Birth and age
According to the official census of 2022, the country has a population of 604,000. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), life expectancy at birth in 2022 was 73 years for men and 79 for women. There are more births than deaths, however the difference is too small. There are 10 births per 1,000 population, and 11 deaths per 1,000 population.
Thus, while the birth rate is then 10 ‰, the death rate has steadily declined from 11 ‰.
Education
According to UNICEF, the country's literacy rate is over 95%. Elementary school is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. The first foreign language is taught at a very early age, from 6 years old, and from 11 years old, the various subjects are no longer taught by a single teacher but by several subject specialists. According to the constitution adopted in 2007, members of national and ethnic groups, such as Montenegrins of Albanian origin, have the right to education in their native language. All high schools provide general education, with compulsory subjects and options. At the end of their four-year secondary education, students must pass a graduation exam, also known as the matura, which allows them to continue on to university or college. The end of this exam is usually celebrated during a big ball where young girls and boys dress up in their most elegant dresses and suits.
Access to university is conditioned by an entrance exam. The number of students is limited each year and they are selected according to their results in the entrance exam. The University of Montenegro, with its headquarters in Podgorica, was founded in 1974, spread over fifteen locations, in the capital and also in Cetinje, Kotor, Herceg Novi and Nikšić. Approximately 25,000 students are enrolled there. For specialized sciences, Montenegrin students often go to study in Belgrade or Novi Sad, Serbia. The proximity to Italy also leads more and more young Montenegrins to study in Italy.
Family
The concept of family is very important to Montenegrins. The country has more than 130,000 married couples with children. Marriage is still an important tradition that young people still adhere to. Montenegrin society, although tolerant, is still attached to tradition in certain areas. Weddings are often performed in two ceremonies: one civil and one religious. One tradition is for the groom to shoot an apple from a tree branch hanging from the roof of the father's house. This exercise, which is similar to a rite, attests to the protective strength of the man and the apple symbolizes virginity. If he does not succeed, he can be helped by a man of his family who is considered more skilled. It is quite common to find households where several generations live together, especially in rural areas.
Rural and urban
In 2019, about 33% of the Montenegrin population is considered rural, according to World Bank estimates. These families have often been living in the countryside for several generations, and are generally attached to their land, which they cultivate.
The younger generation tends to move to the cities, first for education and then for work. As professional opportunities are more numerous elsewhere, they do not hesitate to leave their country for neighboring countries. A youth eager for exchanges, achievements and enriching experiences.
Clans and tribes
Traditionally, Montenegrin society was organized into families, clans and tribes. If for subsistence matters the extended family was the privileged place of decision, political, social or moral arbitration was in the hands of the clan alone. Based on patriarchy and collective decision-making, these clans each had their own chiefs who met regularly in assemblies to resolve conflicts between tribes and decide on relations with their neighbors. Until the appearance of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty at the end of the 17th century, this "assembly of elders" was the only governing body in Montenegro. During the reign of the prince-bishops, the chiefs of these tribes continued to exert significant political influence, and many remained active political figures until Montenegro became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. According to the Serbian geographer Jovan Cviji (1865-1927), in the 19th century there were twenty-one tribes(plemena) on the territory of Montenegro, to which should be added twenty-five tribes that lived dispersed on territories that were not yet part of Montenegro.
Today, the clan system still exists, although it is less visible and more informal. Thus, it is common knowledge that an elite of about twenty families share the real power over the country. The concept of čojstvo i junaštvo (dignity and courage) remains important and reflects the warrior past of the inhabitants. These are virtues to which Montenegrins are very attached.
The vendetta or clan conflicts
Like their Albanian neighbors, Montenegrins have long practiced the law of blood(krvna osveta), literally translated as "the revenge of blood", better known as vendetta, a term which in Mediterranean regions designates revenge for a murder or simple offense that involves all relatives and causes two families to clash over a long period.
Although more pronounced in Albania, in Montenegro, if vendettas continue, it is often the elders of each family and the Orthodox bishops who act as mediators to reconcile the families. It should be noted that some reconciliations can take the form of a union and end in marriage.
Homosexuality
Since 1977, it is no longer a crime to be homosexual in Montenegro. But same-sex couples struggle to claim the same rights and social protections as heterosexual couples. The country's first Gay Pride took place in 2013 in Budva, where many anti-gay protesters joined the procession that ended in clashes and riots.
A recent law was passed by parliament allowing civil unions for same-sex couples on July1, 2020. It does not, however, allow for the right to adopt. This is a step forward for the LGBT community and for equal rights for homosexuals, but there is still a long way to go. Montenegrin society remains very conservative, with 45 per cent of the population saying they are against displays of affection by same-sex couples in the public space, although they do not deny their presence and their right to freedom of sexual orientation. With the elected representatives of the opposition, who had previously boycotted the vote, now in power, there is no guarantee that additional efforts will be made to recognize the rights of the LGBT community, which is very present in the capital, Podgorica.
