The population of Montenegro for the year is: Population of Montenegro: size and ethnic composition

21.10.2023

In total, approximately 650 thousand people live in this country. The population of Montenegro is predominantly Slavic. Only 43% of the total number of residents of the state define their nationality as “Montenegrin”. Serbs make up 32% of the country's population, and 8% (according to other sources, 13.7%) are Bosniaks. Montenegro, whose ethnic composition is quite diverse, is also home to representatives of other nationalities. Russians, Gypsies, Albanians, Croats, etc. make up the remainder. The majority of the population of Montenegro (about 85% of the population) speaks Serbian.

Ancestors of modern Montenegrins

Turning to the history of this country, we learn that the majority of the inhabitants of this state are descendants of Serbs. During the Turkish invasion that occurred in the 15th century, the Serbs retreated to the mountainous regions. Over the centuries, the population of Montenegro has been replenished with representatives of other nationalities. Thus, a separate group was formed, with its own customs and traditions. At the end of the 19th century, after the end of the Russian-Turkish war, the population of Montenegro was only about 150 thousand people. The inhabitants of this country are currently a separate nation, which has its own centuries-old history, culture and mentality.

Character of Montenegrins

The struggle for independence and freedom has been a way of life for these people for centuries. Perhaps it is due to this that the population of Montenegro is distinguished by its tall stature and strong physique. Heroism, devotion and courage - these moral values are very important for the inhabitants of this country. They entered deeply into the life philosophy of the people. Moreover, heroism in the local understanding is the ability to protect oneself from another, while courage is to protect another person from oneself. This is what the residents of such an interesting country as Montenegro think.

The population, whose numbers have been steadily growing in recent years, highly values its history and customs, and is devoted to traditions. Montenegrins are sociable and hospitable. The distinctive features of this people are patriarchy and collectivism. And these days, clanism is noticeable in the Montenegrin family, as well as a willingness to help at any time. These traditional features inherent in the people are preserved to this day by Montenegro.

Population: religion

The population of this country is mostly religious. Montenegrins profess mainly Orthodoxy (about 75% of all residents). In this country, the activity of the Orthodox clergy extends not only to church affairs, but also to state affairs. The Church and its representatives are thus an integral part of the people of Montenegro. In this country, according to historical information, there were many examples when spiritual mentors or people from the clergy became famous military leaders.

However, thanks to the tolerance towards religions that has developed in this country, Islam and Catholicism coexist peacefully alongside Orthodoxy today. The percentages of adherents of these religions are 18 and 4 percent, respectively. officially separated from the state, but the Constitution states that it must support the clergy financially. This is what is being done in practice today in Montenegro.

Official language

In Montenegro, the official language is Serbian. According to the census conducted in 2003, part of the population (about 21.5%) considers Montenegrin their native language. However, over the last 1.5 centuries it has become practically no different from Serbian. In addition, there are no clearly established modern standards of Montenegrin. Its official dialect is established by the Constitution as the Iekavian dialect, which differs from traditional Serbian mainly in the way the writing conveys the peculiarities of the pronunciation of the sounds “e” and “e”. 2 types of writing are used equally - In the coastal part of the state, the Latin alphabet predominates. For centuries it belonged to Austria-Hungary and Italy. However, as you move north from the coast, towards the borders of Bosnia and Serbia, more and more Cyrillic is used in a state like Montenegro.

Population: nationality and language status

In recent years, work has been carried out to introduce written and spoken Montenegrin language into the framework of traditional linguistics. Of course, the search for a compromise between representatives of different points of view on the issue of officially replacing the concept of “Montenegrin language” with “Montenegrin speech” will be quite lengthy and difficult. The PEN Center Declaration on this issue says that all Slavic languages, with the exception of Montenegrin, have a national, ethnic name. From the point of view of the interests of the nation, as well as from the point of view of science, there is no reason - neither political nor scientific - to deny this language its name. Bosnians living in a country like Montenegro (a population that accounts for about 13.7% of the country's total) speak a language that is similar to Serbian, but with a significant inclusion of Turkic words. After Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence in the mid-90s of the last century, this language began to be officially called Bosnian. Montenegrin Croats (1.1%) speak Croatian, which is close in pronunciation to Montenegrin, but has significant grammatical and lexical differences. Albanians (7.1% of the population), living mainly in the south of Montenegro, speak Albanian. It is used in the Ulcinj community as a second official language. Thus, you see that many nationalities live in a country like Montenegro. The population, whose nationality is Montenegrins, does not officially have its own language. Meanwhile, its share is about 43%.

