Bosnia and Herzegovina

**No major new government, ILO, or World Bank releases on youth (15-24) or male-specific unemployment in BIH were identified in the last ~60 days (post ~June 26, 2026).**[[1]](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS?locations=BA)

The most recent modeled ILO/World Bank estimates (accessed January 2026) show total youth unemployment (15-24) at 28.201% for 2025 (FRED/World Bank data, updated February 2026), up slightly from 27.334% in 2024.[[2]](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SLUEM1524ZSBIH) This aligns closely with the baseline male figure of 26.5% (2025) without indicating a significant shift. Earlier data points include 27.3% youth unemployment in 2023 (BTI 2026 report) and 30.2% in Q1 2025 (national policies source).[[3]](https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/BIH)[[4]](https://national-policies.eacea.ec.europa.eu/youthwiki/chapters/bosnia-and-herzegovina/31-general-context) No male-specific updates or 2026 quarterly/national estimates surfaced.

**No significant political, security, or economic events specifically affecting young men (18-35) — such as protests, coup attempts, militia recruitment, or acute shocks — were identified in the last 60 days.**[[3]](https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/BIH)

Persistent structural issues continue, including Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik’s ongoing secessionist rhetoric, challenges to state institutions, his 2024+ trial for noncompliance with High Representative decisions, and U.S. sanctions on him and associates for corruption/patronage (detailed in the BTI 2026 Bosnia report, covering developments into 2026). EU accession talks opened in 2024 amid slow reform progress. A Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) update (August 13, 2026) highlights ongoing youth barriers like insecure/low-wage work, expensive housing, and emigration pressures, alongside positive institutional steps such as increased Federation funding for youth organizations (nearly doubled to BAM 1 million in the 2026 budget) and a new inter-ministerial Council for Youth (with ≥50% youth membership) to coordinate policy.[[5]](https://www.wfd.org/story/turning-youth-priorities-political-action-bosnia-and-herzegovina)

Broader Gen Z protest trends (e.g., in Serbia or elsewhere) were noted globally but not linked to new BIH-specific youth mobilization in the period. Older references (e.g., March 2026 Sarajevo events or 2018 protests) do not indicate recent escalation.[[6]](https://china-cee.eu/2026/03/13/bosnia-and-herzegovina-monthly-briefing-tragedy-in-the-center-of-sarajevo-responsibility-protests-and-politics/)

**Notable NGO/academic reports on BIH youth from 2025 (none newly published or highlighted in the last 60 days):** UNICEF “Voices of Youth 2024” (May 2025 survey of 2,163 young people on education, employment, mental health, etc.); UNDP/UNFPA meta-analysis of 2021–2024 studies (August 2025) on aspirations, frustrations, and futures; and related WFD work on youth priorities.[[7]](https://www.unicef.org/bih/en/reports/voices-youth-2024-insights-bosnia-and-herzegovina)[[8]](https://bosniaherzegovina.un.org/en/299689-youth-bosnia-and-herzegovina-aspirations-frustrations-and-futures)

**Internet/mobile infrastructure:** A notable recent development is a significant connectivity drop/outage in BIH detected starting August 21, 2026 (ongoing as of late August per IODA monitoring), with another reported around August 5. These appear tied to infrastructure/power issues rather than deliberate government shutdowns (no shutdowns flagged in broader Q2 2026 reports).[[9]](https://voidly.ai/incident/BA-2026-0062)[[9]](https://voidly.ai/incident/BA-2026-0062) Mobile 4G coverage remains high (~97%), with 5G at ~22% (Internet Society data). No widespread or intentional disruptions reported.

**Overall assessment:** No developments in the last 60 days appear to significantly shift the baseline youth instability picture (stable unemployment estimates around the 26.5–28% range; ongoing but non-acute political tensions; incremental positive youth policy steps amid persistent challenges). The recent internet outage warrants monitoring if prolonged, as it could temporarily affect youth information flows or coordination. Sources include World Bank/FRED data portals, BTI 2026 report (bti-project.org), WFD (wfd.org), and IODA outage tracking.

**BHAS (Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – main national stats office**  
- URL: https://bhas.gov.ba/ (with entity breakdowns via fzs.ba and similar)  
- API: No (website releases and downloads only)  
- Update frequency: Monthly (registered unemployment/wages); quarterly/annual (Labour Force Survey/LFS on employment/unemployment rates, youth-relevant breakdowns)  
- Auth: None (free public downloads in Excel/PDF; machine-readable Excel available)[[1]](https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Dokumenti/Izvjesca/BHAS_Izvjestaj-o-radu_2025_EN.pdf)[[2]](https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Saopstenja/2026/LAB_03_2026_01_1_HR.pdf)

**CBBH (Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – economic/financial indicators**  
- URL: https://www.cbbh.ba/ (statistical tables/reports; SDDS/NSDP portal at cbbh.ba/Content/Read/1133; older portal statistics.cbbh.ba)  
- API: No dedicated public REST API (table downloads and reports)  
- Update frequency: Monthly/quarterly (monetary aggregates, wages/earnings, employment-related in bulletins/reports); annual comprehensive tables  
- Auth: None (free XLS/PDF downloads)[[3]](https://www.cbbh.ba/Home/GetTableAttachment?contentId=9f738fd5-ed4c-4437-abf8-3f420d280f49&lang=en)[[4]](https://cbbh.ba/Content/Read/1133)

**Eurostat – regional ECA/EU-candidate data (includes BiH breakdowns)**  
- URL: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ (databrowser; e.g., une_rt_m, yth_empl_*, lfsi_neet_*, tespm080)  
- API: Yes (public dissemination API supporting JSON/SDMX; filters for geo=BA/Bosnia and Herzegovina)  
- Update frequency: Varies (monthly/quarterly for unemployment; annual for youth employment/NEET/LFS-derived indicators)  
- Auth: None (free/open)[[5]](https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/wuyekuejftmgolvxob44q?locale=en)[[6]](https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/r93au4ipyptayethor90xq?locale=en)

**SEE Jobs Gateway Database (World Bank + wiiw) – Western Balkans labor focus (includes BiH)**  
- URL: https://wiiw.ac.at/see-jobs-gateway-database-ds-5.html  
- API: No (dashboard/database with downloads)  
- Update frequency: Quarterly and annual (harmonized LFS-based labor market indicators, youth unemployment, employment by age/education)  
- Auth: None or free registration (public access to data)[[7]](https://wiiw.ac.at/see-jobs-gateway-database-ds-5.html)

**FZS (Federalni zavod za statistiku – Federation entity stats office)**  
- URL: https://fzs.ba/ (labor market section)  
- API: No (category releases with downloads)  
- Update frequency: Monthly (employment, wages by activity; Excel/PDF)  
- Auth: None (free machine-readable Excel)[[8]](https://fzs.ba/index.php/category/mjesecni)[[9]](https://fzs.ba/index.php/category/statisticki-standardi/trziste-rada/)

These complement the listed global sources (World Bank, ACLED, etc.) with BiH-specific or ECA-granular labor/youth/economic data. BHAS and CBBH provide primary national figures (often aligned with Eurostat standards); Eurostat offers the strongest API option for programmatic access. No prominent public APIs were identified for local news RSS or specific NGO/think-tank crisis/poverty trackers focused on BiH.