The deficit in the foreign trade exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous year exceeded BAM 14 billion, according to the data of the BiH Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA BiH).
As stated in this data, during the year 2025 goods were imported into BiH for 31.65 billion BAM, while in the same period products were exported from BiH for 17.54 billion BAM.
This means that the deficit in foreign trade during the whole of 2025 amounted to 14.11 billion BAM.
That the deficit is growing from year to year is shown by the data of the ITA BiH, which states that in 2024 it amounted to 13.82 billion BAM, that is, that exports amounted to 16.61 billion BAM, and imports to 30.43 billion BAM.
In 2023, the deficit was 12.90 billion BAM, and exports amounted to 17.05 billion BAM, and imports 29.95 billion BAM.
When it comes to products, the most imported during the previous year were mineral fuels, mineral oils and their distillation products, bituminous materials and mineral waxes for 3.6 billion BAM, and nuclear reactors, boilers, and apparatus and mechanical devices and their parts for 2.81 billion BAM.
Most of the exports were electrical machines and equipment and their parts, apparatus for recording or reproducing sound, television apparatus for recording or reproducing images and sound, and parts and accessories for these products for 1.59 billion BAM, and nuclear reactors, boilers, machines and apparatus and mechanical devices and their parts for 1.40 billion BAM.
When it comes to countries, the most products were imported from Croatia, for 5.9 billion BAM, Serbia for 4.17 billion BAM, and Germany for 2.65 billion BAM.
On the other hand, according to these data, Bosnia and Herzegovina sold the most products to Croatia for 3.09 billion BAM, to Germany 2.49 billion BAM, and to Serbia 1.9 billion BAM.
Predrag Mlinarević, a professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of East Sarajevo, told “Nezavisne novine” that the continuous increase in the trade deficit primarily indicates a structural problem of the domestic economy.
– The key challenge is not on the consumption side, but on the production side – the domestic economy obviously does not have the capacity to respond to the growing demand through a competitive offer. This points to insufficient productivity and weak price competitiveness of domestic producers, who fail to take advantage of favorable impulses on the market – said Mlinarević.
He added that a more detailed insight into the structure of the deficit by country shows that the largest imbalances are realized in trade with the countries of the region.
– This is precisely where there is real room for its gradual reduction, through targeted import substitution policies – emphasized Mlinarević.
According to him, such measures can include support for domestic companies in improving technological efficiency and reducing production costs, as well as attracting regional companies to locate part of their production on the domestic market.
– Without such structural interventions, the trade deficit will continue to move along an established path, with oscillations that will depend primarily on short-term inflationary pressures and cyclical movements, and not on the actual strengthening of the domestic economic base – he added.