Education in Montenegro

Almost half of the population of this country remained illiterate at the beginning of the 20th century. The introduction of compulsory schooling for all led to a decline in this level. Today, the literacy rate of residents of Montenegro is one of the highest among states and is approximately 98%. In almost every, even the most remote settlement, there are schools that have 2 levels of education. Secondary education is divided into lower and upper levels. Today, reputable universities operate on the territory of the state, including 7 universities. The cities of Niš, Podgorica, Kraugujevac, Novi Sad and Pristina are home to higher education institutions in this country.

Annual population growth

Demographically, the country of Montenegro is prosperous. The population is steadily replenished with new residents, while the growth is moderate. It is about 3.5% annually. The people of this country honor family ties. Even today they unquestioningly obey the unwritten laws that protect the unity and purity of the family.

Lifespan

In Montenegro, the female population lives on average up to 76 years, and the male population - up to 72. This country has a very well developed healthcare system, but in Montenegro medical care is completely free of charge. The main cause of death for residents of this state is smoking. About 32% is the number of smokers in Montenegro.

Customs and traditions of the inhabitants of Montenegro, interesting facts about the inhabitants of this country

The inhabitants of this country are warm, hospitable and friendly people. Despite the fact that they love to bargain, as a rule, Montenegrins do not shortchange or shortchange buyers. The basis of society is made up of clans, which relate to both territorial and clan affiliation. Clans are, in turn, divided into brotherhoods. Only blood relatives are united in the latter.

Montenegrins, like any other people, are partial to holidays. The people of this country love to dance and sing. To this day, the tradition of oro (Montenegrin round dance) is alive in Montenegro. Its essence is as follows: a circle gathers, which consists of men and women. One of the participants goes to the center of this circle and depicts a flying eagle, while the rest sing at this time. After this, the dancers must replace each other, and sometimes they form a second tier when they climb on each other’s shoulders (it all depends on the mood of the participants).

If you are going to Montenegro, you may be interested in other facts about the inhabitants of this country. For example, they should not be rushed, since Montenegrins are accustomed to a measured and calm pace of life. Montenegro is a country whose population is distinguished by its slowness, because the majority of its inhabitants live in villages and do not see any sense in haste. In this state there is a ban on photographing certain objects (military, ports, energy facilities). Special signs showing a crossed out camera indicate this. If one of the Montenegrins invites you to visit, you should definitely take some gift with you, since it is not customary to go on a visit empty-handed.

On June 5 this year, the Republic of Montenegro, a small Balkan state with a population of no more than 650 thousand people, will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. All 28 NATO member countries have ratified the protocol on Montenegro’s accession to the alliance, and although some formalities still need to be agreed upon, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already congratulated Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic on the “epoch-making event.” The political course pursued by former Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his inner circle (Dushko Markovic, President Filip Vujanovic, etc.), despite the resistance of a significant part of the Montenegrin people, triumphed. Irrevocably and finally? History, of course, knows examples of NATO member states withdrawing from the military organization of this bloc (France, Greece), but this can hardly be expected from Montenegro: it was shown its place at the NATO summit on May 25.

Djukanovic's dictatorship, or The Godfather

Despite the fact that significant masses of the population of Montenegro are involved in protests against NATO, almost the entire intelligentsia, people of various political views, from ultra-liberals to traditionalist patriots, Djukanovic’s regime of personal power looks very solid.

Milo Djukanovic was in power in Montenegro (prime minister of a union republic within Yugoslavia, prime minister of an independent republic, president, minister of defense, etc.) for a total of 26 years. Now, after active protests in the last two years, he has “gone into the shadows”, ceding the reins of power to his longtime comrades Markovic and Vujanovic. At the same time, Djukanovic remains the leader of the ruling party, the Democratic Union of Socialists of Montenegro. And this despite the fact that Djukanovic has been thoroughly mired in scandals for a quarter of a century in power. Criminal cases related to smuggling were opened against him in neighboring Italy; Serbian and opposition Montenegrin media directly call him one of the “godfathers” of the Balkan underworld.

