Bosnia and Herzegovina is losing its population every day. According to some estimates, in less than 50 years, about one and a half million inhabitants will live here. In addition to losing population, budgets and funds are at risk, we lack manpower.
The demographic picture of Bosnia and Herzegovina is getting worse. The average estimate is that in 50 years there will be about one and a half million of us.
Demographer Aleksandar Čavić warns that we are still closer to a pessimistic assessment. Thus, about one million and 200 thousand inhabitants should live in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“My experience shows that the realistically determined number of inhabitants is always closer to this pessimistic estimate, so if we have a million and a half inhabitants, I think it can be somewhat satisfactory, regardless of how it sounds.”, Cavic says.
According to the “World Population Perspectives” report, Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the group of countries that will drastically reduce their population by the end of the century.
JOHN KENNEDY MOSOTI, representative of the UN Population Fund in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“By 2070, demographic trends and inequalities will lead to a reduction of the total population by over 50%, while the demographic structure will lean towards an older population with its share in the total population of over 40%.”
Entire families are moving out. Schools are closing, villages are almost deserted. In 2021, almost 170,000 inhabitants left the country.
MIRHUNISA ZUKIĆ, Union for Sustainable Return and Refugees in BiH:
“The unit of measure is the village of Marčići near Zvornik, where about 60 houses have been rebuilt and only a few families live there. Everything else is closed. We have such examples all over Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Problems are also felt in the economy. There is a shortage of manpower. We are witnessing the import of labor from Turkey, India, Nepal, Pakistan…
SAŠA AĆIĆ, Director of the Union of Employers of the RS:
“In general, according to the trends we have had for the last 10 years, in 3-4 years we can say that we will have a labor supply of 0. So we already have the need to somehow import labor from other countries and that will be the trend in the coming years years.”
Demographic trends are conditioned in the long term. For example, a large investment in the field of fertility does not mean much at the moment. The effects are felt only after two decades. Measures must be comprehensive, systemic, short-term and long-term. Otherwise, there will be fewer and fewer of us, BHRT reports.
