Engaged Society

Central estimate of the extent to which people independently discuss important policy changes among themselves, in the media, in associations or neighbourhoods, or in the streets.

Scale: Higher scores mean more engagement.

Direction of Change

SOCIETAL ENGAGEMENT HAS WEAKENED SHARPLY SINCE THE MID-2010s

Engaged society levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina rose after 1995, improving steadily into the early 2000s and remaining broadly stable for more than a decade. During this period, public discussion, informal debate, and civic participation held relatively firm. However, index data shows a clear downward shift beginning after 2010, with engagement falling sharply from 2013 onwards and accelerating after 2018. By the early 2020s, Bosnia and Herzegovina reached its lowest engagement levels in the entire period, marking a sustained contraction in public discussion spaces. When viewed across the key Dayton anniversaries, the pattern shows weakening civic participation rather than resilience. Taken together, the data indicate that societal engagement has declined substantially, leaving 2024 considerably below the levels observed in 1995.

Global Rank

Compared with all geographic entities listed in the Index

Note: Population-weighted averages for Europe and the world.

Regional Rank

Compared with six former Yugoslav countries and Albania

Note: In 1995, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo were part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

1995 (highest → lowest): Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia.

2024 (highest → lowest): Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Croatia.

Conclusion

According to the index, Bosnia and Herzegovina now exhibits some of the lowest levels of societal engagement since 1995, marking a long-term contraction of public debate and civic participation.

Source: V-Dem (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.