Capital

Bosnien und Herzegowina

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

etymology: the name derives from the Turkish noun saray, meaning "palace" or "mansion," and the term ova, signifying "plain(s)," to give a meaning of "palace plains" or "the plains about the palace"

Citizenship

Bosnien und Herzegowina

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

dual citizenship recognized: yes, provided there is a bilateral agreement with the other state

residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years

Legal system

Bosnien und Herzegowina

civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

Suffrage

Bosnien und Herzegowina

18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal

Area

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 51,197 sq km

land: 51,187 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Land use

Bosnien und Herzegowina

agricultural land: 42.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 19.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 42.8% (2018 est.)

other: 15% (2018 est.)

Location

Bosnien und Herzegowina

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Age structure

Bosnien und Herzegowina

0-14 years: 13.14% (male 258,937/female 241,581)

15-64 years: 69% (male 1,319,995/female 1,307,304)

65 years and over: 17.86% (2023 est.) (male 277,555/female 402,392)

Birth rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

8.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Bosnien und Herzegowina

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total population: 78.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 75.3 years

female: 81.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Bosnien und Herzegowina

346,000 SARAJEVO (capital) (2023)

Median age

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 44.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 42.7 years

female: 46.1 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Bosnien und Herzegowina

27.7 years (2019 est.)

Net migration rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Bosnien und Herzegowina

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

Population growth rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

-0.23% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

1.37 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Bosnien und Herzegowina

urban population: 50.3% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Bosnien und Herzegowina

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2014)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Bosnien und Herzegowina

2.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

8.87% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Bosnien und Herzegowina

1.169 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Bosnien und Herzegowina

16.9% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate

Bosnien und Herzegowina

15.22% (2021 est.)

15.27% (2020 est.)

15.69% (2019 est.)

note: official rate; actual rate is lower as many technically unemployed persons work in the gray economy

Public debt

Bosnien und Herzegowina

46.05% of GDP (2020 est.)

44.63% of GDP (2019 est.)

45.56% of GDP (2018 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.

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Bosnien und Herzegowina

1.98% (2021 est.)

-1.05% (2020 est.)

0.56% (2019 est.)

Exports

Bosnien und Herzegowina

$9.948 billion (2021 est.)

$6.936 billion (2020 est.)

$8.199 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Bosnien und Herzegowina

Germany 14%, Italy 12%, Croatia 11%, Serbia 11%, Austria 9%, Slovenia 8% (2019)

Imports

Bosnien und Herzegowina

$12.726 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$9.726 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$11.156 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Bosnien und Herzegowina

Croatia 15%, Serbia 13%, Germany 10%, Italy 9%, Slovenia 7%, China 6% (2019)

Airports

Bosnien und Herzegowina

24 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 770,424 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 2.508 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 76% (2021 est.)

Railways

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 965 km (2014)

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

Roadways

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total: 22,926 km (2010)

paved: 19,426 km (2010) (4,652 km of interurban roads)

unpaved: 3,500 km (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total subscriptions: 689,295 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Bosnien und Herzegowina

total subscriptions: 3,728,775 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 114 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Bosnien und Herzegowina

990 km (2022) (Sava River on northern border; open to shipping but use limited)

Disputes - international

Bosnien und Herzegowina

Bosnia and Herzegovina-Serbia: Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute.

Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia: none identified

Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro: none identified