INFORM Subnational Risk Index for Bosnia and Herzegovina: Findings on natural hazard exposure, vulnerability and coping capacities, and recommendations for disaster risk management

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is among the European countries most affected by disaster risk. The Western Balkan country faces substantial risks related to various natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts and wildfires. Past disasters, such as the 2012 drought, the 2014 floods and the 2024 floods and landslides, have had severe impacts on the people, economy and environment of BiH. However, local-level risk information remains scarce and insufficiently integrated into spatial planning. To support evidence-based disaster risk management (DRM), this report presents the INFORM Subnational Risk Index for Bosnia and Herzegovina (INFORM-BiH). 

INFORM-BiH provides information on climate and disaster risks across the country using a standardized methodology and robust indicators. The index provides a comprehensive assessment across all 143 municipalities by integrating three core dimensions of risk: hazard exposure, vulnerability and lack of coping capacity. The INFORM-BiH methodology combines 43 indicators derived from publicly available datasets to generate risk scores ranging from 0 (lowest risk) to 10 (highest risk). The assessment identifies substantial spatial variation in risk patterns across the country disaggregated to the municipality level, highlighting key risk hotspots and drivers across the country. The report also provides policy recommendations based on the findings, which can serve as entry points for DRM across BiH. It thereby aims to support government agencies, non-governmental and international organizations, and donors with the identification of geographical and thematic priorities for integrated DRM in BiH.