Bosnian and Herzegovinian community profile

History

There have been three main waves of migration of Bosnian and Herzegovinians to Victoria.

The first wave of Bosnian and Herzegovinians occurred after World War II, when Bosnian and Herzegovinians were considered ‘displaced persons’.

The second wave of migration happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During this time, many people arrived in Victoria because of the economic crises and open border policy in the former Yugoslavia.

The third wave of migration happened in the 1990s. Many people arrived during this period as refugees after fleeing the former Yugoslavia. Over half the Bosnian and Herzegovinian communities arrived and settled in Victoria during this period between 1991 and 2000. This period saw an influx of Bosnian and Herzegovinians from all types of economic and mixed ethnic backgrounds.

While the migration of Bosnian and Herzegovinians has slowed down since the early 2000s, Victoria is still home to one of the largest Bosnian and Herzegovinian communities in Australia.

Bosnian and Herzegovinian community

The Bosnian and Herzegovinian community in Victoria is one of the largest in Australia. There are 91,387 people in Victoria who have Bosnian and Herzegovinian ancestries, of which 9,193 were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The following ancestries have been included in defining the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.

The gender breakdown for the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community is:

• male: 44,8020 (49.0%)
• female: 46,585 (51.0%).

Most of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community is older, with the largest cohorts aged over 65 years (18.1%), and from 45–54 (15%).

Insights for communication and engagement

The following are some key insights from the data when communicating and engaging with the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community:

• The Bosnian and Herzegovinian community is a relatively new one, with most of the population arriving between 1991 and 2000.
• The community has medium levels of English language proficiency, and there are many in the community who may require in–language information, resources or in-person support.
• Write in plain language. Use plain words, short sentences, headings, lists and other design elements to make information clear.
• Print and radio channels can be helpful for reaching many in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community in Victoria.
• For place–based activities, the south–eastern and north–western suburbs are where most of the population lives.

For more insights about communicating with multicultural audiences read the:

Location

Many people in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community live in Melbourne’s south–eastern and north–western suburbs.

The City of Brimbank is home to one of the largest Bosnian and Herzegovinian communities in Victoria with 7,937 people. The City of Casey is next with 7,686 people.

These 10 local government areas have the largest Bosnian and Herzegovinian communities, which include people from the range of ancestries outlined above.

Bosnia and Herzegovina–born population

The statistics below focus on people living in Victoria who were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This will be referred to as the ‘Bosnia and Herzegovina-born population’.

Language

The top languages spoken by the Bosnia and Herzegovina–born population in Victoria are:

• Bosnian (3,974)
• Serbian (2,305)
• Croatian (1,354)
• English (977)
• Serbo–Croatian/Yugoslavian (143).

English language proficiency

The Bosnia and Herzegovina–born population in Victoria has medium levels of English language proficiency:

• 66.1% of the population say they speak English ‘very well’ or ‘well’.
• 22.6% of the population say they speak English ‘not well’ or ‘not at all’.
• 10.6% of the population speaks English only.

Religion

The Bosnia and Herzegovina–born population identify with the following religions:

• Islam (30.6%)
• Eastern Orthodox (19%)
• Catholicism (18.4%)
• Christianity (7.2%)
• no religion (20.7%).

Years of arrival

There have been two main points of arrival for the Bosnia and Herzegovina–born population in Victoria. Most of the population arrived from 1991–2000 (62.7%), and 2001–2010 (14.3%).

Names

Traditionally, Bosnian and Herzegovinian names begin with family name, followed by the first name. It is common for many Bosnian and Herzegovinian surnames to have a suffix ‘–ić’. Family names are typically passed down the male line, with women who marry often taking their husband’s family name. Many people in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community adopt the standard Western naming style with the first name then followed by the family name.

Significant dates

The Bosnian and Herzegovinian community celebrates various cultural and religious holidays. These dates will vary depending on a person’s religion, heritage and identity. The following are some key dates of significance:

• New Year's Day – 1 and 2 January
• Independence Day (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 1 March
• May Day – 1 May
• Dayton Agreement Day (Republika Srpska) – 21 November
• National Statehood Day (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 25 November.

Sources of information

• Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census Country of birth QuickStats
• SBS Cultural Atlas
• Encyclopedia of Melbourne (School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne, in association with the University of Melbourne's eScholarship Research Centre).