Languages of Montenegro arelanguages that are spoken inMontenegro. According to theConstitution of Montenegro that was adopted in 2007, Montenegro has only oneofficial language, specified asMontenegrin, even thoughSerbian is used by 43% of the population and Montenegrin by 35% of population.[1] There is an ongoing debate about the distinct nature of Montenegrin language in relation to theSerbo-Croatian dialectal continuum.[2][3] Montenegrin can be written in both theLatin andCyrillic alphabets, but there is a growing political movement to use only the Latin alphabet.
Legally recognized minority languages areAlbanian,Bosnian, andCroatian. As of 2017, Albanian is an official language of the municipalities ofPodgorica,Ulcinj,Bar,Pljevlja,Rozaje andTuzi.[4]Additionally, there are a few hundred Italians in Montenegro, concentrated in theBay of Kotor (Cattaro).
Romani is a protected language.[5]
TheEuropean Charter for Regional or Minority Languages entered into force inMontenegro in June 2006, following the independence of Montenegro from the State Union ofSerbia and Montenegro on 3 June 2006.[6] TheConstitution of Montenegro from 2007 states thatMontenegrin is theofficial language of the country, whileBosnian,Croatian,Serbian andAlbanian are languages in official use.[7] The Constitution states that languages in official use are those of groups that form at least 1% of the population of Montenegro, as per the 2003 population census.[7] The Law on National Minorities specifies that the percentage of members of national minorities in total population of the local government should be 15% in order for their language and script to be introduced in official use.[8] Media founded by the Montenegro government are obliged to broadcast news, cultural, educational, sports and entertainment programs in minority languages.[8] Minorities and their members have the right to education in their language in regular and vocational education.[8]
| Map | Dialect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Eastern Herzegovinian | *Dialect spoken in the western and northwestern regions of the country. |
| Zeta–Raška | *Dialect spoken in the eastern and southeastern parts of the country. |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2006 edition.)| Official language | |
|---|---|
| Minority languages | |
| Sign languages | |
See Also:Minority languages of Montenegro | |
