History of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Timeline

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in Southeast Europe, located on the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia, and has a small coastline on the Adriatic Sea. The country features diverse geography, ranging from mountainous regions in the center and east, to hilly areas in the northwest, and flatlands in the northeast. Herzegovina, the southern region, has a Mediterranean climate. Sarajevo is the capital and largest city. The climate is moderate continental with hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

1903: Bloody coup in Serbia

In 1903, a bloody coup occurred in Serbia, bringing a radical anti-Austrian government into power in Belgrade.

October 1908: Annexation proclamation

On October 6, 1908, Austro-Hungarian diplomacy published the annexation proclamation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking advantage of the turmoil in the Ottoman Empire.

1908: Austro-Hungarian troops withdrew from the Sanjak

In 1908, Austro-Hungarian troops withdrew from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, which had been under Ottoman administration.

1908: Revolt in the Ottoman Empire

In 1908, the revolt in the Ottoman Empire raised concerns that the Istanbul government might seek the outright return of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

March 1909: Acceptance of annexation

In March 1909, Russians and Serbia accepted the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1910: Census of land ownership

According to the 1910 census of land ownership conducted in Austria-Hungary, Muslims owned 91.1%, Orthodox Serbs owned 6.0%, Croat Catholics owned 2.6% and others, 0.3% of the property.

1910: First constitution proclaimed

In 1910, Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph proclaimed the first constitution in Bosnia, leading to relaxation of earlier laws, elections and formation of the Bosnian parliament and growth of new political life.

June 1914: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, which sparked World War I.

1914: Establishment of the Schutzkorps

In 1914, Austro-Hungarian authorities established the Schutzkorps, an auxiliary militia, predominantly recruited among the Bosnian Muslim population, tasked with hunting down rebel Serbs, leading to persecution and forced expulsions.

1929: Establishment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

In 1929, the establishment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia brought the redrawing of administrative regions into banates that avoided historical and ethnic lines, removing any trace of a Bosnian entity.

1939: Creation of the Croatian banate

In 1939, the Cvetković-Maček Agreement created the Croatian banate, which encouraged a partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina between Croatia and Serbia.

April 1941: Serbs joined the Chetniks

Beginning in April 1941, many Serbs joined the Chetniks, a Serb nationalist movement, who pursued a genocidal campaign against ethnic Muslims and Croats.

April 1941: Invasion by Germany

Following attempts at appeasement, the signing of the Tripartite Treaty, and a coup d'état, Yugoslavia was invaded by Nazi Germany on April 6, 1941.

October 1941: Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims

On October 12, 1941, a group of 108 prominent Sarajevan Muslims signed the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims condemning the persecution of Serbs organized by the Ustaše.

1941: Communists organized multi-ethnic resistance group

Starting in 1941, Yugoslav communists organized their own multi-ethnic resistance group, the Partisans, who fought against both Axis and Chetnik forces.

November 1943: Reestablishment as a republic

On November 29, 1943, Bosnia and Herzegovina was reestablished as a republic within the Yugoslav federation at a conference in Jajce.

May 1945: End of massacres

Between April 1941 to May 1945, massacres against Croats were smaller in scale but similar in action.

1946: Constitution of 1946

At the end of the war, the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with the constitution of 1946, officially made Bosnia and Herzegovina one of six constituent republics in the new state.

1967: SKF Sweden operations

From 1967, SKF Sweden operated in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1972: Volkswagen operations

From 1972, Volkswagen operated as part of TAS, a car factory in Sarajevo.

1975: Coca-Cola operations

From 1975, Coca-Cola operated in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1980: Turbulent period following Tito's death

Following Tito's death in 1980, Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced a turbulent period, during which the doctrine of tolerance began to lose its potency.

1981: Reputed Apparitions Begin in Međugorje in 1981

It has been estimated that 30 million pilgrims have visited Međugorje since the reputed apparitions began in 1981.

1984: Sarajevo Winter Olympics

In 1984, Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics.

1984: Sarajevo hosted Winter Olympics in 1984

Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984.

November 1990: Multi-party parliamentary elections

In November 1990, multi-party parliamentary elections were held, resulting in a national assembly where communist power was replaced by a coalition of ethnically based parties.

1990: Forest Cover

In 1990, forest cover in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 2,210,000 hectares.

1990: End of Coalition Government

The Serb members of parliament, consisting mainly of the Serb Democratic Party members, abandoned the central parliament in Sarajevo, which marked the end of the three-ethnic coalition that governed after the elections in 1990.

