Montenegro’s retail turnover rose 9.2% nominally and 4.7% in real terms in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, preliminary data from the country’s Statistics Administration MONSTAT showed. The figures distinguish growth in sales value from growth after adjusting for price changes.
Motor fuel retail recorded the fastest annual increase among the listed business groups, with turnover up 31.6% in current prices. Sales of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products rose 12%, sales of other non-food products increased 8.1%, and food retail turnover grew 7.2% from the third quarter of 2025.
The group-level annual figures are expressed in current prices and include the effect of price changes, MONSTAT’s data show. They therefore do not by themselves indicate how much the quantity sold increased for fuel, food or other products. The overall difference between nominal and real growth likewise means that the 9.2% rise in sales value should not be read as an equivalent increase in the volume of goods purchased.
Compared with the second quarter of 2026, total retail turnover increased 22.2% nominally and 19.4% in real terms. In current prices, motor fuel turnover rose 36.4% quarter on quarter, while food retail increased 27.9%. Turnover in other non-food products was up 17.1%, and pharmaceutical and cosmetic products recorded a 6.7% increase.
Against the average quarterly level in 2025, total retail turnover in the third quarter was 31.6% higher nominally and 24.7% higher in real terms. That comparison uses a different base from the annual growth rate, which compares the third quarter of 2026 with the same quarter of 2025.
MONSTAT said the research is based on turnover reported in value-added tax returns. The preliminary data reflect the position as of 22 October 2026.