What is the secret of Milo Djukanovic’s unsinkability, which allowed him to lead the country to join NATO and the EU, despite the disapproval of this course by the majority of the population? The answer is economics. As of 2013, Montenegro’s gross domestic product amounted to 7.4 billion euros, of which 64% of GDP came from the service sector. The “service sector” refers primarily to tourism, related trade in real estate in the resort area, etc. The share of revenues from the tourism cluster in the budget of Montenegro is steadily growing; According to Montenegrin experts, today tourism provides more than 70% of the country’s GDP. Such a single-industry economy is extremely unstable and depends entirely on global conditions.

On the “revolutionary” impact of tourism

I remember John Court Campbell, who worked for more than twenty years at the US State Department and then headed the Council on Foreign Relations. The author of half a dozen works on American foreign policy, mainly in Central and Southeastern Europe and the Middle East, Campbell wrote a book about socialist Yugoslavia, Tito's Special Way, in 1967, in which he made a prediction that later came true: unresolved national contradictions would destroy Yugoslavia ( first of all, between Serbs and Croats), loans (Josip Broz Tito took them wherever he could, without thinking about who and how would return them), and also - this point sounded unexpected - TOURISM. “Tourism in modern Europe has the potential to be a more revolutionary force than Marxism...” Campbell wrote.

It is precisely these discussions about tourism as applied to modern Montenegro that interest us. Campbell points out that through tourism the population of Dalmatia and Montenegrin Littoral is increasingly involved in contacts with the West. This leads to the penetration of Western values into a socialist state, but the “revolutionary nature” of tourism for the countries of Eastern Europe, according to Campbell, lies not only and not so much in undermining the ideological monopoly of power. Rapidly developing tourism is changing the mentality of the local population involved in it, changing priorities, ideas about good and bad, useful and harmful. The native language and own history are becoming less and less significant for the population groups involved in tourism.

We can make only one adjustment to John Campbell’s forecasts - tourism has crushed not only Montenegrin Primorye, but all of Montenegro in general. Industrial enterprises built during the years of socialism are mostly idle. Residents of the interior regions of the country, the former industrial centers - Niksic, Danilovgrad, etc., are on the brink of survival, only the tourist Primorye and the government structures existing at its expense, located in Podgorica and Cetinje, are thriving. In the agricultural sector, only wine production is developing, but even then largely using imported raw materials. The quality of this wine, especially in the export version, leaves much to be desired, so the ban by Rospotrebnadzor on the import of Montenegrin wine into Russia (April 26, 2017) can only be welcomed...

Currency quotes instead of Njegos poems

Even the separation of Montenegro from Serbia in 2006 can be seen as a triumph of the tourist mentality over common sense. “What use are the Serbs to us? We share tourism income with Belgrade, but we could keep everything for ourselves... And the Serbs have come to us on vacation, and will continue to come, they have nowhere to go..." - this is how the 55% of the population of Montenegro who voted to secede thought FRY in 2006. Needless to say, the tourist Primorye voted mainly for leaving, while the Montenegrin hinterland, the interior of the country, voted against it. The victory was won by one percent of the votes, which is within the statistical error.

It is no coincidence that at opposition rallies in the Montenegrin capital there are so often calls to “remember the glorious sons of Montenegro”, “remember the heroic times of the fight against the Turks”, “not to betray the legacy of Petr Petrovich Njegos” (Montenegrin metropolitan and secular ruler, educator and poet). These calls are understandable, but, unfortunately, not very effective - residents of the inland regions of the country already remember all this, and among the tourist service staff from Primorye, reading currency quotes has long replaced the poems of Njegos. “Excessive” patriotism is even harmful to the tourism cluster, just as any political and economic shocks are harmful to the tourism sector.

Actually, this is what Djukanovic’s power is based on – on representing the interests of the “tourist” part of Montenegro, on maintaining the status quo at any cost. The fact that the development of the country according to the “tourist” model ultimately leads to a complete erosion of national identity, to the transformation of the state into an appendage of hotel trusts such as Hyatt or Hilton, does not matter as long as “the money flows.”

