Bosnia and Herzegovina country brief

Key engagement

Engagement in international organisations, direct aid projects, long-standing people-to-people links.

Bilateral relations

Australia recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 1992, shortly after its declaration of independence from Yugoslavia and before its violent internal conflict that ended with the Dayton Accords in 1995. The Australian Embassy in Vienna, Austria, is accredited to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina has diplomatic representation in Australia.

Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina engage in international organisations on matters of mutual interest. We both participated in the former Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and in the Global Coalition against Daesh.

We enjoy long-standing people-to-people links. Though direct aid projects, Australia provides development support in education, gender, disability, and human rights to communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Economic and trade information can be found in the Bosnia and Herzegovina factsheet.

Foreign policy

Key foreign policy priorities for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO. In December 2022, EU leaders recommended granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, subject to it taking steps to strengthen the rule of law, tackle corruption and organised crime, and better management of migration flows.

Further information is available at: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fast Facts

Bosnia and Herzegovina visitors to Australia (year ended Sep 2022) – 250
Australian visitors to Bosnia and Herzegovina (year ended Sep 2022) – 5,050
Resident Australian population born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2021 census) – 26,171
International student numbers (2021) – 38