Montenegro’s manufacturing sector recorded uneven performance in the first eight months of 2026, with strong expansion in metal-related industries offset by a steep decline in clothing production. Overall manufacturing output increased by just 0.8%, despite substantial growth in several individual branches.
Fabricated metal products recorded the strongest increase, with output rising 88.0%, while basic metals production grew by 42.2%. Clothing manufacturing moved in the opposite direction, contracting by 46.3%.
Growth was limited to eight of the 15 manufacturing branches, leaving the sector’s aggregate performance close to stagnation while individual industries followed sharply different trajectories.
Employment figures showed a separate trend. Manufacturing employment increased by 8.02% year on year in August, considerably outpacing the sector’s 0.8% output growth over the first eight months of 2026. The figures cover different periods and measure different aspects of activity, so they do not provide a direct basis for calculating productivity. They nevertheless show that manufacturing employment expanded while overall production recorded only marginal growth.
The contrasting results among manufacturing branches mean that the sector’s aggregate output figure does not reflect the scale of change across individual activities. Metal producers and clothing manufacturers recorded markedly different production trends during the period.
