From August 2025 through July 2026, more than half of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s electricity consumption came from fossil fuels: coal supplied about 53%. Low-carbon sources provided the remaining 47%, led by hydropower at about 38% of total electricity consumption. Wind contributed around 5% and solar almost 4%. Clean electricity therefore already supplies a substantial share, but expanding it further would help reduce reliance on coal and the associated climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Bosnia & Herzegovina?

The latest figures do not show electricity consumption reaching new highs. In 2026, consumption stood at 4,461 kWh per person, about 1,200 kWh—or 21%—below the record of 5,657 kWh per person set in 2018. Low-carbon electricity generation was closer to its peak: at 2,089 kWh per person, it was about 100 kWh, or 4%, below the 2023 record. These comparisons show that both measures remain below their historical highs, although they do not establish the latest year-on-year direction. The shortfall underscores the need for renewed growth in clean electricity to support electrification and future demand.

Suggestions

Bosnia & Herzegovina could build on its existing clean electricity base by accelerating solar and wind deployment while considering nuclear generation, including regional cooperation. Nearby North Macedonia, where solar supplies about 40% of electricity, offers a particularly relevant example; Hungary and Bulgaria also demonstrate substantial solar contributions, at roughly 23% and 19%. For nuclear, neighboring Slovenia generates about 40% of its electricity from this clean source, while Slovakia reaches around two-thirds and Bulgaria about 37%. These regional examples offer useful lessons in developing low-carbon electricity systems. Wind also deserves expansion, drawing on places such as Greece, where it supplies about a fifth of electricity. Grid investment and clear routes for new projects would help turn these examples into greater domestic clean electricity generation.

History

The supplied history of low-carbon electricity generation is dominated by 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. During the 2000s, increases of around 1.5 TWh in 2004 and 2009 were interrupted by a 1.9 TWh decline in 2007. The 2010s brought especially large swings: a 1.8 TWh increase in 2010 preceded a 3.6 TWh drop in 2011, followed by a 3 TWh rebound in 2013. Further declines in 2014 and 2017 were followed by a 2.5 TWh recovery in 2018. From 2020 through 2024, annual changes alternated between losses and gains of roughly 1.6–1.9 TWh. This uneven record reinforces the case for expanding solar, wind and nuclear alongside hydropower to achieve sustained growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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