From July 2025 to June 2026, just over half of the electricity consumed in Bosnia & Herzegovina came from fossil fuels: coal accounted for about 53%. Low-carbon sources supplied the remaining 47%, led by hydropower at almost 38%, followed by wind at 5% and solar at about 4%. Clean electricity therefore already makes a substantial contribution, but coal remains the largest source, highlighting the opportunity to expand low-carbon generation and reduce the climate change and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Bosnia & Herzegovina?

The latest figures do not show electricity consumption reaching new heights: in 2026, consumption stood at about 4,450 kWh per person, compared with the historic record of about 5,660 kWh in 2018. That is a decline of roughly 1,200 kWh per person, or 21%, from the record. Low-carbon electricity generation was also below its peak, at about 2,080 kWh per person versus about 2,190 kWh in 2023—a shortfall of around 110 kWh, or 5%. These comparisons do not establish the latest year-on-year trend, but the gap from previous records is concerning: growing clean electricity supply is important for electrification and future demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Bosnia & Herzegovina can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar and wind alongside its existing hydropower, while considering nuclear generation and regional nuclear partnerships. Nearby examples offer useful lessons: solar supplies about 20% of electricity in North Macedonia, 19% in Bulgaria and 22% in Hungary, while wind contributes about 16% in Croatia and 21% in Greece. These places demonstrate the scope for much larger solar and wind contributions than Bosnia & Herzegovina currently achieves. Nuclear also deserves serious consideration: it generates about 40% of electricity in neighbouring Slovenia, 38% in Bulgaria and almost two-thirds in Slovakia. Learning from these regions’ experience with project delivery, grid development and clean-electricity planning could support a more diversified and growing electricity supply.

History

The supplied history of low-carbon electricity is dominated by substantial year-to-year changes in hydropower. In the early 1990s, generation rose by 2.1 TWh in 1991 before falling by a combined 2.7 TWh in 1992–1993; gains followed in 1994, 1996 and 1999. The 2000s brought increases of about 1.5 TWh in 2004 and 1.4 TWh in 2009, interrupted by a 1.9 TWh decline in 2007. The 2010s were especially uneven: a 1.8 TWh gain in 2010 was followed by a steep 3.6 TWh drop in 2011, then a 3 TWh recovery in 2013; further declines in 2014 and 2017 preceded a 2.5 TWh rebound in 2018. From 2020 through 2024, hydropower alternated between declines of roughly 1.6–1.8 TWh and gains of about 1.9 TWh. This repeated fluctuation reinforces the importance of adding solar, wind and nuclear to support sustained growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.