Romani people in Montenegro
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5,629 (2023 census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Berane Municipality (2.20%) Podgorica Municipality (1.91%) Ulcinj Municipality (1.26%) Tuzi Municipality (0.91%) | |
| Languages | |
| Balkan Romani, Albanian, Serbian, Montenegrin | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy |
The oldest settled group are the Kovači (Blacksmiths), a subgroup of the Arlije, who have lived there since the Middle Ages and who converted to Islam during the Ottoman period, they do not speak Balkan Romani, but rather Montenegrin language or Albanian language, they live especially in the towns of Bar, Montenegro and Ulcinj. They do not want to be called Roma and distance themselves from other Roma groups. They have no roma traditions. They call themselves only as Muslims.[2][3]
There are also the Gurbeti who belong to the Čergarja group, they were once nomadic. In the 1960s they became sedentary. Most of them have the Christian faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church.[4][5]
Then there are Muslim Roma, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians refugees, who came to Montenegro during the Kosovo War in 1999.[6]
The Romani population in Montenegro faces heightened susceptibility to human trafficking and exploitation through prostitution, pornography and forced begging. Within Montenegro, adolescents of Romani descent have frequently engaged in commercial sexual work, with documented evidence indicating that a number of these individuals have experienced sex trafficking victimization.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2023" (PDF). Monstat.org. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ↑ "Advancing Education of Roma in Montenegro" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Roma in Montenegro". Minorityrights.org. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ Zahova, Sofiya (January 2013). "Gypsies/Roma in Montenegro: Group identity and the role of language". In: Schrammel-Leber, Barbara and Tiefenbacher, Barbara, Eds. Grazer Romani Publikationen 02: Romani V. Papers from the Annual Meeting of the Gypsy Lore Society.
- ↑ Vukadinović, Srđan (2008). "The Status of Gypsies in Montenegro" (PDF). Facta Universitatis. 2: 517–525.
- ↑ "Move on: Roma refugees from Kosovo in Montenegro". European Roma Rights Centre.
- ↑ "2025 Trafficking in Persons Report: Montenegro".
- ↑ "Montenegro" (PDF).
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