How many inhabitants does Bosnia and Herzegovina have is a question to which even today there is no precise answer.
The last population census in the country was conducted back in 2013, and although according to earlier plans, the new census was supposed to be held two years ago, it still hasn’t happened. It is not even known when it could be implemented, reports BHRT.
Although most countries in the world conduct a population census every ten years, Bosnia and Herzegovina is still waiting for a new census. The last one was held more than a decade ago, and the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina states that in the previous period there was some interest, but no concrete, formal initiative for its implementation.
“The realization of the census depends on the political and institutional agreement at the state and entity level, then secured financial resources, and an agreed legislative and methodological framework. Therefore, without a clear political will and joint decision, the census cannot be started,” said Lejla Aganović from the BiH Statistics Agency.
A complex and unique post-war census
The only post-war population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina cost about 45 million marks. Its results showed that in 2013, the country had about 3.5 million inhabitants. However, demographers warn that the new census would expose the alarming state and extent of the demographic collapse.
If the population census were to be conducted today, the results, according to experts, could be devastating. Estimates show that last year alone, the number of births decreased by 1.36 percent compared to the previous year, while the number of deaths increased by almost 3.5 percent.
“Our migration losses are ten times greater than the losses caused by negative natural increase. Young, educated people and those in the reproductive period migrate, and it is they who take future births with them,” warns demographer Stevo Pašalić.
Citizens share their concerns
The citizens themselves believe that the results of a possible new population census would be extremely worrying, and that the issue of the census has been deliberately neglected for years.
“One of the first indicators of the normalization of a country like Bosnia and Herzegovina is that the population census is freed from all political manipulations and that, as in all countries of the world, a regular census is conducted every ten years,” sociologist Drago Vuković believes.
Given that the population census is neither a topic nor a priority of the competent institutions for the time being, the only unspecified “next census cycle” is being offered as an answer more and more often, which brings with it new procedures.
New cycle only in 2031?
“According to European recommendations, the next census cycle refers to the year 2031 and goes in the direction of greater use of administrative data sources, thereby shortening deadlines and reducing costs compared to classic enumeration,” adds Aganović.
Unlike Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of the countries in the region have already conducted or planned a census in previous years. Thus, in Croatia, the census was carried out in 2021, while in Serbia it was carried out a year later, in 2022.
