Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Serbia
Serbia is 73% larger than Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina would fit into Serbia about 1.7 times.
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSerbiaBosnia and Herzegovina moved onto Serbia · Equal-area projection
0.58×
Bosnia and Herzegovina is 0.58× the area of Serbia. Put the other way, Serbia is 1.73× the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Serbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSerbia: 1.73× the area | 51,209 km²#125 of 194 | 88,499 km²#111 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSerbia: 2.09× the population | 3,140,095#133 of 194 · 2025 | 6,549,143#109 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySerbia: 1.21× the density | 61 / km²#126 of 194 | 74 / km²#112 of 194 |
| Urban populationSerbia: 1.19× the urban share | 53%#128 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSerbia: 1.1× the births per woman | 1.49 per woman#137 of 192 · 2024 | 1.64 per woman#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSerbia: 0.20 points higher | −0.77%#188 of 192 · 2025 | −0.57%#183 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSerbia: 1.19× the birth rate | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSerbia: 1.1× the death rate | 13.5 per 1,000#7 of 192 · 2024 | 14.9 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Serbia: 1.5 points higher | 12.8%#184 of 192 · 2025 | 14.3%#174 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Serbia: 0.2 points higher | 22.9%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 23.1%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSerbia: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −2.0 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.73× the refugees for its size | 7.85 per 1,000#23 of 190 · 2025 | 4.53 per 1,000#29 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBosnia and Herzegovina: 2.0 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 76.0 years#78 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.2× the infant mortality | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSerbia: 1.2× the doctors per person | 2.58 per 1,000#73 of 178 · 2019 | 3.10 per 1,000#57 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSerbia: 1.55× the university enrolment | 45.5%#83 of 145 · 2023 | 70.6%#44 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSerbia: 0.029 higher | 0.804#73 of 190 · 2023 | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSerbia: 1.36× the income per person | $9,940#80 of 185 · 2025 | $13,480#70 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSerbia: 3.07× the economy | $32.6B2025 | $99.95B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Serbia: 1.31× the output per person | $25,814#79 of 184 · 2025 | $33,910#64 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBosnia and Herzegovina: 0.1 points higher | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBosnia and Herzegovina: 0.1 points higher | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.55× the unemployment | 11.0%#29 of 178 · 2025 | 7.1%#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySerbia: 3.67× the share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2021 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Serbia: 2.5 higher | 30.3#116 of 149 · 2021 | 32.8#97 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSerbia: 1.3 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#86 of 178 · 2025 | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBosnia and Herzegovina: 3.5 points higher | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 | 27.1% of jobs#27 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSerbia: 2.2 points higher | 52.7% of jobs#106 of 178 · 2025 | 54.9% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSerbia: 1.3 points higher | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#49 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSerbia: 13.3 points higher | 41.0% of GDP#68 of 168 · 2025 | 54.3% of GDP#42 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSerbia: 3.78× the military spending | 0.7% of GDP#134 of 155 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#36 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 86%#74 of 184 · 2024 | 88%#69 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 124 per 100#71 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBosnia and Herzegovina: 1.08× the forest share | 42% of land#60 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 6.45 t a year#35 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energyBosnia and Herzegovina: 9.4 points higher | 36.6%#65 of 190 · 2021 | 27.2%#89 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: 1.35× the air pollution | 26.1 µg/m³#60 of 191 · 2023 | 19.3 µg/m³#89 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSerbia: 4.5 points higher | 9.5% of land#144 of 191 · 2025 | 14.0% of land#123 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSerbia: 21.0 points higher | 8.0% of land#111 of 190 · 2024 | 29.0% of land#31 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSerbia: 2.71× the water stress | 2.1%#147 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | 1,028 mm#92 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySerbia: 0.02 higher | −0.34#128 of 193 · 2025 | −0.32#124 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBosnia and Herzegovina: 0.12 higher | −0.48#117 of 193 · 2025 | −0.60#128 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSerbia: 1.08× the homicide rate | 1.2 per 100,000#97 of 146 · 2023 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Sarajevo | Belgrade |
| Currency | Convertible mark (BAM) | Serbian dinar (RSD) |
| Official languages | Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian | Serbian |
| 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 | +381 |
| 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; Serbia at 44° N is stretched to 1.95×. 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 Serbia?
- No. Bosnia and Herzegovina is 42% smaller than Serbia. Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51,209 km² and Serbia covers 88,499 km².
- How many times does Bosnia and Herzegovina fit into Serbia?
- About 1.7 times: Serbia has 1.73× the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Why do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia 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 Serbia about 1.95×. 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 Serbia?
- Serbia: 6,549,143 people against 3,140,095. Density: Bosnia and Herzegovina 61 per km², Serbia 74 per km².
- Which is richer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia?
- By gross national income per person, Serbia: $13,480 against $9,940 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.36× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia?
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina: life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years, against 76.0 — 2.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).