Average Soldier Salary in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2026
A soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina earns about 20,000 BAM a year. That's 23% below the national average of 26,100 BAM.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina sit around 9,460 BAM a year, while the very top stretches to 33,520 BAM. Everything on this page is in Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark (BAM, symbol ), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a soldier make in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
A typical soldier working in Bosnia and Herzegovina brings home around 1,666 BAM a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 9,460 BAM, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 33,520 BAM for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior soldier working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How soldier pay ranges in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A good way to think about salary in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina earn less than 24,280 BAM a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 13,100 BAM (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 31,380 BAM (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of soldiers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 9,460 BAM. The highest stretch to 33,520 BAM, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Soldier pay by experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical soldier salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years10,080 BAM
- 2-5 Years+30% from previous13,100 BAM
- 5-10 Years+79% from previous23,400 BAM
- 10-15 Years+23% from previous28,820 BAM
- 15-20 Years+2% from previous29,320 BAM
- 20+ Years+14% from previous33,440 BAM
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 79%. That is the point at which a soldier typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Soldier pay by education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving soldier pay in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average soldier salary in Bosnia and Herzegovina broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School13,540 BAM
- Certificate or Diploma+42% from previous19,160 BAM
- Bachelor's Degree+80% from previous34,540 BAM
Soldier gender pay gap in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is no exception. Male soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina earn an average of 21,980 BAM a year, while female soldiers earn around 21,020 BAM. That works out to a 5% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Soldier gender pay gap
4%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pay raises for a soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Bosnia and Herzegovina sees a raise of about 8% every 28 months, which works out to roughly 3% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Soldier bonus rates in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
16% of soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a soldier a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 84% of soldiers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Soldier: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Bosnia and Herzegovina is about 27% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
21%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina on average.
Soldier salary by city in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Soldier pay is not even across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Sarajevo
- Banja Luka
- Tuzla
- Zenica
- Medjugorje
- Mostar
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarajevo | City | 25,220 BAM | 27,040 BAM | 12,840-38,680 BAM |
| Banja Luka | City | 24,280 BAM | 21,300 BAM | 12,180-34,380 BAM |
| Tuzla | City | 21,100 BAM | 20,000 BAM | 8,100-32,960 BAM |
| Zenica | City | 21,020 BAM | 19,480 BAM | 8,880-32,620 BAM |
| Medjugorje | City | 20,500 BAM | 20,300 BAM | 9,740-30,700 BAM |
| Mostar | City | 18,940 BAM | 18,780 BAM | 9,740-27,480 BAM |
Soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina: FAQs
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How much does a soldier make per month in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
A soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina earns about 1,666 BAM a month before tax, based on an annual average of 20,000 BAM.
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What's the salary range for a soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Entry-level soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina start near 9,460 BAM. Top-end pay reaches around 33,520 BAM. The middle 50% of earners sit between 13,100 and 31,380 BAM.
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Is the median soldier salary in Bosnia and Herzegovina higher or lower than the average?
The median is 24,280 BAM, higher than the average of 20,000 BAM. Half of soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Men working as a soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina earn around 5% more than women on average (21,980 vs 21,020 BAM a year).
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Do soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina get bonuses?
About 16% of soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do soldiers earn more in the public or private sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the public sector pays a soldier about 27% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina get a pay raise?
A soldier in Bosnia and Herzegovina sees a raise of around 8% every 28 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.