The conclusion from all this is that a change in the Djukanovic regime can only occur as a result of the breakdown of the entire system of socio-economic relations existing today in Montenegro. This means that corruption schemes in the field of tourism must be broken, and, more importantly, tourism must cease to serve as virtually the only source of the budget. In this case, power would move from Primorye to the interior regions, where the bulk of the inhabitants, all industry and agriculture are concentrated. If this does not happen, then we will probably see Djukanovic leave the post of head of the ruling party (his figure is not very convenient for the West), but then the state and the party will simply be headed by another Djukanovic appointee. A single-industry tourist state, which Montenegro has become through the efforts of Djukanovic, simply has no other way than joining the EU and NATO.

In conclusion, a few words from myself and about myself. The Montenegrin pro-government press has more than once accused me of facilitating a coup in this country with the aim of overthrowing Djukanovic. I officially declare: I did not participate in the preparation of the coup, I did not personally know any of the conspirators. And in general, I seriously doubt that the preparation of the so-called coup took place. All sources available today indicate that the “coup” was staged by the Montenegrin security service. At the same time, I am an opponent of Djukanovic and what he turned Montenegro into, because I love this country and, as a historian, I know well what it was like just recently. The courage and proud spirit of the Montenegrin people are sung by many Russian poets, from Pushkin to Vysotsky; It was in this capacity – a proud, unshakably steadfast people – that the Montenegrins entered Russian culture. It is bitter to realize that both national pride and historical memory have been taken away from Montenegrins, and the country itself may soon be renamed Montenegro - it’s better for tourism.

On the “revolutionary” impact of tourism on public policy

On June 5 this year, the Republic of Montenegro, a small Balkan state with a population of no more than 650 thousand people, will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. All 28 NATO member countries have ratified the protocol on Montenegro's accession to the alliance, and although some formalities still need to be agreed upon, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already congratulated Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic on the “epoch-making event.” The political course pursued by former Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his inner circle (Dushko Markovic, President Filip Vujanovic, etc.), despite the resistance of a significant part of the Montenegrin people, triumphed. Irrevocably and finally? History, of course, knows examples of NATO member states withdrawing from the military organization of this bloc (France, Greece), but this can hardly be expected from Montenegro: it indicatedin her place at the NATO summit on May 25.

Despite the fact that significant masses of the Montenegrin population are involved in protests against NATO, almost the entire intelligentsia, people of various political views, from ultra-liberals to traditionalist patriots, Djukanovic’s regime of personal power looks very solid.

As of 2013, Montenegro’s gross domestic product amounted to 7.4 billion euros, of which 64% of GDP came from the service sector. The “service sector” refers primarily to tourism, related trade in real estate in the resort area, etc. The share of revenues from the tourism cluster in the budget of Montenegro is steadily growing; According to Montenegrin experts, today tourism provides more than 70% of the country’s GDP. Such a single-industry economy is extremely unstable and depends entirely on global conditions.

Rapidly developing tourism is changing the mentality of the local population involved in it, changing priorities, ideas about good and bad, useful and harmful. The native language and own history are becoming less and less significant for the population groups involved in tourism.

Montenegro is a small European state located on the Balkan Peninsula, washed by the Adriatic Sea. Despite the ancient history, the official restoration of the country's independence occurred only in 2006. In 2019, the population of Montenegro is about 629.2 thousand people, of which just under half are ethnic Montenegrins and about a third are Serbs.

It is noteworthy that the annual number of tourists visiting Montenegrin resorts is several times greater than the population itself. Accordingly, this area is the main source of employment and forms the lion's share of the state budget. Therefore, work in Montenegro for Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians in 2019 is mainly related to tourism and related services.

There are vacancies for foreigners in other areas, for example, construction, but it should be taken into account that unemployment rate in Montenegro exceeds 18%. On the other hand, in recent years the country has been actively developing the economy, in particular, attracting foreign investment, modernizing infrastructure, and carrying out tax reforms. All this contributes to the emergence of new vacancies and increases the demand for labor from abroad.

For successful employment in Montenegro, in addition to qualifications, it is advisable to speak one of the local languages - Montenegrin (official) or Serbian, which is spoken by the majority of residents. English is required almost without fail. A big plus is a well-spoken Russian language, because there are plenty of tourists and businessmen from Russia in the country.