March 1991: Alleged Agreement on Partition

In March 1991, Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević and Croatian leader Franjo Tuđman allegedly agreed on a partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

October 1991: Serb and Croat political actions

In October 1991, Serb members of parliament formed the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina after abandoning the central parliament in Sarajevo. On 18 November 1991, the Croatian Democratic Union proclaimed the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia, which was declared illegal by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

October 1991: Declaration of Sovereignty

On 15 October 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a declaration of sovereignty.

November 1991: Proclamation of Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia

On 18 November 1991, the Croatian Democratic Union proclaimed the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia in a separate part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was declared illegal by the government.

1991: Population Census

According to the 1991 census, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a population of 4,369,319.

January 1992: Establishment of the Serbian Republic

On 9 January 1992, the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina established the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

March 1992: Independence Referendum and Declaration

In March 1992, specifically on the 29th of February and 1st of March, a referendum for independence was held, which was largely boycotted by Serbs. On 3 March 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence.

April 1992: International Recognition

On 6 April 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina received international recognition.

May 1992: Admission to the United Nations

On 22 May 1992, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted as a member state of the United Nations.

June 1992: Withdrawal of Yugoslav People's Army

In June 1992, international recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina increased diplomatic pressure for the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) to officially withdraw from the republic's territory.

August 1992: Renaming of Serbian Republic

In August 1992, the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was renamed Republika Srpska.

1992: Bosnia and Herzegovina recognizes minority languages

According to the 1992 European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized several minority languages including Albanian, Montenegrin, Czech, Italian, Hungarian, Macedonian, German, Polish, Romani, Romanian, Rusyn, Slovak, Slovene, Turkish, Ukrainian and Jewish (Yiddish and Ladino).

1992: Republic proclaimed independence

In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaimed independence following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

1992: Initial proclamation of independence

In 1992, upon the initial proclamation of independence, the country's official name was the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

March 1994: Washington Agreement

In March 1994, the Bosniak-Croat conflict ended with the signing of the Washington Agreement, leading to the creation of a joint Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

July 1995: Srebrenica Massacre

In July 1995, the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia culminated in the Srebrenica massacre of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, which was ruled to have been a genocide.

1995: Name change to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Following the 1995 Dayton Agreement and the new constitution, the official name was changed to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1995: End of Bosnian War with the Dayton Agreement

In 1995, the Bosnian War ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement.

1995: Dayton Agreement and Entity Establishment

In 1995, the Dayton Agreement formally established the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, based on territories held by warring sides, due to changes in the country's ethnic structure.

1995: Implementation of Dayton Agreement

In 1995, the implementation of the Dayton Agreement focused the efforts of policymakers on regional stabilization in the countries-successors of the former Yugoslavia.

1995: High Representative Authority

Since 1995, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina has been able to bypass the elected parliamentary assembly.

1995: End of Bosnian War

The protests in 2014 marked the largest outbreak of public anger over high unemployment and political inertia in the country since the end of the Bosnian War in 1995.

1996: World Bank Group Census

The 1996 World Bank Group census showed a decrease to 3,764,425 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1997: High Representative Removal Power

Since 1997, the High Representative has been able to remove elected officials.

2000: Creation of Brčko District

In 2000, the Brčko District was created from land from both entities (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska), governed under a decentralized system.

2000: Constitutional Court verifies equal status of Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian

In 2000, the Constitutional Court verified the equal status of Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian languages. The court ruled that the language provisions in the Federation and Republika Srpska constitutions were incompatible with the state constitution, as they only recognized Bosnian and Croatian (in the Federation) and Serbian (in Republika Srpska) as official languages at the entity level. All three languages were then made official in both entities.

2003: Bosnian economy still faces considerable difficulties in 2003

In 2003, the Bosnian economy still faced considerable difficulties because much of the production capacity was unrestored after the war in the 1990s.

2004: Increase in GDP and per capita income in 2004

From 2003 to 2004, GDP and per capita income increased by 10%.

2004: Economic Indicators for 2004

In 2004, Bosnia and Herzegovina's annual inflation was the lowest in the region at 1.9%, and the real GDP growth rate was 5%, according to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Statistical Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2004: Formation of Ministry of Defence

In 2004, the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed.

2005: Unified Armed Forces

In 2005, the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSBiH) were unified into a single entity.

2006: Sarajevo Ranked Among Best Cities in the World in 2006

In 2006, Lonely Planet ranked Sarajevo #43 on the list of best cities in the world.

2006: Formation of Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence

In 2006, the Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed through a merger.

