The economy of Sarajevo is based largely on industries such as manufacturing and tourism.

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

is economically one of the strongest regions of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. As the center of various levels of area politics, many Sarajevo citizens also work in government. A number of local and international companies are present in the city and contribute to its economic health. Sarajevo is the most populous region, urban zone and the only metropolitan area in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The area generates approximately 45% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's GDP.

Overview

Sarajevo's economy reached its peak in the 1980s, thanks in large part to the culmination of several decades of industrial development and a tourist boom following the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

, as well as increased international investment. During the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...

, the Bosnian Serb forces often targeted structures key to the city’s economic health, including the headquarters of companies and many services and public utilities. Since then, the Sarajevo economy has made tremendous progress, significantly better than its post-war state in 1996. Sarajevo's manufacturing deals with a wide array of products. This includes production of Foods and Beverages,

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s, furniture, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scal ...

. Sarajevo companies also produce unique brands of alcohol and cigarettes. According to Sarajevo Canton statistics, the greater Sarajevo area in 2002 had a workforce of 278,341. 86,012 (30.6%) of these were, on average, actually employed. Of those 86,012, some 37,253, or 43,3%, were women. The largest number of people were employed in industry (19.4%), trade (12.9%), transport (9.9%) and education (8.7%). The largest concentration of jobs is in Centar municipality (34.5%) and

Novo Sarajevo Novo Sarajevo ( sr-cyrl, Ново Сарајево, ; lit. "New Sarajevo") is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neighborhoods *'' Grbavica I'' *'' Grbavica II'' *''Pofalići I'' *''Pofalići II'' *''Velešići'' *''G ...

(20.8%). In 2002, the total export for the greater Sarajevo region was worth about 259.569.000 KM. This was an increase of 21.9% from the previous year. Most of Sarajevo's exports (28.2%) head to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

following behind at 16.8% and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

thirds with 12.8%. The largest amount of imported goods come from Germany, at 15.8%. With a worth of total import at about 1.322.585.000 KM, the total import is almost 5.1 times the total export. A variety of important economic institutions are to be found in Sarajevo. The

Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Centralna banka Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Централна банка Босне и Херцеговине) is the central bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in t ...

is found in the city, as are numerous other independent banks. Overall, 19 different banks have their headquarters in Sarajevo. The city also holds the Sarajevo Exchange of securities, Institute for accounting and auditing of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Board for valuable papers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Register of valuable papers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Foreign companies with a foothold in the Sarajevo region include

Brown & Root KBR, Inc. (formerly Kellogg Brown & Root) is a U.S. based company operating in fields of science, technology and engineering. KBR works in various markets including aerospace, defense, industrial and intelligence. After Halliburton acquired Dres ...

, Burger King,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

, KFC, Porsche,

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is an American multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. The most recognized and best selling product of the company is Marlboro. Philip Morris International is often ref ...

, Zara and so on. The Bosnian-Malaysian firm Bosmal is also situated in the city. Their main exports are clothing and electrical goods.

Major companies

Major companies based in

include: *

BH Telecom BH Telecom is a Bosnian telecommunications company, headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. History It was established during the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1992 and was the first company in Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide GSM, 3G, ...

* Bosmal *

Bosnalijek Bosnalijek is a Bosnian pharmaceutical company headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established in 1951, it is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bosnia and Herzegovina, present in more than 20 markets and having annual revenue of ...

Dnevni avaz ''Dnevni avaz'' (; English: Daily Voice) is the most influential and best-selling daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is published in Sarajevo. Their web portal Avaz.ba is the third most visited website in Bosnia and Herzegovina, afte ...

Energoinvest Energoinvest (full name: Energoinvest, d.d. - Sarajevo) is a multidisciplinary engineering and energy company with headquarters in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. History Energoinvest was established as a small design office under the name of ...

* Energopetrol *

Oslobođenje ''Oslobođenje'' (; 'Liberation') is a daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina based in the capital city Sarajevo. Founded on 30 August 1943, in the midst of World War II, on a patch of territory liberated by Partisans, in what was otherwise a ...

* Sarajevo Tobacco Factory * Sarajevska pivara * Unioninvest * UNITIC * JP Elektroprivreda BiH

References

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