Montenegro’s population increased to 633,158 in 2023, from 620,029 in 2011, which is a rise by some 2% in the past twelve years, the statistics office said, citing preliminary data from a census held last year.

The number of households also rose in the review period - by 15% to 217,441 last year, the statistics office said in a statement on Thursday.

The Adriatic municipality of Budva saw the highest increase in resident numbers - by 39% to 26,667 over the review period.

At the same time, the north-western municipality of Pluzine registered the sharpest decline - by 31% to 2,232 last year.

The residents of the capital Podrorica and the surrounding area increased almost 14% in the twelve-year period to 180,186 in 2023. Podgorica remained the largest city and municipality in Montenegro, followed by the western municipality of Niksic, whose population shrank 8% to 66,725 in the period under review, and the coastal municipality of Bar, which saw a 10% increase in population to 46,171.

The statistics office will release the final data of the census in the second half of 2024.