Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia & Herzegovina
Status	Independent State
Capital	Sarajevo
Land Area	51 000km21
Location	Europe, Mediterranean, The Balkans
Population	3.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	76.63yrs (2017)3
GNI	$10 091 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	BA, BIH, 705
Internet Domain	.ba6
Currency	Marka (BAM)7
Telephone	+3878

1. Overview
2. Bosnia & Herzegovina National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

“Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government composed of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Bosnian Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments are responsible for overseeing most government functions. Additionally, the Dayton Accords established the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also gave the High Representative the authority to impose legislation and remove officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." An original NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops assembled in 1995 was succeeded over time by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR). In 2004, European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR. Currently EUFOR deploys around 600 troops in theater in a policing capacity.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“This craggily beautiful land retains scars from the 1990s civil war, but today visitors will remember Bosnia and Hercegovina for its spontaneous welcome and its intriguing cultural melange. The Bosnians described their country as a `heart-shaped land´ and looking at a map reveals that such a description is not too wide of the mark geographically. Over centuries this rugged domain at the centre of the Balkans has been the scene of intense commingling of peoples, traditions and cultures, a fact belied by the factional strife of the 1990s. Political tensions still linger after those fratricidal wars, but Bosnians of all stripes look to a brighter and better future. Major drawcards for travellers are the reincarnated antique centres of Sarajevo and Mostar, where rebuilt historical buildings counterpoint fashionable bars and cafes. Elsewhere Socialist-era architectural monstrosities are surprisingly rare blots on predominantly rural landscapes. Many Bosnian towns are lovably small, wrapped around medieval castles and surrounded by mountain ridges or cascading river canyons. Few places in Europe offer better rafting or such accessible, inexpensive skiing.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Bosnia & Herzegovina National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
78	Azerbaijan	78
79	Brazil	79
80	Grenada	79
81	Bosnia & Herzegovina	81
82	Macedonia	82
83	Algeria	83
84	Armenia	84
85	Ukraine	84
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
64	Panama	57.9
65	Macedonia	57.6
66	Mexico	57.3
67	Bosnia & Herzegovina	57.3
68	Georgia	57.2
69	Brunei	57.2
70	Qatar	57.2
71	Armenia	57.1
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
163	Sweden	37.0
164	Bulgaria	37.0
165	Denmark	37.1
166	Bosnia & Herzegovina	37.3
167	S. Korea	37.6
168	Estonia	37.9
169	Belgium	38.1
170	Switzerland	38.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
10	Albania	45.4%
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	38.9%
14	Palau	38.8%
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
17	Jamaica	36.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
113	Belize	2.70
114	Malta	1.28
115	Syria	2.81
116	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.13
117	Paraguay	2.87
118	Hong Kong	1.12
119	Israel	2.91
120	Jordan	2.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
151	Maldives	1.0%
152	Cameroon	1.0%
153	Tonga	0.8%
154	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.7%
155	Burundi	0.7%
156	Nigeria	0.7%
157	Nicaragua	0.7%
158	Algeria	0.7%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
49	Oman	76.97
50	Maldives	76.96
51	Bahrain	76.72
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	76.63
53	Argentina	76.46
54	Slovakia	76.41
55	Montenegro	76.40
56	Antigua & Barbuda	76.24
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
125	Palestine	4.3m
126	Liberia	4.2m
127	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.2m
128	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.7m
129	Panama	3.6m
130	Mauritania	3.6m
131	Moldova	3.5m
132	Uruguay	3.4m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Bosnia & Herzegovina's population is predicted to fall to 3 473 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.13. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

Bosnia & Herzegovina does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Bosnia & Herzegovina comes in the best 20 in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₈. It does better than average in terms of opposing gender inequality₁₉ (but bad for Europe), LGBT equality₂₀ (but bad for Europe), fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₁, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₂ (but bad for Europe), its Global Peace Index rating₂₃ (but bad for Europe), supporting press freedom₂₄ (but bad for Europe), eliminating modern slavery₂₅, fighting corruption₂₆ (but bad for Europe) and in the year from which women could participate in democracy₂₇ (but high for Europe). Bosnia & Herzegovina does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₈ (one of the lowest in Europe). Things aren't perfect, and the country made little progress by 2017₂₉ on issues raised by the ECtHR in 2009, with constitutional discrimination continuing against Jews, Roma and other minorities₂₉. There is too much intimidation of journalists₂₉ and LGBT folk face hate speech, harassment and some needless inequalities₃₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Bosnia & Herzegovina

