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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Includes Bosnia and Herzegovina real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Bosnia and Herzegovina economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of the country best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Parliamentary republic

Capital City: Sarajevo

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Currency Konvertibilna markas (BAM)
International Reserves USD 8.71 billion (2020)
World Bank, last updated 12/16/2021
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 21.69 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) USD 53.19 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2017 3.1%
2018 3.2%
2019 3.7%
2020* 2.8%
2021* –4.3%
*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 6,647.83 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP per capita – PPP USD 16,301.58 (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.04% (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 5.9%
industry: 24.5%
services: 54.9%
(2018 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2017 0.8%
2018 1.4%
2019 0.6%
2020* –1.1%
2021* 1.8%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2017 0.8%
2018 1.4%
2019 0.6%
2020* –1.1%
2021* 1.8%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: B

Moody’s: B3Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (January 2022)
Unemployment rate 2017 20.5%
2018 18.4%
2019 15.7%
2020* 15.9%
2021* 15.8%

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2017 39.2%
2018 34.3%
2019 32.5%
2020* 36.7%
2021* 38.9%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2017 2.6%
2018 2.4%
2019 2.1%
2020* –3.4%
2021* –2.5%

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 34.5% (2020)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.03% (2020)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.03% (2020)
Total exports USD 6.8 billion (2020 estimate)
Export commodities Electricity, seating, leather shoes, furniture, insulated wiring (2019)
Total imports USD 9.7 billion (2020 estimate)
Import commodities Refined petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, coal, electricity (2019)
Exports – major partners Germany 14%, Italy 12%, Croatia 11%, Serbia 11%, Austria 9%, Slovenia 8% (2019)
Imports – major partners Croatia 15%, Serbia 13%, Germany 10%, Italy 9%, Slovenia 7%, China 6% (2019)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -0.84 billion (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
Current account balance by percentage of GDP -3.9% (2021 estimate)
IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021
FDI inflows 2018 USD 574 million
2019 USD 400 million
2020 USD 371 million
FDI Outflows 2018 USD –24 million
2019 USD 3.3 million
2020 USD –5.1 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

90 out of 190 countries

Subcategories:

Starting a Business: 184 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 173 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 74 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 96 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 67 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 88 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 141 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 27 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 93 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 37 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2020
Global competitiveness ranking 92 out of 141 (2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 68 / Score: 63.4 (Moderately Free)
The Heritage Foundation – 2022 Index of Economic Freedom

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 51,197 sq km


Total Population 1990 N/A
2000 3.77 million
2010 3.72 million
2015 3.54 million
2020 3.5 million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 19%
1980 35.5%
2000 42.4%
2020 48.2%
Population median age 42.5 years


CIA World Factbook / Population median age
Population growth rate -0.17% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 77.1 years (2018 estimate)


CIA World Factbook / Life expectancy
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 0.8% (last available estimate, 2011)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
33 (last available estimate, 2011)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating
Partly Free
Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 4 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 19.6%

Mobile: 104.1%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 70.12 % (2018)

Language & Religon

Languages Bosnian (official) 52.9%, Serbian (official) 30.8%, Croatian (official) 14.6%, other 1.6%, no answer 0.2% (2013 est.)
Literacy
Total population: 98.5%
Male: 99.5%
Female: 97.5%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 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.)

World Rankings

Population 3.5 million
Mercer Cost of living index Sarajevo: 194th (2019)
C02 Emissions per capita 6.38 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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