“Surge in Serbian Population: A Growing Community”
In Montenegro, there are more Montenegrins than Serbs, although Serbian is spoken more frequently than Montenegrin, according to the results of the census conducted at the end of last year. Serbian usage has increased by four percent.
Current statistics indicate that 41.12 percent of the population, or 256,436 individuals, identify as Montenegrin, while Serbs account for nearly 33 percent, or 205,370 citizens. Additionally, Bosniaks make up ten percent, and Albanians around five percent. Russians constitute approximately two percent, and Muslims are at 1.63 percent.
The findings reveal that in Montenegro, the majority identify as Serbian, with about 43 percent or 271,422 residents, while those identifying as Montenegrin represent 34.54 percent, or 225,956 people.
The dominance of Orthodoxy
According to Snežana Remiković, Assistant Director of the MONSTATA Statistics Directorate, Bosnian speakers account for 6.68 percent, Albanian speakers for 4.49 percent, Russian speakers for 2.21 percent, and Serbo-Croatian speakers for 5.51 percent.
Among the respondents, 71 percent identified as Orthodox, 20 percent as Islamic, approximately three percent as Catholics, and just over two percent as belonging to other faiths.
The President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandic, emphasized that the census results hold significant importance for guiding the Assembly, government, and related institutions in creating a more favorable living environment and shaping a country with a clear, promising future.
– As a representative of the Serbian community, I am pleased that the process was fair, and that we achieved better results than in the past – expressed Mandic.
Daniel Zivkovic from DPS Mila Djukanovic interpreted the outcomes as a confirmation that despite the propaganda and pressures encountered with an ethnic-centric approach, the country has managed to uphold its civic character as guaranteed by the constitution.