Bihor region faces demographic decline as student enrollment drops

The Bihor region in northern Montenegro is experiencing a significant demographic crisis characterized by falling birth rates and high migration. In the municipality of Petnjica, only 32 first-grade students have enrolled across five primary schools this year, representing a 42 percent decrease compared to the 2021/22 school year.

Specific data highlights the severity of the decline. The 'Mahmut Adrović' primary school in Petnjica currently has 11 first-graders, a figure five times lower than the 750 students enrolled in 1986. Other local schools reported even smaller numbers, with some enrolling as few as three or four students.

Petnjica Mayor Samir Agović noted that these migration patterns and declining birth rates are challenges facing the entire northern region of Montenegro. Local officials are attempting to create better conditions for young couples to encourage higher birth rates, though they face ongoing issues with population depletion and a higher number of deaths than births.