Trebinje had 105,591 tourist arrivals in 2025, about a fifth of the Republika Srpska total (514,740), but fewer than in 2024 (107,567). Bileća had 672, Gacko 649, Nevesinje 378 and Kalinovik 269. There is no data for Ljubinje and Berkovići. Population is falling in every municipality except Trebinje.
The figures below for seven East Herzegovina municipalities come from two publications of the Republika Srpska Institute of Statistics (Republički zavod za statistiku): "Gradovi i opštine Republike Srpske 2025" (December 2025) and "Turizam 2026". Population, employment, wages and business entities refer to 2024; tourism refers to 2025. The numbers help when you assess the market, talk to a municipality or write a grant application.
In short
- From 2020 to 2024 population grew only in Trebinje (from 28,407 to 28,626). Every other municipality is losing residents.
- In 2025 Trebinje had 105,591 tourist arrivals and 194,036 overnight stays. That is 20.5% of all arrivals in Republika Srpska (514,740). A year earlier it had 107,567 arrivals.
- Bileća, Gacko, Nevesinje and Kalinovik had between 269 and 672 arrivals a year. The report has no arrival data for Ljubinje and Berkovići.
- In 2024 the average net wage ranged from 1,201 KM in Bileća to 1,636 KM in Gacko. The Republika Srpska average is 1,404 KM.
Population (mid-2024 estimate)
- Trebinje: 28,626 (2020: 28,407)
- Nevesinje: 11,325 (2020: 11,762)
- Bileća: 9,556 (2020: 10,052)
- Gacko: 7,936 (2020: 8,311)
- Ljubinje: 2,893 (2020: 3,094)
- Berkovići: 1,662 (2020: 1,857)
- Kalinovik: 1,566 (2020: 1,711)
Bileća lost the most residents in absolute numbers (496). In percentage terms Berkovići and Kalinovik lost the most, about 10.5% and 8.5%.
Employed, job seekers and wages (2024)
Each line gives: number of employed people, number of people looking for work, average net wage.
- Trebinje: 9,235; 1,559; 1,452 KM
- Gacko: 3,212; 496; 1,636 KM
- Bileća: 1,927; 1,303; 1,201 KM
- Nevesinje: 1,586; 1,817; 1,333 KM (the job seeker figure also includes Istočni Mostar)
- Ljubinje: 499; 334; 1,305 KM
- Kalinovik: 399; 130; 1,236 KM
- Berkovići: 255; 298; 1,240 KM
Business entities (31 December 2024)
The register covers companies and other legal forms based in Republika Srpska, including cooperatives, associations and institutions. Sole traders are not in it, and family farms are kept in a separate farm register (Registar poljoprivrednih gazdinstava). So this register does not show the real number of farms. The first figure is the total number of entities, the second the number in agriculture, forestry and fishing, and the third the number in accommodation and food service.
- Trebinje: 1,354; 38; 47
- Bileća: 310; 12; 4
- Nevesinje: 289; 16; 2
- Gacko: 171; 4; 2
- Ljubinje: 146; 23; 1
- Berkovići: 87; 6; none registered
- Kalinovik: 66; 10; none registered
In Ljubinje about one in six registered entities works in agriculture (23 of 146). This is the highest share among the seven municipalities, just ahead of Kalinovik (10 of 66).
Tourism: arrivals and nights in 2025
Each line gives: total arrivals, of which foreign tourists, total overnight stays.
- Trebinje: 105,591; 80,904; 194,036 (2023: 95,631 arrivals, 2024: 107,567)
- Bileća: 672; 256; 1,912
- Gacko: 649; 279; 1,276 (data first appear for 2024; nothing was recorded for 2021 to 2023)
- Nevesinje: 378; no foreign arrivals; 530
- Kalinovik: 269; no foreign arrivals; 446
- Ljubinje: no data
- Berkovići: no data
Foreign tourists made up about 77% of arrivals in Trebinje. In Nevesinje all reported arrivals were domestic; in Kalinovik this has been the case since 2023. More on Trebinje is in the article on tourism in Trebinje and East Herzegovina.
What these figures do not show
- Land area and the number of farms per municipality are not in these publications. The farm register (Registar poljoprivrednih gazdinstava) holds the number of farms; for land area, ask the municipality.
- Tourism is counted from the monthly report on tourists and overnight stays (TU-11). Hospitality and other enterprises, business entities and organisations that provide accommodation file this report. The statistic counts arrivals and overnight stays, not individual tourists. Accommodation that is not reported this way does not appear in the figures, so real numbers in small municipalities may be higher.
- A dash in the Institute's tables means that no data was reported. It does not necessarily mean there were no guests.
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