2007: First International Assistance Mission

Beginning in 2007, the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina undertook the army's first ever international assistance mission, enlisting the military to serve with ISAF peace missions to Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2007: Initiation of Stabilisation and Association Process

In 2007, Bosnia and Herzegovina initiated the Stabilisation and Association Process with the European Union.

April 2010: Membership Action Plan from NATO

On 23 April 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina received the Membership Action Plan from NATO.

April 2010: Candidate for NATO membership

Since April 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a candidate for NATO membership.

2010: PPS GDP per capita in 2010

According to Eurostat data, Bosnia and Herzegovina's PPS GDP per capita stood at 29 percent of the EU average in 2010.

2010: Sarajevo nominated as top ten cities to visit in 2010

In 2010, Lonely Planet's "Best in Travel" nominated Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit that year.

2011: Planned Census

A census had been planned for 2011 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it was delayed.

September 2012: IMF Announces Loan in September 2012

In September 2012, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced a loan to Bosnia worth US$500 million to be delivered by Stand-By Arrangement.

2012: Planned Census

A census had been planned for 2012 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it was delayed until October 2013.

2012: Survey of Muslim Denominations

In 2012, a survey revealed that 54% of Muslims in Bosnia identified as non-denominational, while 38% followed Sunnism.

2012: Sarajevo won travel blog Foxnomad's "Best City to Visit" competition in 2012

Sarajevo won travel blog Foxnomad's "Best City to Visit" competition in 2012, beating more than one hundred other cities around the entire world.

October 2013: 2013 Census Results

In October 2013, the census found a total population of 3,531,159 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a drop of approximately 20% since 1991.

2013: Ethnic Composition

According to data from the 2013 census, Bosniaks constitute 50.1% of the population, Serbs 30.8%, Croats 15.5% and others 2.7% in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2013: Religious Composition in 2013 Census

According to the 2013 census, Muslims made up 50.7% of the population in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Orthodox Christians comprised 30.7%, Catholic Christians 15.2%, 1.2% identified as other, and 1.1% as atheist or agnostic, with the remaining individuals either not declaring or not answering the question.

2013: Language Preference in 2013 Census

In the 2013 census, 52.86% of the population considered their mother tongue Bosnian, 30.76% Serbian, 14.6% Croatian, and 1.57% another language, with 0.21% not providing an answer.

February 2014: Bosnian Spring Protests

On 4 February 2014, protests against the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dubbed the Bosnian Spring, began in Tuzla and spread to other cities, resulting in violent clashes and injuries.

December 2014: International Debt as of December 2014

As of 31 December 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina's international debt was $5.1 billion.

2014: Expected Full NATO Membership

Full membership in NATO was initially expected in 2014 or 2015, depending on the progress of reforms.

2015: Forest Ownership

For the year 2015, 74% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership and 26% private ownership in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2015: Expected Full NATO Membership

Full membership in NATO was initially expected in 2014 or 2015, depending on the progress of reforms.

May 2016: Eurostat Conclusion on Census Methodology

In May 2016, the European Union's statistics office, Eurostat, concluded that the census methodology used by the Bosnian statistical agency is in line with international recommendations.

December 2016: Comparison of public debt with December 2017

In December 2017, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina reported that public debt was reduced by €389.97 million, or more than 6%, compared to December 2016.

December 2017: Public Debt Reduced in 2017

In December 2017, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina reported that public debt was reduced by €389.97 million, or more than 6%, compared to December 2016.

December 2017: Registered Companies and Revenues as of December 2017

As of 31 December 2017, there were 32,292 registered companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which together had revenues of €33.572 billion that year.

2017: Tourism Statistics for 2017

In 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 1,307,319 tourists, an increase of 13.7%, with 2,677,125 overnight hotel stays, representing a 12.3% increase from the previous year. Foreign tourists accounted for 71.5% of the total.

2017: Ranking in New Jobs Created by Foreign Investment in 2017

In 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked third in the world in terms of the number of new jobs created by foreign investment, relative to the number of inhabitants.

2017: Foreign Direct Investment in 2017

In 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina received €397.35 million in foreign direct investment, which was equal to 2.5% of the GDP.

2017: Trade and Export Figures for 2017

In 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina's exports grew by 17%, totaling €5.65 billion. The total volume of foreign trade was €14.97 billion, up 14% from the previous year. Imports increased by 12% to €9.32 billion. The coverage of imports by exports increased by 3% to 61%. Primary exports included car seats, electricity, processed wood, aluminium, and furniture, while imports consisted of crude oil, automobiles, motor oil, coal, and briquettes.

2017: Unemployment Rate in 2017

In 2017, the unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 20.5%.

