Montenegro population pyramid 2026
626,233 people in 2026 (projected). Montenegro’s pyramid is almost a column: every five-year band from 0 to 69 holds between about 34,000 and 44,000 people.
- 2026 population
- 626.2Krank 171 of 237
- Median age
- 40.4 yearsoldest rank 59
- Fertility rate
- 1.79births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older18.8% age 65+
Montenegro population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Montenegro age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 17.7% of the population, while 18.8% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 63.6% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Montenegro’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 57.3: about 57 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (27.8 children and 29.5 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Montenegro’s population pyramid
A gradual transition without a collapse
Montenegro’s fertility fell early but gently, from about 4.4 children per woman in 1950 to 2.7 in 1970 and 1.9 by 1990, and it has stayed close to 1.8 ever since. Many other former socialist countries saw births plunge in the 1990s; Montenegro did not, so its pyramid has no deep notch from that decade. Instead successive generations are of similar size, and the 2026 pyramid is nearly rectangular up to about 70, with the 40–49 bands only slightly wider than the rest. That steadiness helps explain why its overall age structure is closest to those of Barbados, North Macedonia and, less obviously, the United States.
Emigration and the sexes
The 1950 pyramid shows the losses of the Second World War, with only about 70 men per 100 women at 30–34. Emigration has been persistent since: about 111,000 more people left than arrived in 1950–99 and about 33,000 in 2000–23, sizeable for a population of around 600,000. Deaths first exceeded births in 2020, and the population is projected to have peaked in 2024.
There are about 109 boys per 100 girls at ages 10–14 and a sex ratio at birth of about 106.5, a little above the usual level; the chart alone cannot establish why. At the top, women live about six years longer than men, and there are 79 men per 100 women at 70–74 and 50 at 80–84.
Under the medium scenario the population declines to about 533,000 in 2050 and 326,000 in 2100, roughly half the peak, and the column gradually becomes top-heavy.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Montenegro’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Deaths have exceeded births every year since 2020. People aged 65 and older came to outnumber children under 15 between 2023 and 2025.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Montenegro is projected to record 6,694 births (about 18 births a day) and 7,273 deaths, a natural decrease of 579. Net migration adds −2,824 people, ranking #215 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 192,755 births, 154,763 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −32,839. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −56,838 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 80.7 years59.2 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 74.3 years56.7 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 17.2 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 1.8per 1,000 births · 92 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 3.1per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 30.5 yearssex ratio at birth 106.5
Women in Montenegro are projected to live 6.4 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 92 to 1.8 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #225 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 30.5 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Montenegro
The median age of 40.4 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.79 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 626,233 | #171 | Largest first |
| Median age | 40.4 years | #59 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.79 | #125 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.5% | #209 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 77.6 years | #93 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 18.8% | #54 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Montenegro
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40–44 | 44,128 | 7.0% | 22K / 22.1K |
| 2 | 45–49 | 43,530 | 7.0% | 21K / 22.5K |
| 3 | 50–54 | 40,956 | 6.5% | 19.3K / 21.7K |
| 4 | 15–19 | 40,120 | 6.4% | 20.6K / 19.5K |
| 5 | 60–64 | 39,970 | 6.4% | 18.6K / 21.3K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Montenegro has 301,642 males and 324,591 females. That is 92.9 males per 100 females, ranking #198 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.2% of the population and females for 51.8%. There are 22,949 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 68.5 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 106.5 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Montenegro has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 402,512 in 1950 to 626,233 in 2026, a change of 56%. Over the same span, median age moved from 20.7 to 40.4 years.
