Country Name: Montenegro

Capital: Podgorica

Government Type: parliamentary republic

Background: The use of the name Crna Gora or Black Mountain (Montenegro) began in the 13th century in reference to a highland region in the Serbian province of Zeta. 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. Montenegro fought a series of wars with the Ottomans and eventually won recognition as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1918, the country was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. At the end of World War II, Montenegro joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). When the SFRY dissolved in 1992, Montenegro and Serbia created the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), which shifted in 2003 to a looser State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro voted to restore its independence on 3 June 2006. Montenegro became an official EU candidate in 2010 and joined NATO in 2017.

Continent: Europe

Population: 602,445 (2023 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Montenegrin 45%, Serbian 28.7%, Bosniak 8.7%, Albanian 4.9%, Muslim 3.3%, Romani 1%, Croat 1%, other 2.6%, unspecified 4.9% (2011 est.)

Languages: Serbian 42.9%, Montenegrin (official) 37%, Bosnian 5.3%, Albanian 5.3%, Serbo-Croat 2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 4% (2011 est.)

Religions: Orthodox 72.1%, Muslim 19.1%, Catholic 3.4%, atheist 1.2%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6% (2011 est.)

Economic Overview: upper middle-income Balkan economy; unsanctioned euro user; controversial religious property ownership law; persistent corruption; major infrastructure investments and high expenditures; growing offshore banking destination

Currency: European Euro (EUR)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $2.041 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $13.646 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Real GDP Growth Rate: 6.41% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per Capita: $22,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Exports: 

• $3.178 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 150

Export Commodities: copper ore, aluminum, electricity, dried legumes, packaged medicines, lead, scrap iron, lumber (2021)

Export Partners: Serbia 17%, Hungary 15%, China 11%, Russia 7%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 6%, Germany 6%, Italy 5%, Poland 5% (2019)

Imports: 

• $4.614 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 153

Import Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, recreational boats, cigarettes (2019)

Import Partners: Serbia 30%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 8%, Croatia 8%, Italy 6%, Greece 6%, Germany 5% (2019)

Natural Resources: bauxite, hydroelectricity

Agricultural Products: milk, potatoes, grapes, vegetables, tomatoes, watermelons, wheat, apples, cabbages, barley

Industries: steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 

• -5.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

• Comparison Ranking: 203

Labor Force: 284,000 (2022 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 15.25% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Natural Hazards: destructive earthquakes

Geography:

• Total: 13,812 sq km

• Land: 13,452 sq km

• Water: 360 sq km

(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)

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