Montenegro's population: how many people, and where

Montenegro is a country of few people, and you notice it as soon as you leave the coast. The December 2023 census counted 623,633, a figure that has barely moved since 2011, when it was 620,029. Here’s how that population is spread out, using the final results from MONSTAT, the national statistics office.

623,633, not 633,158

First, a warning I think matters. In January 2024 MONSTAT released an early count of 633,158, and that number still gets quoted. The final results of the same census came down to 623,633, with 306,807 men and 316,826 women and an average age of 39.73. That’s the figure I use throughout this guide and the only one worth quoting.

Where people live

The population is heavily concentrated. Podgorica’s municipality has 179,505 residents, 28.78% of the country, followed by Nikšić with 65,705, Bar with 45,812 and Bijelo Polje with 38,662. At the other end are Šavnik with 1,569, Plužine with 2,177 and Žabljak with 2,941, all three in the northern mountains. Counting every municipality, the census lists 1,462 settlements. The full table, with area and visitor numbers for each, is in cities in Montenegro.

For a visitor that has a practical upshot. Away from Podgorica and the coast, villages are small, and up north you’ll pass hamlets with only a few dozen residents. Plan fuel stops and meals with that in mind.

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Communities, as the census records them

Montenegro is home to several communities, and the census asks each person which one they identify with. In 2023, 41.12% declared themselves Montenegrin, 32.93% Serbian, 9.45% Bosniak and 4.97% Albanian, with smaller groups of Russians, Muslims as a nationality, Roma and Croats. There are also 640 people who call themselves ‘Bokelji’, from the Bay of Kotor. These are personal declarations, and in a travel guide I simply pass them on.

Religion and language are separate questions. Most people declare themselves Orthodox, with a Muslim minority and a Catholic one, as I explain in religion in Montenegro. For mother tongue, Serbian and Montenegrin are the two most declared, which is covered in the Montenegro language guide.

Foreign residents and dual nationals

The census also records citizenship. 90.73% hold Montenegrin citizenship, 10,691 people have dual citizenship and 46,878 have foreign citizenship only. Among foreign residents, the biggest groups are from Russia (13,550), Serbia (13,031) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (5,050).

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More visitors than residents

The comparison that strikes me most is tourism. In 2024 Montenegro recorded 2,606,854 tourist arrivals, more than four times its population, and 111,844 of them came from the UK. Budva, a municipality of 27,445 people, saw 848,515 arrivals. That’s why the coast feels like a different country in August while the interior stays so quiet, and why it pays to understand Montenegro’s three regions before choosing where to stay.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Podgorica for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.