Total population | |
---|---|
2.8–4.6 million (est.) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,769,592 |
Turkey | 101,000 – 2,000,0001 |
Germany | 158,158 |
Serbia | 145,278 |
Austria | 128,047 |
Sweden | 80,000 |
Montenegro | 53,605 |
Switzerland | 46,773 |
Croatia | 31,479 |
Kosovo | 27,533 |
Slovenia | 21,542 |
Denmark | 21,000 |
Australia | 17,993 |
Macedonia | 17,018 |
Norway | 16,338 |
Italy | 3.600 |
Belgium | 2,182 |
European Union total | 400,000 |
Languages | |
Bosnian | |
Religion | |
Traditionally Sunni Islam (see Religion) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other South Slavs | |
1According to estimates commissioned in 2008 by the National Security Council of Turkey (Milli Güvenlik Kurulu) some 2,000,000 Turkish citizens are of Bosniak ancestry as mainly descended from Bosniak emigrants in the 19th and early 20th century. |
The Bosniaks (Bosnian: Bošnjaci/Бошњаци, pronounced [boʃɲǎːt͡si]; singular masculine: Bošnjak/Бошњак, feminine: Bošnjakinja/Бошњакиња) are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group inhabiting mainly the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A native minority of Bosniaks live in other countries in the Balkans; especially in the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro (where Bosniaks form a regional majority), and in Croatia and Kosovo. Bosniaks are typically characterized by their historic tie to the Bosnian historical region, traditional majority adherence to Islam since the 15th and 16th centuries, common culture and Bosnian language. English speakers frequently refer to Bosniaks as Bosnian Muslims or simply as Bosnians, though the latter term can also denote all inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina (regardless of ethnic origin) or apply to citizenship in the country.
Over two million Bosniaks live in the Balkans, with an estimated additional million settled and living around the world. Ethnic cleansing and genocide during the Bosnian War (1991–95) have had an effect on the territorial distribution of the population. Partly due to this, a significant Bosniak diaspora exists in a number of countries, including Austria, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Turkey, Canada and the United States.