Page last updated on December 17, 2013
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.
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
total: 51,197 sq km
country comparison to the world: 129
land: 51,187 sq km
water: 10 sq km
slightly smaller than West Virginia
total: 1,538 km
border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 249 km, Serbia 357 km
hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maglic 2,386 m
coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
arable land: 19.63%
permanent crops: 1.99%
other: 78.38% (2011)
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
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
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
noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian
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
Bosnian (official), Croatian (official), Serbian (official)
Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%
3,875,723 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
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.)
total dependency ratio: 45.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 22.9 %
elderly dependency ratio: 22.7 %
potential support ratio: 4.4 (2013)
total: 40.4 years
male: 39 years
female: 41.7 years (2013 est.)
-0.1% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
8.92 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
9.53 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
urban population: 49% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
SARAJEVO (capital) 389,000 (2011)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 158
total: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 172
male: 6.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 76.12 years
country comparison to the world: 86
male: 73.13 years
female: 79.34 years (2013 est.)
1.25 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
10.2% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 23
1.69 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
3.5 beds/1,000 population (2010)
less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
900 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
100 (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
26.5% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47
1.6% (2006)
country comparison to the world: 124
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99.5%
female: 96.7% (2011 est.)
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2011)
total number: 24,722
percentage: 5 % (2006 est.)
total: 57.5%
country comparison to the world: 3
male: 56.8%
female: 60% (2011)
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
emerging federal democratic republic
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
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
1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence completed on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992)
National Day (Statehood Day), 25 November (1943); note - observed only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity
14 December 1995 (constitution included as part of the Dayton Peace Accords); amended several times, last in 2003; note - each of the entities has its own constitution (2011)
civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Zeljko KOMSIC (chairman since 10 July 2013; presidency member since 6 November 2006 - Croat); other members of the three-member presidency rotate every eight months: Bakir IZETBEGOVIC (presidency member since 10 November 2010 - Bosniak); Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (presidency member since 6 November 2006 - Serb)
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
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 Svetozar PUDARIC (since 17 March 2011) and Mirsad KEBO (since 17 March 2007); President of the Republika Srpska: Milorad DODIK (since 15 November 2010)
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, SBB BiH 4, HDZ-BiH 3, SBiH 2, HDZ-1990/HSP BiH 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 BiH 28, SDA 23, SBB BiH 13, HDZ-BiH 12, SBiH 9, NSRzB 5, HDZ-1990 3, HSP 3, DNZ 1, PDP, 1; 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, SPRS 4, DP 3, SDP BiH 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
highest court(s): BiH Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); Court of BiH (consists of 44 national judges and 7 international judges organized into three 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 Bosniak/Croat Federation's 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 70
subordinate 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
Alliance for a Better Future of BiH or SBB BiH [Fahrudin RADONCIC]
other: war veterans; displaced persons associations; family associations of missing persons; private media
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)
chief of mission: Ambassador Jadranka NEGODIC (since 19 July 2012)
chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Nicholas M. HILL (since 24 August 2013)
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
a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle; the triangle approximates the shape of the country and its three points stand for the constituent peoples - Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs; the stars represent Europe and are meant to be continuous (thus the half stars at top and bottom); the colors (white, blue, and yellow) are often associated with neutrality and peace, and traditionally are linked with Bosnia
name: "Drzavna himna Bosne i Hercegovine" (The National Anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
lyrics/music: Dusan SESTIC and Benjamin ISOVIC/Dusan SESTIC
note: music adopted 1999; lyrics adopted 2009
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.
$31.57 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$17.09 billion (2012 est.)
-0.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
$8,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
household consumption: 82.1%
government consumption: 22.1%
investment in fixed capital: 17.7%
investment in inventories: 1.5%
exports of goods and services: 29%
imports of goods and services: -52.4%
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 25.5%
services: 67.1% (2012 est.)
wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock
steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, ammunition, domestic appliances, oil refining
3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
1.49 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 32.6%
services: 47% (2008)
44.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
note: official rate; actual rate is lower as many technically unemployed persons work in the gray economy
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 27.3% (2007)
36.2 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 85
revenues: $8.213 billion
expenditures: $8.714 billion (2012 est.)
48.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
-2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
43.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
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.
2.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
6.73% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$4.123 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
$9.577 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
$10.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
$-1.633 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
$3.306 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
metals, clothing, wood products
Slovenia 17.5%, Croatia 16.6%, Italy 13.7%, Germany 12.9%, Austria 12.8% (2012)
$8.849 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs
Croatia 21.9%, Germany 13%, Slovenia 12.8%, Italy 9.3%, Russia 7.6%, Austria 6.3%, Hungary 5.1% (2012)
$4.283 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
$10.81 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar -
16.5 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
11.07 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
6.905 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
3.076 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
4.304 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
50.8% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
49.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
22,140 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 108
22,430 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
27,540 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
10,460 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
16,330 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
230 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
230 million cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 116
22.2 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
878,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 82
3.35 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 127
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)
3 public TV broadcasters: Radio and TV of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federation TV (operating 2 networks), and Republika Srpska Radio-TV; a local commercial network of 5 TV stations; 3 private, near-national TV stations and dozens of small independent TV stations broadcasting; 3 large public radio broadcasters and many private radio stations (2010)
155,252 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 77
1.422 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 85
24 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 130
total: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2013)
total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m:
gas 147 km; oil 9 km (2013)
total: 601 km
country comparison to the world: 107
standard gauge: 601 km 1.435-m gauge (392 km electrified) (2009)
total: 22,926 km
country comparison to the world: 101
paved: 19,426 km (4,652 km of interurban roads)
unpaved: 3,500 km (2010)
(Sava River on northern border; open to shipping but use limited) (2011)
river port(s): Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, Brcko, Orasje (Sava River)
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)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 35 or after 15 years of service (2013)
males age 16-49: 1,180,829
females age 16-49: 1,143,919 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 968,242
females age 16-49: 937,327 (2010 est.)
male: 26,601
female: 24,879 (2010 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute
refugees (country of origin): 6,733 (Croatia) (2012)
IDPs: 113,000 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks displaced in 1992-95 war) (2011)
stateless persons: 4,500 (2012)
