Ljubinje is an administrative unit with a long historical continuity. It was first mentioned in written sources in the year 1404. It was either part of the Popovo County or an independent county within the medieval Serbian state, later serving as the seat of the kadiluk (Ottoman judicial district) and military structures during the Ottoman Empire. Under Austro-Hungarian rule, it was designated as a district (kotar), and during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it functioned as a county (srez). After World War II, during the early period of communist rule in Yugoslavia, the administrative area of Ljubinje was altered—its broader Popovo region was removed, while the areas of Žrvanj and Krtinje were added, reducing the municipality’s size to approximately 320 km². Following the Dayton Agreement, the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ljubinje Municipality now covers an area of 318.5 km² and belongs to the Republika Srpska entity. Due to the mass suffering of the Serbian population under the occupation of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II, migrations resulting from collectivization policies, and post-war colonization processes, Ljubinje’s population became significantly smaller but remained overwhelmingly Serbian. According to the 1991 census, out of 4,172 inhabitants, more than 90% were Serbs.