The economy of Sarajevo is based largely on industries such as manufacturing and tourism. Sarajevo is economically one of the strongest regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the center of various levels of area politics, many Sarajevo citizens also work in government. A number of local and international companies are present in the city and contribute to its economic health.
Sarajevo is the most populous region, urban zone and the only metropolitan area in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The area generates approximately 45% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's GDP. [1]
Sarajevo's economy reached its peak in the 1980s, thanks in large part to the culmination of several decades of industrial development and a tourist boom following the 1984 Winter Olympics, as well as increased international investment. During the Siege of Sarajevo, the Bosnian Serb forces often targeted structures key to the city’s economic health, including the headquarters of companies and many services and public utilities. Since then, the Sarajevo economy has made tremendous progress, significantly better than its post-war state in 1996.
Sarajevo's manufacturing deals with a wide array of products. This includes production of Foods and Beverages, textiles, furniture, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and metalworking. Sarajevo companies also produce unique brands of alcohol and cigarettes.
According to Sarajevo Canton statistics, the greater Sarajevo area in 2002 had a workforce of 278,341. 86,012 (30.6%) of these were, on average, actually employed. Of those 86,012, some 37,253, or 43,3%, were women. The largest number of people were employed in industry (19.4%), trade (12.9%), transport (9.9%) and education (8.7%). The largest concentration of jobs is in Centar municipality (34.5%) and Novo Sarajevo (20.8%).
In 2002, the total export for the greater Sarajevo region was worth about 259.569.000 KM. This was an increase of 21.9% from the previous year. Most of Sarajevo's exports (28.2%) head to Germany, with the United Kingdom following behind at 16.8% and Serbia thirds with 12.8%. The largest amount of imported goods come from Germany, at 15.8%. With a worth of total import at about 1.322.585.000 KM, the total import is almost 5.1 times the total export.
A variety of important economic institutions are to be found in Sarajevo. The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina is found in the city, as are numerous other independent banks. Overall, 19 different banks have their headquarters in Sarajevo. The city also holds the Sarajevo Exchange of securities, Institute for accounting and auditing of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Board for valuable papers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Register of valuable papers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Foreign companies with a foothold in the Sarajevo region include Brown & Root, Burger King, Coca-Cola, KFC, Porsche, Philip Morris International, Zara and so on. The Bosnian-Malaysian firm Bosmal is also situated in the city. Their main exports are clothing and electrical goods.
Major companies based in Sarajevo include:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe, situated on the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a 20 kilometres long coast on the Adriatic Sea, with the town of Neum being its only access to the sea. Bosnia has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, the smaller, southern region, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city.
The economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a transitional, upper middle income economy. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from socialist Yugoslavia on 1 March 1992. The main trading partners are Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey and other neighboring Balkan countries.
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities is home to 555,210 inhabitants. Located within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans, a region of Southeastern Europe.
As the economy of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia collapsed and entered a prolonged decline in 1989, the country broke up into five new sovereign states by 1992, independence of which was fought over in a series of Yugoslav Wars. The rump state that continued to designate itself as 'Yugoslavia' was established as a confederation of two of these successor states, Serbia and Montenegro.
The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canton 10, is one of the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a political entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest canton by area and eighth by population. The local government seat is in Livno, while the assembly is in Tomislavgrad. It is divided into five municipalities: Bosansko Grahovo, Drvar, Glamoč, Kupres, Tomislavgrad and one city, Livno.
Novo Sarajevo is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton of Sarajevo, is one of the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its cantonal seat is the city of Sarajevo, also the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pale is a municipality of the city of Istočno Sarajevo, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated southeast of the capital city of Sarajevo. As of 2013, it had a population of 22,282 inhabitants, while the town of Pale has a population of 13,883 inhabitants.
The architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina is largely influenced by four major periods, when political and social changes determined the creation of distinct cultural and architectural habits of the region.
The Bosmal City Center (BCC) is a business and residential tower located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing 118 m (387 ft) high, it is the second tallest residential building in the Balkans. In addition to apartment units, the complex houses several amenities, including restaurants, salons, and shops.
BH Telecom is a Bosnian telecommunications company, headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The economy of Montenegro is currently in a process of transition, as it navigates the impacts of the Yugoslav Wars, the decline of industry following the dissolution of the Yugoslavia, and economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Montenegro joined the World Trade Organization on 29 April 2012. Montenegro joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 5 June 2017.
Kosovo is a developing country with an economy that functions on the principles of the free market, with a large private sector. Kosovo is an upper-middle income economy according to the World Bank, and is a member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Its official currency is the euro.
Aluminij was a Bosnian aluminium manufacturing company with headquarters in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It operated from 1975 until 2020, when it was leased to the Israeli M.T. Abraham Group and since then has been operating as its subsidiary Aluminij Industries.
Telecommunications in Bosnia and Herzegovina include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
The foreign relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Croatia are bound together by shared history, language, neighboring geography and cultural commonalties. They established diplomatic relations in 1992, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and independence of Croatia. The two countries share a 932-kilometer (579 mi) border – the second longest external land border in the European Union (EU). Modern relations between the two states are functional but remain tense after ineffective 21st-century attempts at détente.
Nova BH is a Bosnian commercial television channel launched on 9 October 2018. From 2003 to 2018, this national commercial station formerly was known as Pink BH. Since October 2018, Nova BH is a member of the United Media portfolio, the leading media platform in South East Europe. Headquarters is located in Sarajevo and Nova BH also has offices and studios in Banja Luka.
Federal News Agency or FENA is the government-owned national news agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.