5. Peace Versus Instability

#Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
146	Croatia	146
147	UAE	147
148	Central African Rep.	148
149	Bosnia & Herzegovina	149
150	Seychelles	150
151	Sierra Leone	151
152	Afghanistan	152
153	Lebanon	153
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
32	Bulgaria	32
33	S. Korea	33
34	Mauritius	34
35	Bosnia & Herzegovina	35
36	Romania	36
37	Uruguay	37
38	Liberia	38
39	Turkey	39
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)23
Pos.		Lower is better23
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
62	Jordan	1.90
63	Indonesia	1.91
64	Serbia	1.92
65	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.92
66	Moldova	1.93
67	Albania	1.93
68	Macedonia	1.94
69	Guyana	1.94
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₃. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₃ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₃.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)32
Pos.		Lower is better Score32
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
60	Guatemala	1.33
61	Georgia	1.34
62	Papua New Guinea	1.36
63	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.39
64	Kyrgyzstan	1.47
65	Ghana	1.56
66	Kazakhstan	1.57
67	Austria	1.66
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)33
Pos.		Lower is better %33
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
42	Poland	75
43	Cyprus	75
44	Macedonia	76
45	Bosnia & Herzegovina	77
46	Venezuela	79
47	Costa Rica	79
48	Turkmenistan	80
49	Georgia	81
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	52.3%
Muslim	45.2%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	2.5%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 97.9% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 77% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%₃₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

7. The Internet

#Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)36
Pos.		Higher is better36
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
73	Albania	63%
74	Palestine	63%
75	Montenegro	62%
76	Bosnia & Herzegovina	62%
77	Azerbaijan	61%
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)37
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio37
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
37	Poland	3.6
38	Thailand	3.3
39	Denmark	3.1
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.1
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
42	Latvia	2.2
43	Israel	1.8
44	Italy	1.7
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #genetics #health #obesity #organ_donation #public_health #smoking #sociology #UK

Bosnia & Herzegovina is a pretty unhealthy country. Bosnia & Herzegovina does better than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₁₉ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈ (amongst the lowest in Europe). But that's it. Bosnia & Herzegovina has problems. It does worse than average in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁, its alcohol consumption rate₃₉ (still good for Europe) and in its immunizations take-up₄₀. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for number of organ donors₄₁ (amongst the lowest in Europe) and in its smoking rate₄₂. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)39
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita39
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
95	Guyana	6.3
96	Peru	6.3
97	Bosnia & Herzegovina	6.4
98	Angola	6.4
99	Mexico	6.5
100	Philippines	6.6
101	Cambodia	6.7
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₄₃ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₄₄ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₄₅ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₄₆. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₄₇. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)41
Pos.		Higher is better pmp41
1	Spain	46.9048
2	Portugal	34.0148
3	Belgium	33.6248
	...
61	Trinidad & Tobago	1.47
62	Dominican Rep.	1.40
63	Malaysia	1.10
64	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.90
65	Bolivia	0.90
66	Japan	0.88
67	UAE	0.32
68	India	0.30
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
92	Tunisia	92
93	Bahrain	93
94	Philippines	94
95	Bosnia & Herzegovina	95
96	Namibia	96
97	Guyana	97
98	Colombia	98
99	Vietnam	99
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)38
Pos.		Lower is better %38
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
82	St Kitts & Nevis	52.3
83	Barbados	52.4
84	Papua New Guinea	52.9
85	Bosnia & Herzegovina	53.3
86	Paraguay	53.5
87	Kazakhstan	53.6
88	Azerbaijan	53.6
89	S. Africa	53.8
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₄₉. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₀. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₀ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₁ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₂. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₅₃. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₅₄.

Smoking Rates (2014)42
Pos.		Lower is better42
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
170	Azerbaijan	2 114
171	Kazakhstan	2 157
172	Czechia	2 194
173	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2 233
174	China	2 250
175	Luxembourg	2 284
176	Belgium	2 353
177	Slovenia	2 637
	World Avg	819
q=182.

9. Children's Health

#Bosnia_&_Herzegovina #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)19
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100019
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
24	Oman	8.1
25	Belgium	8.2
26	Spain	8.4
27	Bosnia & Herzegovina	8.6
28	Saudi Arabia	8.8
29	France	8.9
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)40
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %40
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
135	Suriname	87.2
136	Ecuador	86.8
137	Cambodia	86.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries