Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Croatia
Croatia is 11% larger than Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and HerzegovinaCroatiaBosnia and Herzegovina moved onto Croatia · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Bosnia and Herzegovina is 0.9× the area of Croatia. Put the other way, Croatia is 1.11× the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Croatia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCroatia: 1.11× the area | 51,209 km²#125 of 194 | 56,594 km²#124 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCroatia: 1.23× the population | 3,140,095#133 of 194 · 2025 | 3,876,200#129 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCroatia: 1.12× the density | 61 / km²#126 of 194 | 68 / km²#118 of 194 |
| Urban populationCroatia: 1.1× the urban share | 53%#128 of 192 · 2025 | 58%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.49 per woman#137 of 192 · 2024 | 1.46 per woman#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCroatia: 1.03 points higher | −0.77%#188 of 192 · 2025 | +0.26%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCroatia: 1.08× the birth rate | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 13.5 per 1,000#7 of 192 · 2024 | 13.2 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Croatia: 0.9 points higher | 12.8%#184 of 192 · 2025 | 13.7%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Croatia: 0.7 points higher | 22.9%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 23.6%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCroatia: 1.3 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.77× the refugees for its size | 7.85 per 1,000#23 of 190 · 2025 | 4.44 per 1,000#30 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCroatia: 0.9 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.34× the infant mortality | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCroatia: 1.52× the doctors per person | 2.58 per 1,000#73 of 178 · 2019 | 3.91 per 1,000#32 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentCroatia: 1.78× the university enrolment | 45.5%#83 of 145 · 2023 | 81.2%#21 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexCroatia: 0.085 higher | 0.804#73 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCroatia: 2.55× the income per person | $9,940#80 of 185 · 2025 | $25,360#45 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCroatia: 3.22× the economy | $32.6B2025 | $105.06B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Croatia: 1.97× the output per person | $25,814#79 of 184 · 2025 | $50,946#42 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCroatia: 1.3 points higher | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | +3.4%#89 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBosnia and Herzegovina: 0.3 points higher | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.2× the unemployment | 11.0%#29 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2021 | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 0.2 higher | 30.3#116 of 149 · 2021 | 30.1#118 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBosnia and Herzegovina: 12.4 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#86 of 178 · 2025 | 4.3% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBosnia and Herzegovina: 4.2 points higher | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 | 26.4% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCroatia: 16.6 points higher | 52.7% of jobs#106 of 178 · 2025 | 69.3% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCroatia: 0.2 points higher | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCroatia: 7.0 points higher | 41.0% of GDP#68 of 168 · 2025 | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCroatia: 2.77× the military spending | 0.7% of GDP#134 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#63 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 86%#74 of 184 · 2024 | 84%#84 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.21× the forest share | 42% of land#60 of 192 · 2024 | 35% of land#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.34× the CO₂ per person | 6.45 t a year#35 of 185 · 2024 | 4.83 t a year#50 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.5 points higher | 36.6%#65 of 190 · 2021 | 34.1%#73 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1.65× the air pollution | 26.1 µg/m³#60 of 191 · 2023 | 15.8 µg/m³#110 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCroatia: 28.9 points higher | 9.5% of land#144 of 191 · 2025 | 38.4% of land#18 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCroatia: 7.2 points higher | 8.0% of land#111 of 190 · 2024 | 15.2% of land#74 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.4× the water stress | 2.1%#147 of 176 · 2022 | 1.5%#154 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCroatia: 1.08× the rain and snow | 1,028 mm#92 of 180 · 2022 | 1,113 mm#84 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCroatia: 1.02 higher | −0.34#128 of 193 · 2025 | +0.68#58 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCroatia: 0.61 higher | −0.48#117 of 193 · 2025 | +0.13#75 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.71× the homicide rate | 1.2 per 100,000#97 of 146 · 2023 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Sarajevo | Zagreb |
| Currency | Convertible mark (BAM) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian | Croatian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +387 | +385 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bosnia and Herzegovina sits at about 44° N and is stretched to 1.94× its true area; Croatia at 45° N is stretched to 2.01×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bosnia and Herzegovina bigger than Croatia?
- No. Bosnia and Herzegovina is 10% smaller than Croatia. Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,209 km² and Croatia covers 56,594 km².
- How many times does Bosnia and Herzegovina fit into Croatia?
- About 1.1 times: Croatia has 1.11× the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Why do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bosnia and Herzegovina is drawn about 1.94× its true area there and Croatia about 2.01×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Croatia?
- Croatia: 3,876,200 people against 3,140,095. Density: Bosnia and Herzegovina 61 per km², Croatia 68 per km².
- Which is richer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Croatia?
- By gross national income per person, Croatia: $25,360 against $9,940 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.55× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Croatia?
- In Croatia: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 78.0 — 0.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).