Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian: Hrvati Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Croats (Croatian: bosanski Hrvati) or Herzegovinian Croats (Croatian: hercegovački Hrvati), are native and the third most populous ethnic group in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Bosniaks and Serbs, and are one of the constitutive nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1] Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina have made significant contributions to the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most Croats declare themselves Catholics and speakers of the Croatian language.
Hrvati Bosne i Hercegovine
497,883 (22.44%)
29,645 (2.41%)
17,252 (20.66%)
From the 15th to the 19th century, Catholics in Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina were often persecuted by the Ottoman Empire, causing many of them to flee the area. In the 20th century, political turmoil and poor economic conditions caused more to emigrate. Ethnic cleansing within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s saw Croats forced to go to different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite having lived in numerous regions prior to the Bosnian War. The 2013 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 544,780 residents registering as of Croatian ethnicity.[2]