Bosnia and Herzegovina
Freedom at a Glance
Global Freedom
52 / 100
Partly Free
Nations in Transit
36 / 100
Transitional or Hybrid Regime
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a highly decentralized parliamentary republic whose complex constitutional regime is embedded in the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the 1992–95 Bosnian War. Political affairs are characterized by severe partisan gridlock among nationalist leaders from the country’s Bosniak, Serb, and Croat communities. Political participation by citizens from other communities is extremely limited. Corruption remains a serious problem in the government and elsewhere in society.
Research & Recommendations
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Partly Free
52
100
| PR Political Rights | 17 40 |
| CL Civil Liberties | 35 60 |
Last Year's Score & Status
51
100
Partly Free
A country or territory’s Freedom in the World status depends on its aggregate Political Rights score, on a scale of 0–40, and its aggregate Civil Liberties score, on a scale of 0–60.
See the methodology.
Overview
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a highly decentralized parliamentary republic whose complex constitutional regime is embedded in the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the 1992–95 Bosnian War. Political affairs are characterized by severe partisan gridlock among nationalist leaders from the country’s Bosniak, Serb, and Croat communities. Political participation by citizens from other communities is extremely limited. Corruption remains a serious problem in the government and elsewhere in society.
Freedom in the World 2025 Policy Recommendations
Prioritize strengthening the rule of law and delivering economic dividends in the aftermath of political transitions
In countries where democratic forces have come to power after periods of antidemocratic rule, the new governments should pursue an agenda that protects and expands freedoms even as it delivers tangible economic and social benefits to citizens.
In countries emerging from war or the collapse of authoritarian regimes, focus on safety, reconciliation, reform
These countries must act swiftly to release all political prisoners, build or revitalize democratic institutions, reform police and other security forces, organize and hold competitive multiparty elections, and ensure accountability for past human rights violations.
Bolster checks and balances to mitigate the threat of democratic backsliding
In countries where there has been significant erosion of political rights and civil liberties, policymakers, legislators, jurists, civic activists, and donor communities should work to strengthen institutional guardrails and norms that serve to constrain elected leaders with antidemocratic or illiberal aims.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Transitional or Hybrid Regime
36
100
| DEMOCRACY-PERCENTAGE Democracy Percentage | 36.31 100 |
| DEMOCRACY-SCORE Democracy Score | 3.18 7 |
Last Year's Democracy Percentage & Status
37
100
Transitional or Hybrid Regime
The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 representing the highest level of democratic progress and 1 the lowest. The Democracy Score is an average of ratings for the categories tracked in a given year. The Democracy Percentage, introduced in 2020, is a translation of the Democracy Score to the 0-100 scale, where 0 equals least democratic and 100 equals most democratic.
See the methodology.
Executive Summary
The international community’s involvement in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s secured peace but never established a liberal democracy. The consociationalist model established by the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992–95 Bosnian War, which reorganized the state into two autonomous entities—the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dominated by ethnic Bosniaks and Croats, and the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska—operating under a weak central government, brought relative security to the country but left governance unstable. Ethnonationalist patronage and power networks have since cemented a communitarian model of democracy reliant on constant populist mobilization. The result is that three parallel ethnic societies exist separately within one state. Despite some gains at the local level in recent years, non-nationalist political forces are too weak to reverse the process of autocratization. Bosnia and Herzegovina also maintains democratic features, including the de jure division of competencies among the branches of government, deeply decentralized state structures, regular elections, and the existence of independent media (albeit under political influence). In sum, the resulting model is a hybrid regime with a mix of autocratic and democratic features.
Nations in Transit 2024 Policy Recommendations
Ensure that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is soundly defeated.
The future of European democracy and security is now inextricably linked to the fate of Ukraine. European Union (EU) and NATO member states must not only invest far more—and more efficiently—in their collective defense, but also provide Ukraine with the assistance it needs to roll back Russian advances and build a durable democracy of its own.
Support democratic renewal and reform.
In addition to defending the international order from emboldened autocrats, democratic governments must attend to democratic renewal within Europe, particularly among nascent democracies.
Provide consistent messaging and support to Europe’s aspiring democracies.
Military aggression from autocracies in the region has underscored the dangers of exclusion from democracy-based organizations like the EU and NATO, galvanizing the political will of policymakers in aspiring member states and generating further public pressure to undertake long-sought democratic reforms.
News and Updates
Featured
Freedom House Perspectives
News Releases & Media Coverage
Policy & Advocacy
Country Facts
Basic Facts
Freedom in the World Score
52
/ 100
Partly Free
Nations in Transit Score
36
/ 100
Transitional or Hybrid Regime
Population: 3,234,000
Internet Facts
Status
Not Tracked
Election Facts
Status
Not Tracked
Transnational Repression
Status
Not Tracked
