In 25 years, 140,000 citizens have left Montenegro, which, according to the number of inhabitants, is like two towns of Niksic. Last year alone, 5,000 citizens left the country. The reasons for migration are the inability to earn, party-affiliated employment and general instability in society.
The number of those who leave Montenegro is almost equal to the number of newborns in a year. And when the years are added up, at least the last 25 years, the figure reached is worrying, says Srdjan Peric of the Reversal movement.
“Over 140,000 people have left Montenegro. It’s like two towns of Niksic, or it’s like Niksic, Pljevlja, Herceg Novi, Zabljak and Savnik”, says Peric.
Last year alone, 5,000 people looked for a better place to live.
“They are leaving because they cannot come to terms with the socio-political circumstances, they are bothered by the constant political friction, the fact that we are still living in the past, the fact that nationalism and the right are growing – these are the things that drive highly qualified people out”, says the youth activist Andrea Micanovic.
Peric points out that “in order to stop that trend, you must offer people the opportunity to prosper independently in Montenegro. It is possible, but the price we pay, essentially, due to the dominance of parties that literally decide on every workplace, demotivates young people”.
According to last year’s data from MONSTAT, nearly 618,000 inhabitants live in Montenegro. This is only 3,000 more than in 1991, which points to great stagnation, especially compared to the end of the last millennium.
