Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina produced industrial minerals and metals
Pictured: gypsum
Statistics and information on the mining industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Overview
In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina was not a globally significant producer of mineral commodities. The mining and quarrying sector contributed 1.2% (\$351 million) in gross value to the country’s gross domestic product (\$29.6 billion). Mineral commodities produced in the country included alumina, aluminum, bauxite, bentonite, cement, ferroalloys, gypsum, iron ore, pig iron, kaolin, lead, lime, salt, sand and gravel, silicon, silver, soda ash, raw steel, stone, and zinc.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is composed of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska. These entities separately govern the mining industry in their respective regions through their own agencies and policies. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in FBiH is provided by the Law on Concessions No. 40/02, as amended by Law No. 61/06; the Law on Geological Exploration No. 9/10; and the Law on Mining No. 26/10. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Republika Srpska is provided by the Law on Mining of Republika Srpska No. 59/12; the Law on Concessions No. 59/13, amended by Law Nos. 16/18, 70/20, and 111/21; and the Law on Geological Research No. 110/13. In the FBiH, the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry implements mining policy. It oversees the Department of Mining, which, among its other responsibilities, drafts mining and geology laws, reviews mining projects for approval, manages databases on mineral raw material reserves, and maintains a cadaster of exploration areas and exploitation fields. In Republika Srpska, the equivalent body is the Department of Mining and Geology, which operates under the Ministry of Energy and Mining. Most mineral commodities were produced by privately owned foreign companies.
2024 Report
Full data release with tables here.
In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina was not a globally significant producer of mineral commodities. The mining and quarrying sector contributed 1.2% (\$351 million) in gross value to the country’s gross domestic product (\$29.6 billion). Mineral commodities produced in the country included alumina, aluminum, bauxite, bentonite, cement, ferroalloys, gypsum, iron ore, pig iron, kaolin, lead, lime, salt, sand and gravel, silicon, silver, soda ash, raw steel, stone, and zinc.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is composed of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska. These entities separately govern the mining industry in their respective regions through their own agencies and policies. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in FBiH is provided by the Law on Concessions No. 40/02, as amended by Law No. 61/06; the Law on Geological Exploration No. 9/10; and the Law on Mining No. 26/10. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Republika Srpska is provided by the Law on Mining of Republika Srpska No. 59/12; the Law on Concessions No. 59/13, amended by Law Nos. 16/18, 70/20, and 111/21; and the Law on Geological Research No. 110/13. In the FBiH, the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry implements mining policy. It oversees the Department of Mining, which, among its other responsibilities, drafts mining and geology laws, reviews mining projects for approval, manages databases on mineral raw material reserves, and maintains a cadaster of exploration areas and exploitation fields. In Republika Srpska, the equivalent body is the Department of Mining and Geology, which operates under the Ministry of Energy and Mining. Most mineral commodities were produced by privately owned foreign companies (Government of Republika Srpska, 2019a, b; Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025, p. 3; Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, 2025; Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025a, b; National Assembly of Republika Srpska, 2025).
Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports — International — Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ…;
Production Table
(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)
| Commodity | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alumina | 122,241 | 172,974 | 180,278 | 137,968 | 140,915 |
| Bauxite | 619,748 | 675,269 | 669,926 | 548,160 | 550,000e |
| Bentonite | 69,183 | 75,761 | 28,173 | 37,878 | 38,782 |
| Cement, hydraulic | 1,126,490 | 1,096,526 | 1,191,866 | 1,336,057 | 1,485,309 |
| Ferroalloys, ferrosilicon | 1,000e1 | 4,000e1 | 4,000e1 | 400e1 | 300e1 |
| Gypsum, crude, including anhydrite | 140,944 | 297,225 | 135,408 | 104,125 | 105,966 |
| Iron ore, mine | 1,427,410 | 1,553,961 | 1,286,283 | 1,238,609 | 1,020,137 |
| Iron ore, mine, Fe content | 885,000e | 963,000e | 806,000e | 744,000e | 740,000e |
| Kaolin | 108,174 | 62,599 | 24,529 | 21,541 | 20,000e |
| Lead, mine, concentrates | 12,800e | 21,333 | 14,400e | 25,285 | 26,835 |
| Lead, mine, concentrates, Pb content | 7,100 | 8,547 | 9,060 | 9,303 | 11,000e |
| Lime | 501,047 | 573,562 | 914,332 | 569,369 | 390,011 |
| Pig iron | 739,058 | 1,066,238 | 756,736 | 569,589 | 514,846 |
| Raw steel | 759,279 | 774,831 | 653,246 | 582,053 | 600,000 |
| Salt, all sources | 1,075,684 | 1,105,502 | 1,191,155 | 1,252,778 | 1,140,819 |
| Sand and gravel, construction, gravel | 1,413,247 | 2,171,786 | 2,104,691 | 2,052,100 | 2,000,000e |
| Sand and gravel, construction, sand | 994,529 | 820,031 | 993,224 | 285,809 | 1,543,429 |
| Sand and gravel, industrial, unspecified | 119,198 | 123,618 | 149,763 | 106,114 | 100,000e |
| Silicon, metal | 14,641 | 35,919 | 24,859 | 6,404 | 6,000e |
| Silver, mine, Ag content (kilograms) | NA | NA | NA | NA | 14,9682 |
| Soda ash, synthetic, sodium bicarbonate | 105,240 | 111,931 | 110,930 | 106,885 | 110,000e |
| Stone, crushed, aggregate | 5,490,264 | 5,437,819 | 5,440,588 | 2,719,893 | 3,000,000e |
| Stone, crushed, limestone | 2,895,174 | 2,598,761 | 2,624,126 | 2,854,190 | 1,922,085 |
| Stone, dimension, dolomite, crude | 25,550 | 12,177 | 59,308 | 33,451 | 12,514 |
| Stone, dimension, ecaussine, including other calcareous stone | 272,759 | 248,545 | 285,033 | 268,248 | 270,000e |
| Stone, dimension, granite | 4,544 | 4,832 | 0e | 0 | 0e |
| Stone, dimension, marble, including travertine | 1,817 | 891 | 1,017 | 1,762 | 1,500e |
| Stone, dimension, slate | 8,272 | 1,954 | 18,767 | 3,362 | 3,000e |
| Stone, size and shape unspecified, chalk | 18,678 | 2,790 | 2,140 | 11,835 | 10,000e |
| Zinc, mine, concentrates | 21,200e | 12,400e | 15,000e | 15,000e | 19,000e |
| Zinc, mine, concentrates, Zn content | 12,000e | 8,000e | 7,000e | 7,000e | 11,000e |
References Cited
- Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025, First release—Economic statistics—Gross domestic product of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024—Production approach, first results: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 28, 5 p. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Saopstenja/2025/NAC_02_2024_Y1_0_B….)
- Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, 2025, Sektor rudarstva [Department of Mining]: Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://fmeri.gov.ba/ministarstvo/sektor-rudarstva/.) [In Bosnian.]
- Government of Republika Srpska, 2019a, Ministry [sic] Energy and Mining—About us: Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government of Republika Srpska. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://vladars.rs/eng/vlada/ministries/MIEM/aboutministry/Pages/defaul….)
- Government of Republika Srpska, 2019b, Ministarstvo energetike i rudarstva—Resor za rudarstvo I geoliyu [Ministry of Energy and Mining—Department of Mining and Geology]: Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government of Republika Srpska. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://vladars.rs/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mper/OM/Resori/rudarst….) [In Serbian.]
- Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025a, Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://fbihvlada.gov.ba/en/ministarstvo-energije-rudarstva-i-industrije.)
- Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025b, Zakoni [Laws]: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (August 14, 2025, at https://fbihvlada.gov.ba/en/zakoni?page=1.) [In Bosnian.]
- National Assembly of Republika Srpska, 2025, Usvoyeni zakoni [Laws adopted]: Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, National Assembly of Republika of Srpska. (Accessed August 14, 2025, at https://www.narodnaskupstinars.net/?q=ci/%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8/%D1%8….) [In Serbian.]
Publications
Reports: 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 | 2024
Tables: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 | 2020-21 Tables-only release | 2022 Tables-only release | 2024