2017: Comparison of export values with 2018

In 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina exported goods worth 11.9 billion KM (€6.07 billion), which was 7.43% higher than in the same period in 2017, while imports amounted to 19.27 billion KM (€9.83 billion), which was 5.47% higher.

2017: Tourism Growth in the first 7 months of 2017

In the first 7 months of 2017, 811,660 tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina.

June 2018: Public Debt as of June 2018

On 30 June 2018, the public debt of Bosnia and Herzegovina amounted to approximately €6.04 billion, with external debt comprising 70.56% and internal debt 29.4% of the total. Public debt accounted for 34.92% of the gross domestic product.

December 2018: NATO Approved Membership Action Plan

In December 2018, NATO approved a Bosnian Membership Action Plan.

2018: Tourism Statistics for 2018

In 2018, 1,883,772 tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing an increase of 44.1%, and they had 3,843,484 overnight hotel stays, a 43.5% increase from the previous year. 71.2% of the tourists came from foreign countries.

2018: Increase in exports in 2018

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

In 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.99/10, ranking it 89th globally.

2018: Direct Foreign Investment in 2018

In 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina received 783.4 million KM (€400.64 million) in direct foreign investment, equivalent to 2.3% of GDP.

2018: Computer and Internet Usage in Enterprises in 2018

In 2018, a survey by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Statistics Agency found that 99.5% of enterprises used computers in their business, while 99.3% had internet connections.

2018: Central Bank Profit in 2018

In 2018, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a profit of 8,430,875 km (€4,306,347).

2018: Increase in Average Price of New Apartments in 2018

In 2018, the average price of new apartments sold in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 1,639 km (€886.31) per square metre, a 3.5% increase from the previous year.

2018: Value of Mergers and Acquisitions in 2018

In 2018, the total value of mergers and acquisitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina amounted to €404.6 million.

2018: Projected Unemployment Rate for 2018

In 2018, the unemployment rate was projected to be 19.4%.

2018: Comparison with 2018 Ranking

In 2019, Bosnia and Herzegovina was placed 83rd on the Index of Economic Freedom, up from 91st place in 2018.

2018: Comparison of exports for the first six months of 2018

In the first six months of 2019, exports amounted to 5.829 billion KM (€2.98 billion), 0.1% less than in the same period of 2018, while imports amounted to 9.779 billion KM (€5.00 billion), 4.5% more than the previous year.

January 2019: Deposits in Bosnian Banks in January 2019

On 31 January 2019, total deposits in Bosnian banks were KM 21.9 billion (€11.20 billion), representing 61.15% of nominal GDP.

2019: Index of Economic Freedom for 2019

In 2019, Bosnia and Herzegovina was placed 83rd on the Index of Economic Freedom, with a total rating of 61.9, indicating a 'moderately free' economy.

2019: Projected Unemployment Rate for 2019

In 2019, the unemployment rate was projected to further decrease to 18.8%.

2019: Increase of tourism in the first 7 months of 2019

In the first seven months of 2019, 906,788 tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, an 11.7% jump from the previous year.

2019: Trade Comparison for First Six Months of 2019

2019: Foreign Direct Investment in First Six Months of 2019

In the first six months of 2019, foreign direct investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina amounted to 650.1 million KM (€332.34 million).

2019: Average price of new apartments sold in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second quarter of 2019

In the second quarter of 2019, the average price of new apartments sold in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 1,606 km (€821.47) per square metre.

2019: Vatican Officially Authorizes Pilgrimages to Međugorje in 2019

Since 2019, pilgrimages to Međugorje have been officially authorized and organized by the Vatican.

2019: Predicted Economic Growth for 2019

The World Bank predicted that Bosnia and Herzegovina's economy would grow 3.4% in 2019.

2020: Tourism Growth Rate between 1995 and 2020

According to projections by the World Tourism Organization, Bosnia and Herzegovina had the third-highest tourism growth rate in the world between 1995 and 2020.

2020: Forest Cover

In 2020, forest cover in Bosnia and Herzegovina was around 43% of the total land area, equivalent to 2,187,910 hectares.

2020: Projected Unemployment Rate for 2020

In 2020, the unemployment rate was projected to decrease to 18.3%.

2021: Increased Political and Ethnic Tensions

According to a report in late 2021 by Christian Schmidt of the Office of High Representative, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been experiencing intensified political and ethnic tensions, which could potentially lead to further Balkanization.

December 2022: EU Candidate Country Status

On 15 December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognised by the European Union as a candidate country for accession following the decision of the European Council.