Bosnia and Herzegovina at its true size
Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,209 km², number 125 of 194 countries by area. Home to 3,140,095 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.94× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 51,209 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 3,140,095 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 61 per km² |
| Capital | Sarajevo |
| Local time in Sarajevo | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Convertible mark (BAM) Wikidata |
| Languages | Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +387 |
| Codes | BA · BIH · 070 |
Weather in Sarajevo now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#133 of 1943.1 million people#28 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#126 of 19461 people per km²#33 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#128 of 19253% urban#40 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#137 of 1921.49 births per woman#10 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#188 of 192−0.77% a year#40 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#174 of 1927.7 births per 1,000 people#29 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#7 of 19213.5 deaths per 1,000 people#7 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#184 of 19212.8% under 15#38 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#11 of 19222.9% aged 65 and over#10 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#147 of 192−2.2 per 1,000 people#32 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#23 of 1907.85 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#3 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#53 of 19278.0 years#31 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#139 of 1915.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#5 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#73 of 1782.58 doctors per 1,000 people#40 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#83 of 14545.5% gross enrolment#42 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#73 of 190an index of 0.804#40 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#80 of 185$9,940 a person#37 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#74 of 18486% online#38 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#79 of 184$25,814 a person#39 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#127 of 187+2.1% a year#16 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#55 of 176+4.0% a year#11 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#29 of 17811.0% of the labour force#3 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#116 of 1490.3% under $3.00 a day#20 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#116 of 149a Gini index of 30.3#21 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#86 of 17816.7% of jobs#4 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#17 of 17830.6% of jobs#6 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#106 of 17852.7% of jobs#37 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#73 of 1842.6% of GDP#15 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#68 of 16841.0% of GDP#27 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#134 of 1550.7% of GDP#35 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#78 of 191121 subscriptions per 100 people#28 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#35 of 1856.45 tonnes a person#11 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#60 of 19242% forest#10 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#65 of 19036.6% renewable#11 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#60 of 19126.1 µg/m³#1 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#144 of 1919.5% of the land protected#41 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#111 of 1908.0% of the land arable#34 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#147 of 1762.1% of its available fresh water#34 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#92 of 1801,028 mm a year#10 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s area, lit up on the map →
- Costa Rica1.0×Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica are almost exactly the same size.
- Slovakia1.04×Bosnia and Herzegovina is 4% larger than Slovakia.
- Dominican Republic1.05×Bosnia and Herzegovina is 5% larger than Dominican Republic.
- Croatia0.9×Bosnia and Herzegovina is 10% smaller than Croatia.
- Togo0.9×Bosnia and Herzegovina is 10% smaller than Togo.
- Estonia1.13×Bosnia and Herzegovina is 13% larger than Estonia.
How many times does Bosnia and Herzegovina fit into…
- Russia: about 333 times
- Canada: about 195 times
- United States: about 192 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Bosnia and Herzegovina shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Maglić2,386 m
- Troglav1,913 m
- Dinara1,913 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Bosnia and Herzegovina. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Bosnia and Herzegovina
- How big is Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,209 km², which makes it number 125 of 194 countries by area. About 3,140,095 people live there (2025), 61 per km².
- Is Bosnia and Herzegovina bigger than Costa Rica?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica are almost exactly the same size. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 51,209 km²; Costa Rica: 51,180 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- At about 44° latitude, Mercator stretches Bosnia and Herzegovina to roughly 1.94× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina shares a land border with Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro.