Bosnia and Herzegovina

Location

• Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
• 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

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Sarajevo	696,731	Capital
Banja Luka	221,106
Zenica	164,423
Tuzla	142,486
Mostar	104,518
Bihać	75,641
Ilidža	71,277
Lukavac	44,520
Bugojno	41,378
Brčko	38,968

Size

• 19,741 square miles
• 51,129 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than West Virginia

History

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.

Climate

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

Terrain

mountains and valleys

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)Knjiga svetskih činjenica, neophodan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Serbian)Knjiga svjetskih činjenica, nužan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Croatian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: 14 December 1995 (constitution included as part of the Dayton Peace Accords)amendment process: decided by the Parliamentary Assembly, including a two-thirds majority vote of members present in the House of Representatives; the constitutional article on human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot be amendednote: each of the political entities has its own constitution
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
• Legal System: civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: Chairperson of the Presidency Zeljko KOMSIC (chairperson since 16 July 2025; presidency member since 20 November 2018 - Croat seat); Denis BECIROVIC (presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Bosniak seat); Zeljka CVIJANOVIC (presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Serb seat)head of government: Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Borjana KRISTO (since 25 January 2023)cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairperson, approved by the state-level House of Representativeselection/appointment process: 3-member presidency (1 Bosniak and 1 Croat elected from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 Serb elected from the Republika Srpska) directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term but then ineligible for 4 years); the presidency chairpersonship rotates every 8 months, with the new member of the presidency elected with the highest number of votes starting the new mandate as chair; the chairperson of the Council of Ministers appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the state-level House of Representativesmost recent election date: 2 October 2022election results: 2022: percent of vote - Denis BECIROVIC - (SDP BiH) 57.4% - Bosniak seat; Zeljko KOMSIC (DF) 55.8% - Croat seat; Zeljka CVIJANOVIC (SNSD) 51.7% - Serb seat2018: percent of vote - Milorad DODIK (SNSD) 53.9% - Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC (DF) 52.6% - Croat seat; Sefik DZAFEROVIC (SDA) 36.6% - Bosniak seatexpected date of next election: October 2026note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Lidiia BRADARA (since 28 February 2023)
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); Court of BiH (consists of 44 national judges and 7 international judges organized into 3 divisions - Administrative, Appellate, and Criminal, which includes a War Crimes Chamber)judge selection and term of office: BiH Constitutional Court judges - 4 selected by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina House of Representatives, 2 selected by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and 3 non-Bosnian judges selected by the president of the European Court of Human Rights; Court of BiH president and national judges appointed by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council; Court of BiH president appointed for renewable 6-year term; other national judges appointed to serve until age 70; international judges recommended by the president of the Court of BiH and appointed by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina; international judges appointed to serve until age 70subordinate courts: the Federation has 10 cantonal courts plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has a supreme court, 5 district courts, and a number of municipal courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentary Assembly (Skupstina)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• 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
• Budget: revenues: $10.196 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $10.463 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: coal, iron ore, antimony, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
• Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, ammunition, domestic appliances, oil refining
• Agricultural Products: maize, milk, vegetables, potatoes, plums, wheat, apples, barley, chicken, tomatoes (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 44.2% (2022 est.)arable land: 19.7% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 22.4% (2022 est.)forest: 42.7% (2022 est.)other: 13.1% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, garments, plastic products, packaged medicine (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Italy 13%, Germany 11%, Serbia 11%, China 9%, Croatia 8% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: footwear, electricity, garments, plastic products, insulated wire (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 15%, Croatia 14%, Serbia 12%, Austria 10%, Slovenia 9% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports