The latest demographic data for the year 2024 reveal concerning trends in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
While we deal with the question of “does the state exist” only on a political level – the state, in its most crucial sense, is disappearing: People are leaving. Fewer children are being born, and young couples are entering marriage later and later. The reasons for this are economic and political in nature. This is shown by the latest demographic data for 2024.
“We are losing population both in terms of natural population change and in terms of migration balance,” said Aleksandar Cavic, a demographer.
Regarding the political situation in BiH over the past 30 years, we can say anything except that it has been peaceful and stable. This is precisely one of the key reasons why young people, as well as entire families, choose to seek a better and more peaceful future beyond the borders of our country.
“We don’t have a concrete solution for how to stop all of this. The only thing would be to ignore these political circumstances, which are very turbulent and have a highly negative impact on the mental state of people, especially young people who do not want to endure and simply do not want this kind of terror with information, fear, and constant reassurances that things will get better, while in reality, they are only getting worse,” Mirhunisa Zukic stated, a president of the Union for Sustainable Return in BiH.
“Today, young couples want both partners to be employed, for their children to be provided for, for kindergartens to be free. This is now being announced as a future prospect, and these would be good measures,” emphasized Stevo Pasalic, a university professor.
Perhaps in the future. In retrospect – that has not been the case. Politics has not significantly addressed this issue.
“The problem has been marginalized, especially when we talk about the departure of young people, who, in the end, this country has invested budget funds in for their education, training, schooling…,” said Amila Pilav-Velic, a professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Sarajevo (UNSA).
That is why citizens see political instability as the main cause of emigration.
The economy and demographics are closely connected. We will feel the consequences most directly through the pension system, as the ratio of employees to pensioners has changed significantly.
“That ratio used to be 4 employees per 1 pensioner; now it is 1.2 or 1.4 per pensioner, which is unsustainable in the long run. In Serbia, they tried to address this issue by raising the retirement age, in Croatia by introducing private savings into the pension fund, but these measures have not yielded significant results,” Amila Pilav-Velic added.
According to experts, the ideal solution to demographic problems would be a combination of the mentioned strategies. But above all, concrete interest and political will are needed, BHRT writes.
