Demographics
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. According to the 1991 census, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a population of 4,377,000, while the 1996 UNHCR unofficial census showed a decrease to 3,920,000. Large population migrations during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s have caused demographic shifts in the country. Between 1991 and 2013, political disagreements made it impossible to organize a census. A census has been planned for 2012.,but that date has been delayed until 2013; this was delayed until October 2013. The 2013 census found a total population of 3,791,622 people in 1.16 million households; this is 585,411 fewer people than the 1991 census.
Ethnically, according to data from 2000 cited by the Central Intelligence Agency, Bosniaks constitute 48% of the population, Serbs 37.1%, Croats 14.3%, and others form 0.6%. According to unofficial estimates from the Bosnian State Statistics Agency cited by the US Department of State in 2008, 45 percent of the population identify religiously as Muslim, 36 percent as Serb Orthodox, 15 percent as Roman Catholic, 1 percent as Protestant, and 3 percent other (mostly atheists, Jews, and others). Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian are official languages, but all three are mutually intelligible.
Capital Sarajevo is home to 438,443 inhabitants in its urban area. The Sarajevo metropolitan area is home to 608,354 people. Due to its population and its importance in South East Europe, Sarajevo is a metropolis and the wealthiest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