The under-15 share changed from 35.5% to 17.7%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 7.8% to 18.8%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Montenegro’s population is projected to decline by about 15%, reaching 533,295 in 2050. The median age changes from 40.4 to 45.1 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 7.8 percentage points to 26.6%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 14.8%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 638,479 in 2024. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 402,512 | 20.7 | 4.36 | 58.0 | 12,355 | 5,892 | +653 | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 471,197 | 21.7 | 3.53 | 65.7 | 13,492 | 4,526 | −2,467 | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 529,671 | 22.6 | 2.69 | 70.4 | 11,168 | 3,862 | −2,013 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 584,820 | 25.4 | 2.22 | 72.2 | 10,714 | 4,195 | −450 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 620,497 | 28.7 | 1.94 | 73.9 | 9,634 | 4,507 | −1,705 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 634,194 | 32.3 | 1.90 | 73.6 | 9,161 | 5,609 | −3,734 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 632,088 | 35.3 | 1.73 | 75.7 | 8,064 | 6,130 | −2,276 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 607,935 | 38.7 | 1.83 | 75.9 | 7,114 | 7,519 | −3,310 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 633,552 | 39.3 | 1.80 | 77.1 | 6,981 | 7,209 | +12,000 | +1.9% |
| 2024* | 638,479 | 39.6 | 1.80 | 77.3 | 7,058 | 7,283 | −1,686 | -0.3% |
| 2026* | 626,233 | 40.4 | 1.79 | 77.6 | 6,694 | 7,273 | −2,824 | -0.5% |
| 2030* | 612,562 | 41.6 | 1.78 | 78.3 | 6,305 | 7,310 | −2,509 | -0.6% |
| 2040* | 574,434 | 43.7 | 1.75 | 79.9 | 5,730 | 7,531 | −2,175 | -0.7% |
| 2050* | 533,295 | 45.1 | 1.73 | 81.5 | 5,041 | 7,413 | −1,870 | -0.8% |
| 2060* | 489,254 | 46.9 | 1.72 | 83.0 | 4,199 | 7,065 | −1,668 | -0.9% |
| 2070* | 444,455 | 49.0 | 1.71 | 84.3 | 3,752 | 6,750 | −1,445 | -1.0% |
| 2080* | 402,210 | 50.3 | 1.70 | 85.6 | 3,323 | 6,138 | −1,241 | -1.0% |
| 2090* | 363,412 | 51.4 | 1.69 | 86.8 | 2,794 | 5,530 | −1,050 | -1.0% |
| 2100* | 326,015 | 52.9 | 1.69 | 87.9 | 2,460 | 5,214 | −970 | -1.1% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 17,841 | 16,599 | 34,440 | 5.5% |
| 5–9 | 19,201 | 17,724 | 36,925 | 5.9% |
| 10–14 | 20,450 | 18,745 | 39,195 | 6.3% |
| 15–19 | 20,625 | 19,495 | 40,120 | 6.4% |
| 20–24 | 19,008 | 18,229 | 37,237 | 5.9% |
| 25–29 | 18,612 | 17,977 | 36,589 | 5.8% |
| 30–34 | 19,096 | 18,558 | 37,654 | 6.0% |
| 35–39 | 19,549 | 19,233 | 38,782 | 6.2% |
| 40–44 | 21,988 | 22,140 | 44,128 | 7.0% |
| 45–49 | 21,036 | 22,494 | 43,530 | 7.0% |
| 50–54 | 19,274 | 21,682 | 40,956 | 6.5% |
| 55–59 | 18,542 | 20,601 | 39,143 | 6.3% |
| 60–64 | 18,624 | 21,346 | 39,970 | 6.4% |
| 65–69 | 17,456 | 20,637 | 38,093 | 6.1% |
| 70–74 | 14,531 | 18,375 | 32,906 | 5.3% |
| 75–79 | 8,869 | 13,853 | 22,722 | 3.6% |
| 80–84 | 3,854 | 7,779 | 11,633 | 1.9% |
| 85–89 | 2,325 | 5,946 | 8,271 | 1.3% |
| 90–94 | 652 | 2,434 | 3,086 | 0.5% |
| 95–99 | 102 | 650 | 752 | 0.1% |
| 100+ | 7 | 96 | 103 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Montenegro’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Barbados97% overlap · median age 39.7
- North Macedonia97% overlap · median age 41.4
- United States96% overlap · median age 38.7
- Ireland96% overlap · median age 39.2
- New Zealand96% overlap · median age 38.0
- Belgium96% overlap · median age 42.1
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Montenegro.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Montenegro Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/montenegro/
MLA
“Montenegro Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/montenegro/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Montenegro Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/montenegro/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Montenegro in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Montenegro's population in 2026 is projected at 626,233.
What is the median age in Montenegro?
The projected median age in Montenegro in 2026 is 40.4 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Montenegro?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.79 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Montenegro's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 15%, from 626.2K to 533.3K.
What share of Montenegro is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 18.8% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 26.6%.
How many babies are born in Montenegro each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 6,694 births and 7,273 deaths in 2026, about 18 births a day. Deaths exceed births by 579.
What is life expectancy in Montenegro for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 80.7 years for women and 74.3 years for men, a gap of 6.4 years in favour of women.
Does Montenegro have more immigrants or emigrants?
Montenegro is projected to lose about 2,824 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −32,839.
What is the sex ratio in Montenegro?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 92.9 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.