Republika Srpska's unicameral legislature is the National Assembly or Narodna skupština Republike Srpske (83 directly elected delegates serve 4-year terms)
Economy
Economic 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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$54.12 billion (2022 est.)
$51.986 billion (2021 est.)
$48.407 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$16,700 (2022 est.)
$15,900 (2021 est.)
$14,600 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
maize, milk, vegetables, potatoes, plums, wheat, apples, barley, chicken, pears (2022)
Industries
steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, ammunition, domestic appliances, oil refining
Exports
$11.794 billion (2022 est.)
$10.058 billion (2021 est.)
$7.02 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
Croatia 14%, Germany 14%, Serbia 13%, Italy 10%, Austria 9% (2022)
Exports - commodities
aluminum, electricity, footwear, garments, plastic products (2022)
Imports
$15.162 billion (2022 est.)
$12.738 billion (2021 est.)
$9.726 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
Croatia 16%, Serbia 13%, Germany 8%, Italy 8%, China 7% (2022)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, aluminum, garments, coal, cars (2022)
Exchange rates
konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
1.859 (2022 est.)
1.654 (2021 est.)
1.717 (2020 est.)
1.747 (2019 est.)
1.657 (2018 est.)
Page last updated: Tuesday, May 07, 2024
