Bosnia expands family support as young people delay parenthood

Young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have not given up on their desire to start families and become parents, but decisions about when to do so are increasingly determined by having a secure job, the possibility of living independently, access to childcare and the ability to balance work and childcare.

Although the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are developing an increasingly broad range of measures to support families and young people, a review of these measures shows that place of residence still largely determines what kind and amount of assistance a family can receive, CE Report quotes FENA.

This is precisely why pronatalist policy cannot be viewed solely through the amount of money parents receive after a child is born. If young people cannot become independent, resolve their housing situation or secure affordable childcare, one-off incentives are unlikely to address the much broader demographic problem.

A review of measures currently being implemented in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina shows that the support system is gradually expanding, from maternity benefits, child allowances and assistance for newborns to subsidies for kindergartens and extended school programmes, as well as rent subsidies, housing loans and assistance for first-time homebuyers.

This approach is also supported by the findings of a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) survey published in July this year.

What are the key problems?

A survey conducted in 2025 among 758 respondents from Bosnia and Herzegovina aged 18 to 39 showed that young people still want families, but postpone these decisions because of economic and other obstacles. Thirty-six percent of respondents cited finances as a very important reason for postponing parenthood, 35 percent cited finding a suitable partner, 33 percent health issues, and 24 percent a lack of suitable housing. When it comes to marriage, 32 percent viewed financial insecurity as a major obstacle, while 18 percent cited housing.

UNFPA's analysis points to a kind of chain of life decisions: stable employment precedes independent housing, which precedes a stable partnership, which in turn precedes parenthood.

If one of these links is missing, subsequent steps are delayed. The regional report therefore concludes that financial incentives introduced only when young people are expected to have children have limited reach if obstacles related to employment, housing, healthcare and balancing family and working life have not been addressed beforehand.

The figures show why the issue is increasingly being discussed as a development issue rather than merely a social one. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15,387 children were born in 2025, while 20,541 people died, resulting in a negative natural population change of 5,154.

A negative natural population change was recorded in nine of the ten cantons. The only exception was the West Herzegovina Canton, with 919 births and 779 deaths, resulting in a positive natural increase of 140.

The Federal Institute for Development Programming warns that the number of live births continues to decline, while the total fertility rate in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was 1.12 children per woman in 2024, significantly below the approximately 2.1 needed for population replacement. The Institute also points to disparities in financial allocations for the protection of families, children and young people across the Federation.

Additional rights at the cantonal level

Some of the differences between cantons have been reduced by the federal Law on Material Support for Families with Children. Two basic rights regulated at the Federation level are child allowance and financial assistance for unemployed mothers on maternity leave, while cantons may establish additional rights according to their capabilities.

Since the minimum wage in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was set at KM 1,027 for 2026, the child allowance, which amounts to 19 percent of the minimum wage, is approximately KM 195 per month. With certain exceptions, eligibility is linked to an income threshold of 40 percent of the minimum wage per household member, or approximately KM 411. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy says KM 228 million has been planned for child allowances in 2026 and that nearly 100,000 children receive the benefit.

Under federal law, an unemployed mother is entitled to 55 percent of the minimum wage, or approximately KM 565 per month, for a maximum of 12 months. At the same time, for the third consecutive year, KM 16 million has been allocated for a one-off payment of KM 1,000 for every newborn child in the Federation.

However, benefits for employed mothers and numerous additional rights are still regulated by cantonal legislation. This is where differences arise. The Federal Institute for Development Programming notes that maternity compensation for employed mothers continues to be paid according to cantonal rules, while additional subsidies, kindergartens, housing assistance and other rights are developing at different rates.

The Federation has also taken another step towards demographic policy: of the KM 200 million in assistance allocated to the cantons, each canton is required to spend at least 20 percent of its allocation on demographic policies and measures and report on this by the end of 2026. This means that at least KM 40 million of the federal transfer is specifically tied to this purpose.

However, the scope of assistance still depends significantly on place of residence. While some cantons are developing a broader support package that assists young people even before they have children, in other areas support remains largely concentrated on the period after a child is born.

Housing — a new dimension of youth policy

Sarajevo Canton has expanded family support in recent years beyond traditional financial benefits. The 2026 budget maintains maternity benefits at KM 1,261, while the child and family protection system, in addition to federal rights, includes additional assistance for employed and unemployed mothers, support for newborn equipment and child nutrition.

