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EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Population: demographic situation, languages and religions

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.Political, social and economic background and trends

1.3Population: demographic situation, languages and religions

Last update: 27 November 2023

Bosnia and Herzegovina is situated in the west part of the Balkan Peninsula. Border countries Serbia and Montenegro on the east, Republic of Croatia on the north, west and south.

Administrative distribution B&H is divided on two entities: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) and Republika Srpska (RS) and District Brčko BiH. Entity’s structure FB&H is administratively divided on 10 cantons. These cantons are divided into municipalities. There are 79 municipalities in FB&H. The Republika Srpska is administratively divided into 62 municipalities. The city Brčko is a separated administrative unit - District.

Surface Bosnia and Herzegovina covers totally 51 209,2 km2, land 51 197 km2 and sea 12,2 km2.

Clime is the majority continental, Mediterranean on south.

The data on population and households have been collected by Census every ten years and by unified methodology on all areas of B&H.

According to the results of the 2013 Census of Population and Housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 3, 531,159 people were listed, of which: 2,219,220 persons in the Federation of BiH; 1,228,423 people in republika Srpska, and 83,516 people in the Brčko District of BiH.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its diversity of peoples and ethnic minorities who live in it.

The structure of population Bosnians, Serbs, Croats, and other participants of others nations.

Official languages are Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian (Bosnian, and Croatian are written on Alphabet, and Serbian are written on Cyrillic). Minorities living in Bosnia and Herzegovina use their native languages in their mutual communication.

Dominant monotheistic religions coexist in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism and other religions. According to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all its citizens have equal rights and freedoms in exercising their religious and other beliefs.

The Law on Freedom of Religion and the Legal Status of Churches and Religious Communities in BiH establishes a single legal framework in which all churches and religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina will act and be equal in rights and obligations without any discrimination, respecting their own heritage and the traditional values of tolerance and the coexistence of those present in the multi-religious character of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to contribute to the promotion of mutual understanding and respect for the right to freedom of conscience and religion.