Montenegro uses the euro as a currency, although it is not part of the European Union, while this issue is only being actively discussed. Some structural problems, such as corruption, have not yet been fully resolved. We’ll talk about how to find a job in Montenegro in 2019, available vacancies and salaries, as well as the relocation procedure itself later in the article.

Due to the fact that Montenegro is not a member of the EU, when looking for a job, labor migrants from CIS countries, for example, Ukrainians and Russians, are practically on equal terms with Europeans. The main competition for foreign workers from third countries is predominantly local residents. For official employment in Montenegro, a foreign specialist must have the following documents:

A work permit and, on this basis, a temporary residence permit.
Labor contract.
Place to live (lease agreement or owned property).

The main task of the applicant is to find a Montenegrin company that will agree to hire a foreigner and will be prepared for possible time and bureaucratic risks. The decision to issue a work permit is made by the local employment agency. To do this, the employer sends a corresponding application to the department indicating compelling reasons for hiring a foreign specialist.

In addition, it is required to provide proof of qualifications indicating the ability to perform professional duties and a certificate of health of the future employee. Application review period no more than 30 days. As a rule, the document is issued for a period from 3 to 12 months with the right of subsequent extension. It is easy to guess that experience, education, skills and knowledge of foreign languages will be decisive factors for successful employment in Montenegro.

Types of work permits in Montenegro

Personal work permit. Issued to foreigners who have permanent resident status. The document allows you to work in Montenegro without any restrictions, on an equal basis with local residents. It is of an unlimited duration; in special cases it can be issued for one year.

Work permit. The usual right to work in Montenegro, on the basis of which an employment contract is concluded. The standard document is issued for one year, with the right to extend for another two years.

Work permit. As a rule, it is used for temporary or seasonal employment for a short period, usually up to 6 months. The terms are specified in the employment contract.

Certain categories of foreign workers do not require a work permit in Montenegro; this usually means temporary work. These could be, for example, athletes, scientists, representatives of creative professions, journalists, diplomats.

Important . The holder of a work permit in Montenegro does not have the right to change employer and workplace beyond the scope of the current employment contract.

Quotas for the admission of foreigners in Montenegro

To maintain maximum employment of the local population and depending on the situation on the labor market, the Government of Montenegro annually, until October 31, publishes a fixed number of work permits that can be issued to foreigners. The relevant departments conduct an in-depth analysis of areas of activity, professions, and territorial needs for specialists, and on this basis special quotas are formed.

holders of a personal work permit;
family members of Montenegrin citizens, foreigners with permanent residence and refugees (spouses and children under 21 years of age);
professional athletes and sports workers with a valid contract
foreign specialists working in Montenegro on the basis of international treaties;
teachers of Montenegrin universities providing education in the language of ethnic minorities;
representatives of foreign companies.

How to find a job in Montenegro. Search for vacancies without intermediaries.

To find decent work in Montenegro in 2019, it is extremely important for foreigners, including Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, to have sufficient language skills. First of all, these are Montenegrin, Serbian and English. To the same extent, it is desirable to have certain experience and qualifications in your field of activity.

If we are talking about employment in the tourism sector, then it is definitely worth going to Montenegro in advance and getting acquainted with the available vacancies on the spot, and then trying to contact the employer directly. Many establishments, for example, cafes, bars, salons, shops, place advertisements directly on the streets in public places. In addition, there is a chance to meet Russian-speaking residents or immigrants who can provide practical assistance in finding employment.

In other cases, the Internet will help you find a job in Montenegro.

State Employment Agency - zzzcg.me 770 euros per month. Remains after taxes about 510 euros. Minimum wage from July 1 - 222 euros (net).

Somewhere on 300-500 euros Foreigners can also count per month. If we take the popular vacancies in Montenegro for Russians and Ukrainians in 2019, then two industries clearly stand out - tourism and construction. In the first case, this is work at numerous resorts, for example, waiters, bartenders, cooks, cleaners, maids and other service personnel are required.

Specialists of various professions can find work in construction, from a qualified project manager to an ordinary laborer. This area is quite in demand, as the number of investments and construction of new facilities is constantly increasing. It is quite difficult for foreigners to apply for other types of vacancies in Montenegro. You can try your luck in real estate, marketing and information technology.

Djukanovic's dictatorship, or The Godfather

On the “revolutionary” impact of tourism

Currency quotes instead of Njegos poems