Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich and longstanding history in the country. It was introduced in the 15th and 16th centuries because of the Ottoman conquests of the Balkans. There are today around 3.5 million Bosnian Muslims or Bosniaks around the world, including the large number who left the country during the Bosnian war. Well over two million Bosnian Muslims live in their native Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are 45-48 percent of the country's population, therefore the largest homogenous ethnic group. The modern Bosnian Muslims are often referred to as Bosniaks. They descend from Bošnjani who accepted Islam in the 15th century, and throughout the Ottoman rule of the country in general. Bosniaks are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims.