Languages spoken in Montenegro
Cetinje
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The main languages spoken in Montenegro are:
Serbian - spoken by ~42.9% of the population, the most widely spoken language.
Montenegrin - the official language, spoken by ~37% of the population; closely related to Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian.
Bosnian (~5.3%) and Albanian (~5.3%) are also spoken.
Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, and Albanian are all closely related or officially recognized languages in Montenegro; Montenegrin is the sole official language.
| Geography |
Location: Southeastern Europe, on the Adriatic Sea coast, between Croatia and Albania
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 13,812 sq km
Land boundaries:
border countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia
Terrain: a rugged interior of glacial fjords, limestone mountains, and medieval fortified towns meeting a coastline of concentrated natural beauty
| People |
Population: 621,718-633,158 (2023-2025 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17.7%
15-64 years: 64.4%
65 years and over: 17.9% (2024 est.)
Median age: 41.5 years (2025 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population 77.6 years (World Bank, 2025)
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Montenegrin(s)
Ethnic groups: Montenegrin 45%, Serbian 28.7%, Bosniak 8.7%, Albanian 4.9%, Muslim 3.3%, Romani 1%, Croat 1% (2011 est.)
Religions: Orthodox 72.1%, Muslim 19.1%, Catholic 3.4% (2011 est.)
Languages: Serbian 42.9%, Montenegrin (official) 37%, Bosnian 5.3%, Albanian 5.3%, Serbo-Croat 2% (2011 est.)
Population distribution: highest density concentrated in the south and southwest; the extreme eastern border is the least populated
| Government |
Country name:
conventional short form: Montenegro; local name Crna Gora ("Black Mountain"), used since the 13th century for a highland region in the Serbian province of Zeta
Data code: MJ
Government type: parliamentary republic
National capital: Podgorica
Independence: 3 June 2006 (restored, from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)
Background: under Ottoman control beginning in 1496, Montenegro was a semi-autonomous theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes until 1852, when it became a secular principality; won recognition as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878; absorbed into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918 (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia); identity (Montenegrin vs. Serb) and church allegiance remain live questions
| Economy |
Economy - overview: upper-middle-income, small Balkan economy; uses the euro as its de facto currency (without formal EU membership); tourism (particularly around Kotor and Budva), aluminum, and hydropower lead the economy; a NATO member and EU accession candidate; the Chinese-financed Bar-Boljare highway became a cautionary tale of debt-funded infrastructure
GDP (purchasing power parity): $22.56 billion (2026 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2025)
GDP - per capita: $36,130 PPP (2026 est.)
Inflation rate: 4.3% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13.6-14.1% (2024-2025)
Population below poverty line: 8.6% (2013 est.)
Currency: Euro (EUR) - used unilaterally, without formal Eurozone membership
| Military |
Military branches: Army of Montenegro (Vojska Crne Gore): Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy; Ministry of Interior: Police Directorate of Montenegro (2025)
Military - note: joined NATO in 2017; focused on integrating into the Alliance, replacing Soviet-era equipment, and modernization; trains with NATO partners and supports missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and NATO''s Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe (2025)