Bosnia and Herzegovina - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is 27.7 years (2019 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 6 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia
Geographic coordinates 44 00 N, 18 00 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain mountains and valleys
Natural Resources coal, iron ore, antimony, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, timber, hydropower
Natural Hazards destructive earthquakes
Irrigated Land 30 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,543 km
Border Countries Croatia 956 km; Montenegro 242 km; Serbia 345 km
Coastline 20 km
Climate hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Area
Total Area
Land Area 51,187 sq km
Water Area 10 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Maglic 2,386 m
Lowest point Adriatic Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 500 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 44.2% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 19.7% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.1% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 22.4% (2022 est.)
Forest 42.7% (2022 est.)
Other 13.1% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

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

People and Society

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Bosniak 50.1%, Serb 30.8%, Croat 15.4%, other 2.7%, not declared/no answer 1% (2013 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -0.25% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 9.6% of GDP (2021)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.3 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
Total fertility rate 1.38 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.67 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 45.8% (2011/12)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 63.8% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures NA
Net Migration rate -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Bosnian, Herzegovinian | Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
Languages
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.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 13.1% (male 257,444/female 240,209)
15-64 years 68.3% (male 1,305,271/female 1,290,920)
65 years and over 18.6% (2024 est.) (male 289,449/female 415,378)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 43.5 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio 16.8 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio 26.7 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio 3.7 (2024 est.)
Median Age
Total 44.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 43.1 years
Female 46.5 years
Urbanization
Urban population 50.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 346,000 SARAJEVO (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 78.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 75.5 years
Female 81.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: NA
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: (2020 est.) NA
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 5.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 34% (2025 est.)
Male 39.2% (2025 est.)
Female 29% (2025 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Bosnia and Herzegovina

Want to know more about Bosnia and Herzegovina? Check all different factbooks for Bosnia and Herzegovina below.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is found in Southeast Europe