Bosnia and Herzegovina Population: 3,875,723
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| Background | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government composed of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Bosnian Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments are responsible for overseeing most government functions. Additionally, the Dayton Accords established the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also gave the High Representative the authority to impose legislation and remove officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." An original NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops assembled in 1995 was succeeded over time by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR). In 2004, European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR. Currently EUFOR deploys around 600 troops in theater in a policing capacity. |
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| Geography | |
| 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, and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east | |
| Location: | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 44 00 N, 18 00 E |
| Area: | total: 51,197 sq km land: 51,187 sq km water: 10 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,538 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 249 km, Serbia 357 km |
| Coastline: | 20 km |
| Maritime claims: | no data available |
| 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 |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m |
| Natural resources: | coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | destructive earthquakes |
| Current Environment Issues: | air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 3,875,723 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14% (male 279,293/female 262,552) 15-24 years: 13% (male 260,430/female 243,589) 25-54 years: 46.8% (male 910,266/female 905,184) 55-64 years: 13.2% (male 243,936/female 268,614) 65 years and over: 12.9% (male 194,743/female 307,116) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 41.2 years male: 40 years female: 42.4 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.09% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 8.9 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.96 years male: 75.42 years female: 82.77 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.25 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 900 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian |
| Ethnic groups: | Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000) note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam |
| Religions: | Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14% |
| Languages: | Bosnian (official), Croatian (official), Serbian |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.4% female: 96.5% (2010 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Government type: | emerging federal democratic republic |
| Capital: | name: Sarajevo geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Administrative divisions: | 2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district* - Brcko District (Brcko Distrikt)*, the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note - Brcko District is in northeastern Bosnia and is a self-governing administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and formally held in condominium between the two entities |
| Independence: | 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence completed on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992) |
| National holiday: | National Day (Statehood Day), 25 November (1943); note - observed only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity |
| Constitution: | the Dayton Peace Accords, signed 14 December 1995 in Paris, included a constitution; note - each of the entities and cantons also has its own constitution |
| Legal system: | civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (chairman since November 2012; presidency member since 6 November 2006 - Serb); other members of the three-member presidency rotate every eight months: Bakir IZETBEGOVIC (presidency member since 10 November 2010 - Bosniak); Zeljko KOMSIC (presidency member since 6 November 2006 - Croat) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vjekoslav BEVANDA (since 12 January 2012) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman; approved by the state-level House of Representatives (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one Croat, one Serb) elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years) by constituencies referring to the three ethnic groups; the candidate with the most votes in a constituency is elected; the chairmanship rotates every eight months and resumes where it left off following each general election; election last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be held in October 2014); the chairman of the Council of Ministers appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the state-level House of Representatives election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 48.9% of the votes for the Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC with 60.6% of the votes for the Croat seat; Bakir IZETBEGOVIC with 34.9% of the votes for the Bosniak seat note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Zivko BUDIMIR (since 17 March 2011); Vice Presidents Spomenka MICIC (since 21 February 2007) and Mirsad KEBO (since 21 February 2007); President of the Republika Srpska: Milorad DODIK (since 15 November 2010) |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats, 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members designated by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Peoples and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms); and the state-level House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats, 28 seats allocated for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats for the Republika Srpska; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order administrative division entity legislatures elections: House of Peoples - last constituted in 9 June 2011 (next likely to be constituted in 2015); state-level House of Representatives - elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be held in October 2014) election results: House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA; state-level House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDP BiH 8, SNSD 8, SDA 7, SDS 4, SBBBiH 4, HDZ-BiH 3, SBiH 2, HDZ-1990/HSP 2, other 4 note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that consists of a House of Peoples (58 seats - 17 Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17 Serb, 7 other); last constituted May 2011 (next likely to be constituted in 2015); and a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be held in October 2014); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDP 28, SDA 23, SBBBiH 13, HDZ-BiH 12, SBiH 9, HDZ-1990/HSP 5, NSRzB 5, other 3; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held on 3 October 2010 (next to be held in October 2014); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 37, SDS 18, PDP 7, DNS 6, SP 4, DP 3, SDP 3, SDA 2, NDS 2 SRS-RS 1; as a result of the 2002 constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly including 8 Croats, 8 Bosniaks, 8 Serbs, and 4 members of the smaller communities |
| Judicial branch: | BiH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human Rights); BiH State Court (consists of 54 judges and has three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and cases initiated in the entities that question BiH's sovereignty, political independence, or national security or with economic crimes that have serious repercussions for BiH's economy, beyond that of an entity or Brcko District); a War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005 note: the entities each have a Constitutional Court; each entity also has a number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five district courts and a number of municipal courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | Alliance for a Better Future of BiH or SBB-BiH [Fahrudin RADONCIC]; Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK]; Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Bosnian Patriotic Party or BPS [Sefer HALILOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants' Party-New Croat Initiative or HSS-NHI [Ante COLAK]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HKDU [Ivan MUSA]; Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BiH [Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 1990 or HDZ-1990 [Bozo LJUBIC]; Croatian Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ [Rifat DOLIC]; Democratic Party or DP [Dragan CAVIC]; Democratic Peoples' Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Bojan Zec FILIPOVIC]; Nasa Stranka or NS [Denis GRATZ]; New Socialist Party or NSP [Zdravko KRSMANOVIC]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBiH [Amer JERLAGIC]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; 'People's' Party of Work for Progress or NSRzB [Mladen IVANKOVIC-LIJANOVIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS [Mladen BOSIC]; Serb Radical Party of the Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Mirko BLAGOJEVIC]; Social Democratic Party of BiH or SDP BiH [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social Democratic Union or SDU [Nermin PECANAC]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | other: war veterans; displaced persons associations; family associations of missing persons; private media |
