World Factbook
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: a wide blue vertical band on the right side, with a large yellow isosceles triangle in the middle of the flag, based at the top; the rest of the flag is blue, with seven five-pointed white stars and two half-stars along the triangle's hypotenuse meaning: the triangle approximates the country's shape, and its three points stand for the Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs; the stars represent Europe; the colors (white, blue, and yellow) are traditional and are also associated with neutrality and peace
note: one of four national flags that reflect the shape of the country in the flag design; the others are Brazil, Eritrea, and Vanuatu
Capital
name
Sarajevo
etymology
the name derives from the Turkish word saray , meaning "palace" or "mansion"
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
geographic coordinates
43 52 N, 18 25 E
Suffrage
18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina
dual citizenship recognized
yes, provided there is a bilateral agreement with the other state
residency requirement for naturalization
8 years
Constitution
note
note: each of the political entities has its own constitution
history
14 December 1995 (constitution included as part of the Dayton Peace Accords)
amendment process
decided by the Parliamentary Assembly, including a two-thirds majority vote of members present in the House of Representatives; the constitutional article on human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot be amended
Country name
former
People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
etymology
the larger northern territory is named for the Bosna River; the smaller southern section takes its name from the Old Serbian word herceg , meaning "duke," combined with the possessive - ov and the suffix - ina , meaning "country," to denote "dukedom"
abbreviation
BiH
local long form
none
local short form
Bosna i Hercegovina
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Independence
1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
note: referendum for independence completed on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992
Legal system
civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts
Government type
parliamentary republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); Court of BiH (consists of 44 national judges and 7 international judges organized into 3 divisions - Administrative, Appellate, and Criminal, which includes a War Crimes Chamber)
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
judge selection and term of office
BiH Constitutional Court judges - 4 selected by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 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
Executive branch
note
note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Lidiia BRADARA (since 28 February 2023)
cabinet
Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairperson, approved by the state-level House of Representatives
chief of state
Chairperson of the Presidency Zeljko KOMSIC (chairperson since 16 July 2025; presidency member since 20 November 2018 - Croat seat); Denis BECIROVIC (presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Bosniak seat); Zeljka CVIJANOVIC (presidency member since 16 November 2022 - Serb seat)
election results
2022: percent of vote - Denis BECIROVIC - (SDP BiH) 57.4% - Bosniak seat; Zeljko KOMSIC (DF) 55.8% - Croat seat; Zeljka CVIJANOVIC (SNSD) 51.7% - Serb seat 2018: percent of vote - Milorad DODIK (SNSD) 53.9% - Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC (DF) 52.6% - Croat seat; Sefik DZAFEROVIC (SDA) 36.6% - Bosniak seat
head of government
Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Borjana KRISTO (since 25 January 2023)
most recent election date
2 October 2022
election/appointment process
3-member presidency (1 Bosniak and 1 Croat elected from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 Serb elected from the Republika Srpska) directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term but then ineligible for 4 years); the presidency chairpersonship rotates every 8 months, with the new member of the presidency elected with the highest number of votes starting the new mandate as chair; the chairperson of the Council of Ministers appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the state-level House of Representatives
expected date of next election
October 2026
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 March (1992) and Statehood Day, 25 November (1943) - both observed in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity; Victory Day, 9 May (1945) and Dayton Agreement Day, 21 November (1995) - both observed in the Republika Srpska entity
note: there is no national-level holiday
National color(s)
blue, yellow, white
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
5 (3 cultural, 2 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Old Bridge Area of Mostar (c); Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad (c); Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards (c); Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe - Janj Forest (n); Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno (n)
Political parties
Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD Bosnian-Herzegovinian Initiative or BHI KF Civic Alliance or GS Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BiH Democratic Front or DF Democratic Union or DEMOS For Justice and Order Our Party or NS/HC Party for Democratic Action or SDA Party of Democratic Progress or PDP People and Justice Party or NiP People's European Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or NES Serb Democratic Party or SDS Social Democratic Party or SDP United Srpska or US
Legislative branch
legislature name
Parliamentary Assembly (Skupstina)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Drzavna himna Bosne i Hercegovine" (The National Anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
history
music adopted 1999; lyrics proposed in 2009 were accepted by a parliamentary commission but are still awaiting adoption, so the anthem remains officially wordless
lyrics/music
none officially/Dusan SESTIC
National symbol(s)
golden lily
Administrative divisions
3 first-order administrative divisions - Brcko District (Brcko Distrikt) (ethnically mixed), Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine) (predominantly Bosniak-Croat), Republika Srpska (predominantly Serb)
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
House of Representatives (Predstavnicki dom)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
42 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
2/16/2023
expected date of next election
October 2026
percentage of women in chamber
19%
parties elected and seats per party
Party of Democratic Action (SDA) (9); Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) (6); Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) (5); HDZ BiH, HSS, HSP BiH, HKDU, HSPAS, HDU, HSPHB, HRAST (4); Democratic Front (DF) - Civic Alliance (GS) (3); People and Justice (NAROD I PRAVDA) (3); (3); Republican Party of the Social Order (PROS) (3); Other (15)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
House of Peoples (Dom Naroda)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
15 (all appointed)
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
10/2/2022
expected date of next election
February 2027
percentage of women in chamber
6.7%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 337-1502
chancery
2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone
[1] (202) 337-1500
chief of mission
Ambassador Sven ALKALAJ (since 30 June 2023)
consulate(s) general
Chicago
email address and website
info@bhembassy.org http://www.bhembassy.org/index.html
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[387] (33) 659-722
embassy
1 Robert C. Frasure Street, 71000 Sarajevo
telephone
[387] (33) 704-000
mailing address
7130 Sarajevo Place, Washington DC 20521-7130
branch office(s)
Banja Luka, Mostar
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires John GINKEL (since September 2025)
email address and website
sarajevoACS@state.gov https://ba.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, 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)
note: Bosnia-Herzegovina is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction