ZAGREB, 25 Jan(Hina) - The preliminary results of the latest census show that Montenegro has a population of 633,158, 2% more than in 2011, according to data provided by the Montenegrin statistical office Monstat on Thursday. Presenting the first results, Snežana Remiković of Monstat said that the data concerned only the number of people living in this small Balkan country. The agency has not yet published results concerning the ethnic structure of the population, the languages used in the country and religious communities. Those data can be expected in the second half of 2024. The census, conducted in December 2023, shows that the number of inhabitants has increased in Podgorica, Nikšić, Bar and Bijelo Polje, where more than a half of the country's population lives. The capital city of Podgorica has a quarter of the country's total population - 180,000 inhabitants or 22,000 more than in the previous census. On the other hand, the mountainous communities of Šavnik, Plužine and Žabljak are the most sparsely populated. The findings show that there are 217,441 households in Montenegro, whereas the number of dwellings is higher, 396,873. The last census was conducted amid controversies and political bickering between Montenegrins and the pro-Serbian camp, with the Serbian Orthodox Church calling on Montenegrins to declare themselves as Serbs who speak Serbian, which prompted pro-Montenegrin political parties to threaten to boycott the census. According to the 2011 census, Montenegro had 625,000 inhabitants, 45% of whom declared themselves as Montenegrins, 28% as Serbs, 9% as Bosniaks, 5% as ethnic Albanians, and 1% as ethnic Croats. At the time, 43% of the population said they spoke Serbian and 37% said they spoke Montenegrin. (Hina) ms