Bosnia and Herzegovina: population and ages
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 3.13 million people on 1 January 2026.
The population peaked in 1991 at 4.46 million and is now 30% below that peak.
Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.
- Population, 1 January 2026
- 3,127,365
- Median age
- 46.1
- Births in 2026
- 24,034
- Deaths in 2026
- 42,697
- Life expectancy at birth
- 78.4
- Children per woman
- 1.50
- Under 15
- 12.8%
- 65 and over
- 23.2%
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Population over time
In mid-1950 there were 2.69 million people, so the population is now 1.2 times as large.
The UN projects 24,000 births and 42,700 deaths in 2026, 18,700 more deaths than births.
Deaths have outnumbered births every year since 2010.
More people leave than move in: net migration in 2026 is projected at minus 7,580.
Ages
The median age is 46.1, which is 15.0 years above the world’s 31.1.
13% of the people are under 15 and 23% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).
People aged 65 and over have outnumbered children under 15 since 2012.
Women have 1.5 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 5.1 in 1950.
Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 47.3.
Births, deaths and the years ahead
For mid-2050 the UN projects 2.46 million people, 21% fewer than now, with a median age of 51.5.
Development and urbanisation
In 2025, 15% of the people lived in cities, 37% in towns and semi-dense areas and 48% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 15% in cities.
Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.
| Indicator | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| People using the internet | 86.1% | 2024 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 |
| Adult literacy (ages 15 and over) | 97.0% | 2013 |
| 96.1% | 2024 | |
| 95.4% | 2018 | |
| 65.0% | 2024 | |
| Human Development Index | 0.804 | 2023 |
Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
Longevity, ageing and the future
By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 77.9 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 19.3 more years for women and 14.8 for men.
On 1 January 2026, there are 36.2 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 62.1.
For 2100 the UN projects a population of 1.37 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 452,000 to 4.28 million.
Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.
Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
International migrants
In mid-2024, 34,100 international migrants lived here, 1.1% of the population.
In mid-2024, 1.61 million people from here lived in other countries.
| Country | People |
|---|---|
| Croatia | 11,319 |
| Serbia | 9,041 |
| Montenegro | 3,889 |
| Slovakia | 2,996 |
| North Macedonia | 2,722 |
Estimated by the UN where no count exists. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Cities
Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 4.
| City | Population 2025 |
|---|---|
| Sarajevo | 253,857 |
| Banja Luka | 99,102 |
| Zenica | 66,329 |
| Tuzla | 56,016 |
Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Data and sources
| Year | Population (1 July) | Median age | Births | Deaths | Life expectancy | Children per woman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,690,410 | 19.0 | 101,146 | 50,551 | 47.3 | 5.07 |
| 1960 | 3,281,381 | 20.5 | 113,590 | 36,751 | 58.5 | 3.96 |
| 1970 | 3,773,247 | 21.2 | 84,057 | 29,602 | 64.8 | 2.79 |
| 1980 | 4,148,426 | 24.7 | 72,161 | 29,249 | 69.6 | 1.98 |
| 1990 | 4,448,652 | 28.7 | 68,555 | 33,561 | 71.5 | 1.79 |
| 2000 | 4,159,772 | 32.7 | 42,557 | 30,838 | 75.3 | 1.28 |
| 2010 | 3,811,472 | 38.1 | 36,074 | 37,966 | 76.8 | 1.26 |
| 2020 | 3,299,349 | 43.8 | 27,558 | 50,060 | 76.0 | 1.52 |
| 2030 | 3,013,974 | 47.7 | 23,375 | 42,670 | 79.1 | 1.52 |
| 2040 | 2,745,010 | 50.6 | 20,763 | 43,415 | 80.9 | 1.55 |
| 2050 | 2,455,167 | 51.5 | 17,496 | 42,268 | 82.5 | 1.57 |
| 2060 | 2,171,311 | 52.9 | 15,306 | 38,777 | 83.9 | 1.58 |
| 2070 | 1,916,070 | 53.4 | 13,878 | 35,374 | 85.2 | 1.59 |
| 2080 | 1,697,349 | 53.3 | 12,185 | 30,034 | 86.5 | 1.60 |
| 2090 | 1,519,506 | 53.5 | 10,774 | 25,667 | 87.7 | 1.60 |
| 2100 | 1,366,461 | 53.9 | 9,875 | 22,899 | 88.8 | 1.61 |
Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.
The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.
Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).