If you lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of Italy, you would:

Health

live 5.9 years less

In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 49.9% more likely to be obese

In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 21.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 60.2% less spent on your healthcare

Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bosnia and Herzegovina spends $1,989 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 38.3% fewer doctors per person

Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina has 25.8 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

have 21.4% less access to essential health services

Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 28.3% more likely to die by suicide

Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is 9.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 72.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 11.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 76.0% less money

Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the GDP per capita is $10,382 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 22.5% more children

In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Italy, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 20.1% less on education

Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 99.7% less coastline

Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 20 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered

Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, they kill 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 93.0% less strain on fresh water

Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina withdraws 2% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 28.4% less electricity

Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina uses 3,677 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 3.7 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 27.0% more CO2

Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina emits 6.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Bosnia and Herzegovina: At a glance

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 51,187 sq km. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared sovereignty in October 1991 and independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that ended three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government composed of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Bosnian Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments are responsible for overseeing most government functions. Additionally, the Dayton Accords established the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC) at its conference in Bonn in 1997 also gave the High Representative the authority to impose legislation and remove officials, the so-called "Bonn Powers." An original NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops assembled in 1995 was succeeded over time by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR). In 2004, European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR. Currently EUFOR deploys around 600 troops in theater in a policing capacity.
Read more

How big is Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bosnia and Herzegovina or Italy. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.