Largest Cities and Settlements by Population in Bosnia and Herzegovina

These figures are from the 2013 census, 13 years old.

37 cities and settlements in Bosnia and Herzegovina with 10,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population at the census of October 1, 2013 (by Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics).

RankCity or SettlementNative NamePopulation
1SarajevoСарајево348,363
2Banja LukaБања Лука135,059
3Tuzla-74,457
4Zenica-70,553
5Mostar-60,195
6BijeljinaБијељина41,121
7Brčko-39,893
8Bihać-39,690
9PrijedorПриједор27,970
10DobojДобој24,349
11TrebinjeТребиње22,987
12Sanski Most-16,913
13Živinice Grad-16,157
14Bugojno-15,555
15Travnik-15,344
16Cazin-13,863
17Gradiška (Bosanska Gradiška)Градишка13,691
18Gračanica-12,882
19Gradačac-12,764
20PaleПале12,569
21Lukavac-12,061
22Goražde-11,806
23Kakanj-11,796
24Visoko-11,205
25ZvornikЗворник11,082
26DerventaДервента11,076
27Foča (Srbinje)Фоча10,831
28Konjic-10,732
29Vogošća-10,568
30JanjaЈања10,542
31Bosanska Krupa-10,196
32Kozarska Dubica (Bosanska Dubica)Козарска Дубица10,005
33ModričaМодрича9,419
34Novi Grad (Bosanski Novi)Нови Град9,415
35Livno-7,927
36Ljubuški-4,023
37Orašje-3,614

Source: Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics (2013 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

4 urban areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

RankUrban AreaPopulation Estimate (2026)Yearly ChangeLand Area (km²)Density (P/km²)World RankProjections (2030)Projections (2050)
1Sarajevo253,339−0.20%723,5192,330251,266226,959
2Banja Luka98,897−0.21%293,4106,32098,07890,584
3Zenica66,206−0.19%164,1389,48365,71361,651
4Tuzla55,905−0.20%163,49411,15755,460–

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

See also