This article is about the demographic features of the population of Montenegro, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The 2003 census was undertaken by Montenegro, which, together with Serbia, constituted Serbia and Montenegro. The census population was 620,145 (including diaspora 672,656).
Montenegros statistics body maintains demographic information:
The vast majority (over 90%) of the population of Montenegro is of Slavic origin. Albanians make up 5 percent of the population (4.9% at the 2011 census), while there is also a small Romani minority (0.8% at the 2011 census). The Slavic population of Montenegro uses a large diversity in ethnic identities to describe their ethnicity. During the first decades after WW II most Slavic people identified themselves as Montenegrins, with less than 2% Serbs and less than 2% Croats in 1948. During the last decades of the existence of Yugoslavia up to 5% of the population declared themselves Yugoslavs (South-Slavs). During and after the Yugoslav Wars the ethnic identity of the Serbs (and in general the political influence of Serbia) became increasingly important in Montenegro and at the 2003 census almost one third of the population identified themselves as Serbs. The Serbs live mostly along the borders with Bosnia and Serbia, while the Montenegrins live in the center of the country. The Slavic population are in majority Orthodox Christians, but there is also a large Muslim minority, like in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although most of the Slavic Muslims initially also identified themselves as Montenegrins, gradually over time more and more Slavic Muslims started to use Muslim as an ethnic identity instead of only a religious identity. After the Yugoslav Wars this changed again and at the 2003 and 2011 census most Slavic Muslims declared themselves Bosniaks, because they have relations with Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and mostly live in the northeast of Montenegro.