| International organization participation: | BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Jadranka NEGODIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick S. MOON embassy: 1 Robert C. Frasure Street, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [387] (33) 704-000 FAX: [387] (33) 659-722 branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar |
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| Economy | |
| Bosnia has a transitional economy with limited market reforms. The economy relies heavily on the export of metals as well as on remittances and foreign aid. A highly decentralized government hampers economic policy coordination and reform, while excessive bureaucracy and a segmented market discourage foreign investment. The interethnic warfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina caused production to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 but slowed in 2000-02 and picked up again during 2003-08, when GDP growth exceeded 5% per year. However, the country experienced a decline in GDP of nearly 3% in 2009 reflecting local effects of the global economic crisis. GDP has stagnated since then. Foreign banks, primarily from Austria and Italy, now control most of the banking sector. The konvertibilna marka (convertible mark or BAM) - the national currency introduced in 1998 - is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the banking sector has increased. Bosnia's private sector is growing, but foreign investment has dropped off sharply since 2007. Government spending, at roughly 50% of GDP, remains high because of redundant government offices at the state, entity and municipal level. Privatization of state enterprises has been slow, particularly in the Federation, where political division between ethnically-based political parties makes agreement on economic policy more difficult. High unemployment remains the most serious macroeconomic problem. Successful implementation of a value-added tax in 2006 provided a predictable source of revenue for the government and helped rein in gray-market activity. National-level statistics have also improved over time but a large share of economic activity remains unofficial and unrecorded. Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement in September 2007. Bosnia and Herzegovina's top economic priorities are: acceleration of integration into the EU; strengthening the fiscal system; public administration reform; World Trade Organization (WTO) membership; and securing economic growth by fostering a dynamic, competitive private sector. In 2009, Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted an International Monetary Fund (IMF) stand-by arrangement, necessitated by sharply increased social spending and a fiscal crisis exacerbated by the global economic downturn. Disbursement of IMF aid was suspended in 2011 after a parliamentary deadlock left Bosnia without a state-level government for over a year. The IMF concluded a new stand-by arrangement with Bosnia in October 2012, with the first tranches paid in November and December 2012. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $32.08 billion (2012 est.) $32.08 billion (2011 est.) $31.68 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $16.55 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 0% (2012 est.) 1.3% (2011 est.) 0.7% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2012 est.) $8,200 (2011 est.) $8,100 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 8.2% industry: 26.2% services: 65.6% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.6 million (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 20.5% industry: 32.6% services: 47% (2008) |
| Unemployment rate: | 43.3% (2011 est.) 43.1% (2010 est.) note: official rate; actual rate is lower as many technically unemployed persons work in the gray economy |
| Population below poverty line: | 18.6% (2007 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 27.3% (2007) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 36.2 (2007) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2012 est.) 3.7% (2011 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $7.887 billion expenditures: $8.521 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 43.8% of GDP (2012 est.) 40.6% of GDP (2011 est.) note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment. Debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions. |
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock |
| Industries: | steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, ammunition, domestic appliances, oil refining |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 3.1% (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 15.04 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 10.17 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 5.877 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 2.887 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 210 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 390 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$1.362 billion (2012 est.) -$1.583 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $5.427 billion (2012 est.) $6.03 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | metals, clothing, wood products |
| Exports - partners: | Slovenia 18.1%, Croatia 16.4%, Italy 14.7%, Germany 13.8%, Austria 12.2% (2011) |
| Imports: | $10.18 billion (2012 est.) $11.06 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | Croatia 21.6%, Germany 13%, Slovenia 12.9%, Italy 9.5%, Russia 7.5%, Austria 6.1%, Hungary 4.7% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $3.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.15 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $9.051 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $8.764 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar - 1.533 (2012 est.) 1.407 (2011 est.) 1.4767 (2010 est.) 1.4079 (2009) 1.3083 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 955,900 (2011) country comparison to the world: 81 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 3.171 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: post-war reconstruction of the telecommunications network, aided by a internationally sponsored program, resulting in sharp increases in the number of fixed telephone lines available domestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 25 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly and, stands at roughly 80 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .ba |
| Internet hosts: | 155,252 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 1.422 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 25 (2012) country comparison to the world: 127 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 11 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 6 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 147 km; oil 9 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 601 km standard gauge: 601 km 1.435-m gauge (392 km electrified) (2009) |
| Roadways: | total: 22,926 km paved: 19,426 km (4,652 km of interurban roads) unpaved: 3,500 km (2010) |
| Waterways: | (Sava River on northern border; open to shipping but use limited) (2011) |
| Ports and terminals: | Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava River), Orasje |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH): Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Air and Air Defense Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzracna Obrana, ZPO) (2013) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 35 or after 15 years of service (2013) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,180,829 females age 16-49: 1,143,919 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 968,242 females age 16-49: 937,327 (2010 est.) |
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