According to the latest population census conducted in December 2023, 41.1% of Montenegrin citizens identify as Montenegrin, while 32.9% declare themselves as Serbian. These results were published on Tuesday by the country's Statistical Office, MONSTAT. Compared to the previous census in 2011, when 45% identified as Montenegrin and around 29% as Serbian, there has been an increase in the proportion of Serbs and a decrease in Montenegrins.
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| On the coast of Montenegro and the flag of this country |
The new data also shows that the population of Montenegro consists of 9.45% Bosniaks, 4.97% Albanians, 2% Russians, and 1.6% Muslims. The percentage of Albanians has remained stable compared to the 2011 census, where they accounted for 4.91% of the population (30,439 people), now totaling 30,978.
Additionally, around 2.8% of the population chose not to declare their ethnicity. Montenegro's total population now stands at 623,633, marking a 0.6% increase compared to 2011.
Regarding language, 36.2% of citizens reported speaking Montenegrin, while 43.5% speak Serbian. In terms of religion, 71.1% of the population identify as Orthodox Christians, 20% as Muslims, and 3.2% as Catholics.
The regular census was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later delayed multiple times due to opposition distrust of the process. The Democratic Party of Socialists consistently expressed concerns that the true aim of the census was to increase the number of Serbs in Montenegro and reduce the number of Montenegrins.
For months, pro-Serbian and pro-Russian political forces and media ran campaigns urging citizens to identify as Serbs. The Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch, Porfirije, also joined the campaign, calling on citizens to declare themselves part of the Serbian people, Orthodox Christians under the Serbian Orthodox Church, and speakers of the Serbian language.
Leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church have historically denied the existence of a distinct Montenegrin identity, classifying Montenegrins as part of the broader Serbian ethnic group. At the time, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić frequently emphasized the importance of the census in determining the number of Serbs living in Montenegro.