A particular focus is placed on preschool education. For the 2026/27 school year, KM 17 million has been allocated to co-finance children's attendance at private kindergartens, with subsidies of KM 235 per month for full-day and KM 120 for half-day programmes, as well as additional benefits for families with three or more children.

A new dimension of youth policy has emerged through housing. In September, a public call was launched allowing young married and unmarried couples aged 18 to 35 to receive up to KM 300 per month towards rent for 12 months. KM 300,000 has been allocated for the programme in 2026.

Tuzla Canton also combines financial support, preschool education and measures aimed at economic independence.

Additional cantonal assistance means maternity benefits in 2026 reach KM 996 for employed mothers whose basic benefit is below that amount, while unemployed mothers receive a cantonal supplement on top of the federal benefit up to the same total amount.

Alongside existing kindergarten subsidies for socially vulnerable groups, a broader programme was introduced this year under which 1,140 children receive KM 700 each towards preschool costs, with KM 770,000 allocated for the programme.

The canton is also investing in the availability of kindergartens. KM 900,000 was initially planned for the construction of public preschool institutions in areas without them and for improving existing facilities, with additional funds allocated for equipment and educational materials.

In August, capital projects worth KM 892,292 were contracted, including KM 736,000 for Kalesija and Teočak, which do not have public preschool institutions. The number of children covered by the preschool system in the canton increased from 3,388 in the 2022/23 school year to 4,964 in the current school year. In addition, of the KM 954,000 youth support programme, KM 300,000 is intended to subsidise interest on housing loans and KM 280,000 for youth entrepreneurship.

In Zenica-Doboj Canton, the largest individual allocation is directed towards maternity benefits. KM 49 million has been planned for employed and unemployed mothers in 2026, with the monthly benefit amounting to KM 1,000. Around 4,100 mothers used the benefit last year. The entire programme of the Ministry of Labour, Social Policy and Refugees is worth KM 79.2 million this year.

However, cantonal support is supplemented by very different measures at the city and municipal levels. Data collected by the ZDK government for 2025 show, for example, that Usora provided KM 500 for the first and second child and KM 1,000 for the third and each subsequent child; Tešanj provided KM 500 for the third and each subsequent child, while the City of Zenica provided KM 330 for the second and each subsequent child.

Doboj Jug determined assistance according to birth order — KM 600 for the first and second child, KM 900 for the third, and KM 1,100 for the fourth and each subsequent child. This shows that even within the same canton, place of residence can significantly change the total amount of support a family receives.

The Central Bosnia Canton amended its law this year so that an employed mother cannot receive less than an unemployed mother. Previously, the minimum benefit for employed mothers was linked to 55 percent of the minimum wage from the previous year, while the benefit for unemployed mothers was based on the current year's minimum wage. After the minimum wage increased, this created a difference between the two categories.

The Central Bosnia Canton Assembly removed this difference through a legal amendment in February.

Support in the canton is not limited to maternity benefits. The canton has a system of subsidies for children's attendance at preschool institutions ranging from 30 to 100 percent of the cost, depending on the family category. A 30-percent subsidy is also available for children from families with two or more children. The system continues to apply in 2026.

The Una-Sana Canton maintains its own calculation of maternity compensation for employed mothers, based on 50 percent of the average salary earned during the six months preceding childbirth, subject to a prescribed minimum.

However, measures aimed at young people have been expanded this year to include housing. In August, two separate public calls were launched — one for subsidising housing for young people and another for subsidising part of the rent for an apartment or house. Decisions on both programmes were subsequently adopted. This means that support is not limited to those who can purchase property, but also covers young people who currently address their housing needs as tenants.

The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton has developed a different housing-support model. Young families purchasing or otherwise resolving their housing needs for the first time can receive a refund of property transfer tax, land rent and costs related to the development of construction land. KM 750,000 has been allocated for this purpose in 2026.

In the previous two years, 141 young families received the benefit, with a total of KM 908,700 paid out. In the first two months of this year alone, 16 families received KM 108,300. The canton has also planned KM 4 million in this year's budget for benefits for employed mothers, KM 5.215 million for unemployed mothers, and KM 750,000 for one-off assistance for newborn equipment.

In West Herzegovina Canton, the only canton that recorded positive natural population growth in 2025, an unemployed mother receives KM 564.85 per month for 12 months in 2026, while KM 513.50 per month is paid for the third and each subsequent child. The canton also allocates funds for newborn equipment, textbooks for primary school students and student transportation, supplemented by programmes run by cities and municipalities.

