Bosnia and Herzegovina

Region:
 

Classification of economies by geographic region is based on that of the United Nations Statistics Division.

 

Based on the income levels set out by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its Global Competitiveness Report. However, the groupings are slightly different due to the numbers of economies covered. For GEM, the low income group contains both those classified as low income and lower middle by WEF, and the middle income group has those that WEF groups as upper middle. High income is the same for both GEM and WEF.

Population:
 

Population data is from the World Bank, except Palestinian Territories World Population Review and Taiwan Worldometers

GDP Growth:
 

GDP growth data is from the World Economic Outlook Database, except Palestinian Territories Worldometers

GDP Per Capita:
 

GDP per capita data is from the World Economic Outlook Database, except Palestinian Territories Worldometers

Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Attitudes

Most recent data: 2024
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  • Global Average
  • Regional Average
  • Income Level Average

Self-Perceptions

  • 1
     
    Perceived Opportunities Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population (individuals involved in any stage of entrepreneurial activity excluded) who see good opportunities to start a firm in the area where they live
  • 2
     
    Perceived Capabilities Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population (individuals involved in any stage of entrepreneurial activity excluded) who believe they have the required skills and knowledge to start a business
  • 3
     
    Fear of Failure Rate*:Percentage of the 18–64 population who agree that they see good opportunities but would not start a business for fear it might fail. NOTE: this is a percentage of those seeing good opportunities, and not the total adult population
  • 4
     
    Entrepreneurial Intentions Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population (individuals involved in any stage of entrepreneurial activity excluded) who are latent entrepreneurs and who intend to start a business within three years
  • 1. Perceived Opportunities Rate
  • 2. Perceived Capabilities Rate
  • 3. Fear of Failure Rate*
  • 4. Entrepreneurial Intentations Rate:

Activity

  • 1
     
    Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA):Percentage of 18-64 population who are either a nascent entrepreneur or owner-manager of a new business
  • 2
     
    Established Business Ownership Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population who are currently an owner-manager of an established business, i.e., owning and managing a running business that has paid salaries, wages, or any other payments to the owners for more than 42 months
  • 3
     
    Entrepreneurial Employee Activity Rate:Rate of involvement of employees in entrepreneurial activities, such as developing or launching new goods or services, or setting up a new business unit, a new establishment or subsidiary
  • 1. Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA)
  • 2. Established Business Ownership Rate
  • 3. Entrepreneurial Employee Activity Rate

Motivations

  • 1
     
    Motivational Index:Percentage of those involved in TEA that are improvement-driven opportunity motivated, divided by the percentage of TEA that is necessity-motivated
  • 1. Motivational Index

Gender Equity

  • 1
     
    Female/Male TEA Ratio:Percentage of female 18-64 population who are either a nascent entrepreneur or owner-manager of a 'new business', divided by the equivalent percentage for their male counterparts
  • 2
     
    Female/Male Opportunity-Driven TEA Ratio:Percentage of those females involved in TEA who (i) claim to be driven by opportunity as opposed to finding no other option for work; and (ii) who indicate the main driver for being involved in this opportunity is being independent or increasing their income, rather than just maintaining their income, divided by the equivalent percentage for their male counterparts
  • 1. Female/Male TEA Ratio
  • 2. Female/Male Opportunity-Driven TEA Ratio

Impact

  • 1
     
    High Job Creation Expectation Rate:Percentage of those involved in TEA who expect to create 6 or more jobs in 5 years
  • 2
     
    Innovation Rate:Percentage of those involved in TEA who indicate that their product or service is new to at least some customers AND that few/no businesses offer the same product
  • 3
     
    Business Services Sector Rate:Percentage of those involved in TEA in the 'Business Services' sector - Information and Communication, Financial Intermediation and Real Estate, Professional Services or Administrative Services, as defined by the ISIC 4.0 Business Type Codebook
  • 1. High Job Creation Expectation Rate
  • 2. Innovation Rate
  • 3. Business Services Sector Rate

Societal Values

  • 1
     
    High Status to Successful Entrepreneurs Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population who agree with the statement that in their country, successful entrepreneurs receive high status
  • 2
     
    Entrepreneurship as a Good Career Choice Rate:Percentage of 18-64 population who agree with the statement that in their country, most people consider starting a business as a desirable career choice
  • 1. High Status to Successful Entrepreneurs Rate
  • 2. Entrepreneurship as a Good Career Choice Rate

Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions

Most recent data: 2024

Expert Ratings: 1 = highly insufficient, 5 = highly sufficient

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  • Regional Average
  • Income Level Average
  • Global Average
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  • Regional Average
  • Income Level Average
  • Global Average

Bosnia and Herzegovina Reports

Name
Report information
pdf
  • Year of publication: 2025
  • Category: National Reports
  • Language: Bosnian
  • Upload date: 2025-12-09

  • In a nutshell, this report, which was prepared for the year 2024/2025, reveals that Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) possesses exceptional entrepreneurial potential but simultaneously faces serious limitations that prevent its full realization. Research findings indicate that B&H is one of the most dominant countries in Europe when it comes to demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit – as many as 81.3% of citizens know someone who has launched a business in the past two years, while 22.7% of adults are recognized as early-stage entrepreneurs. Hence, Bosnia and Herzegovina can be considered a European champion of early entrepreneurship and, furthermore, ranks among the leading countries worldwide. However, the transition process from early to established entrepreneurs is extremely weak. It is merely one in four early businesses that manage to survive longer than 3.5 years, whereas the European average is almost three times higher. This considerable gap undoubtedly points to serious challenges in sustainability and the development of entrepreneurial initiatives. Bosnian-Herzegovinian early entrepreneurs are world leaders in exports – more than 3% of them earn over half of their revenue in international markets, while the European average is only 1.3%. However, this strength does not seep into established entrepreneurship, where Bosnia and Herzegovina records below-average results, especially in technology-intensive sectors and in creating products that are new to the world. It has been determined that the main reasons for business closures in B&H are unprofitability, lack of support, and lack of sustainable business opportunities. According to the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (GEM NECI), B&H has the least favorable conditions for entrepreneurial development among all the countries analyzed in the world, i.e. 56 countries. To be more precise, the worst-rated segments are entrepreneurial education, the availability of quality support programs, and policies related to start-up businesses. Nevertheless, the GEM report shows that there are areas in which B&H can build a significant advantage, such as open markets, a strong entrepreneurial spirit among citizens, and the rich experiences of early entrepreneurs. However, for the observed potential to be transformed into actual results, it is essential to adopt a reform-oriented approach to entrepreneurial development. In this context, the GEM recommendations highlight the need to introduce ‘productivism’ as the foundation of future economic growth, which would feature digitalization and decarbonization as strategic pillars, along with the active involvement of local communities and the business sector.
  • URL: https://www2.gemconsortium.org/report/51831
 GEM REPORT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2024/2025. From Potential to Results: Recommendations for an Entrepreneurial Turnaround
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