In this series of articles we overview languages present in any given country. This time we are looking at the languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The biggest languages present in Bosnia and Herzegovina include:

  • Bosnian – 2.49 million speakers
  • Croatian – 492 thousand speakers
  • Serbian – 1.02 million speakers

There is no official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although some languages may have a functionally similar status, or be official in some of the administrative divisions of the country.

Below you will find summaries for the languages supported by our translation services.

Bosnian

Bosnian is a Slavic language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. It has no country-wide official status in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnian language summary
Number of speakers worldwide3 million
Language familyIndo-European
Writing
  • Gaj’s alphabet (based on the Latin script)
  • Serbian alphabet (based on the Cyrillic script)
Major Bosnian-speaking populations in:6 countries

Demographics and geographic distribution

Approximately 3 million people in more than 6 countries speak Bosnian as either the first or a second language. Countries with a significant number of people speaking the language include:

  • Croatia
  • North Macedonia
  • Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Serbia
  • Montenegro

In Bosnia and Herzegovina approximately 15% or 492 thousand people use Bosnian in their day-to-day communication.

Writing

Bosnian uses multiple writing systems, namely the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. For the translator to choose the correct script, it is important to indicate the target audience or the context in which it is going to be used, when ordering a translation.

Translation services

If you intend to expand to the Bosnian market via the Bosnian language, you might be interested in the following services:

Croatian

Croatian is a Slavic language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. It has no country-wide official status in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatian language summary
Number of speakers worldwide6 million
Language familyIndo-European
WritingGaj’s alphabet
Major Croatian-speaking populations in:5 countries

Demographics and geographic distribution

There are major Croatian-speaking populations in 5 countries. Examples of countries, where Croatian has a major presence, include:

  • Romania
  • Croatia
  • Serbia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

Around 15% of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina speak Croatian.

Writing

The Gaj’s alphabet is used for writing the Croatian language. Being a subset of the Gaj’s script, it uses some non-standard characters like č, ć, đ, š, overall 5 symbols.

Translation services

If you intend to expand to the Bosnian market via the Croatian language, you might be interested in the following services:

Serbian

Serbian is a Slavic language, closely related to Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, and other languages of the same branch of the language family. It has no country-wide official status in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Serbian language summary
Number of speakers worldwide9.50 million
Language familyIndo-European
Writing
  • Gaj’s alphabet (based on the Latin script)
  • Serbian alphabet (based on the Cyrillic script)
Major Serbian-speaking populations in:5 countries

Demographics and geographic distribution

Approximately 9.50 million people in more than 5 countries speak Serbian as either the first or a second language. Countries with a significant number of people speaking the language include:

  • Montenegro
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Serbia

In Bosnia and Herzegovina approximately 15% or 492 thousand people use Serbian in their day-to-day communication.

Writing

Serbian uses multiple writing systems, namely the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. For the translator to choose the correct script, it is important to indicate the target audience or the context in which it is going to be used, when ordering a translation.

Translation services

If you intend to expand to the Bosnian market via the Serbian language, you might be interested in the following services:

Related services

We hope you have found the answers to the question about what languages are spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina“. If you wish to know more about these languages or would like to inquire about our translation services, please contact us at [email protected].

  • Western Union
  • UniCredit
  • Orafol
  • APP
  • Accerol Mittal

Succesful Cooperations

Computer Science & Tech

Computer-Assisted Translation of XML Files

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Marketing & Sale

Localization of POS Material in Indesign

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Technology

Software Localization for an Online-Shop

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Engineering

Translation and Desktop Publishing of Technical Drawings

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