The local level shows how broad a support package can be beyond a single cantonal benefit. In Široki Brijeg, a one-off payment of KM 500 is prescribed for every newborn child. Ljubuški subsidises private kindergartens in 2026 with KM 70 per month per child of nursery age and KM 60 per month per preschool child, while limiting the prices that kindergartens may charge parents to KM 240 and KM 220 respectively.

In Posušje, local authorities have established assistance of KM 500 for a third child and KM 1,000 for a fourth and each subsequent newborn child. The Municipality of Grude, meanwhile, has allocated KM 817,000 for student transportation, KM 400,000 for the Grude kindergarten and additional funds for extended school programmes. The canton has also allocated KM 1 million this year for the construction of a new public kindergarten in Posušje.

Positive natural population growth in West Herzegovina does not, however, mean that this result can be attributed to any single benefit or programme. Birth rates are affected by the age structure of the population, migration, employment, the number of women of reproductive age and other factors. A longer-term analysis would therefore be required to assess the effects of a specific measure.

Posavina Canton has for several years had a special law providing assistance to young families resolving their housing situation for the first time. For 2026, a grant of KM 550,000 has been established for housing young families and social categories, financing existing obligations and new beneficiaries. A new public call was published at the end of August. In August, the cantonal child allowance was increased from KM 70 to KM 80 per month.

Bosnia-Podrinje Canton has focused more on support through the family and child rights system. Benefits regularly paid in 2026 include assistance to unemployed mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, assistance to employed mothers, one-off assistance for newborn equipment, support for infant nutrition and breastfeeding mothers, and a special pronatalist benefit for the third, fourth and fifth child.

Approximately KM 291,000 was paid for these rights in August alone.

Canton 10 introduced a more universal one-off measure this year — KM 1,200 for every child born in 2026, subject to prescribed citizenship and residency conditions.

A review of cantonal policies also shows an important difference in the design of measures. Sarajevo Canton and Una-Sana Canton have introduced assistance for rent payments; Tuzla Canton subsidises interest on housing loans; Herzegovina-Neretva Canton refunds part of the costs associated with purchasing or building a first home; while Posavina Canton has a dedicated system for subsidising first-time housing solutions.

An interest subsidy helps someone who is already able to obtain a housing loan. A tax refund helps after a property has been purchased. A rent subsidy can also cover a couple that does not yet have the creditworthiness or capital required to purchase an apartment.

A similar difference exists between a one-off payment after childbirth and a service that lasts for years. KM 1,000 for a newborn helps cover initial costs, but subsidised kindergarten, extended school programmes, free textbooks or monthly allowances affect the family budget for much longer.

What do families' rights depend on?

Families' rights depend on whether parents are employed, household income, the number of children, whether they use public or private kindergartens, whether they are tenants or purchasing their first property, as well as their place of residence. Cantonal and federal measures are further supplemented by programmes run by cities and municipalities, ranging from newborn benefits and kindergarten subsidies to housing and other incentives. As a result, two families with almost identical incomes and numbers of children may receive different levels of public support.

Such differences also raise the question of what can actually be considered pronatalist policy.

A benefit for a third child is directly designed with a pronatalist objective. Free textbooks, extended school programmes or kindergarten subsidies are primarily educational and social measures. Affordable housing for young people may be housing policy. A self-employment programme belongs to economic policy.

For a young person deciding whether they can start a family, however, the boundaries between these sectors are not so clear. Rent, job security, kindergarten costs and the possibility of keeping a child in an extended school programme after classes are all part of the same household budget and the organisation of everyday life.

This is also the difference between a policy that reacts after a child is born and one that attempts to create conditions in which young people can make the decision to become parents in the first place.

UNFPA data suggest that the problem cannot be reduced to the assumption that younger generations do not want children. Respondents want partnerships and families, but they see financial security, employment and independent housing as steps that come first.

At the same time, despite the growing number of individual support programmes, the overall demographic picture in the Federation remains unfavourable. Last year, more than 5,000 more people died than were born. This does not mean that specific measures have no effect, nor can their results be reliably measured on the basis of a single year. It does show, however, that demographic policy cannot be assessed solely according to the size of one benefit or the number of beneficiaries of a single programme.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is therefore gradually building a broader support system, from the federal child allowance and assistance for newborns to cantonal maternity benefits and subsidies for kindergartens, housing and school programmes. But the system is still not uniform.

For young people, therefore, it is not only important how much support they will receive after a child is born. It is equally important whether they can first find a job they can live on and housing they can afford, and after childbirth, a place in a kindergarten, accessible childcare and support that will not end after the first year.

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