Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Department of Business Statistics, Foreign Affiliates Statistics and Structural Business Statistics.
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
IV Proleterske no. 2, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
30 August 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 August 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
30 August 2025
3.1. Data description
Structural business statistics (SBS) describes the structure, conduct and performance of economic activities, down to the most detailed activity level (several hundred economic sectors). SBS covers all activities of the business economy with the exception of agricultural activities, public administration and (largely) non-market services such as education and health. Main characteristics (variables) of the SBS data category:
Business demographic variables (e.g. Number of active enterprises)
"Output related" variables (e.g. Net turnover, Value added)
"Input related" variables: labour input (e.g. Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees); goods and services input (e.g. Purchases of goods and services); capital input (e.g. Gross investments)
Business services statistics (BS) collection contains harmonised statistics on business services. From 2008 onwards BS become part of the regular mandatory annual data collection of SBS. The BS’s data requirement includes variable “Turnover” broken down by products and by type of residence of client.
3.2. Classification system
Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE): NACE Rev.1 was used until 2001, NACE Rev. 1.1 since 2002, and NACE Rev 2 is used from 2008 onwards. Key data were double reported in NACE Rev.1.1 and NACE Rev.2 for 2008. From 2009 onwards, only NACE Rev.2 data are available.
All economic entities that are active in the reference period. In accordance with the Regulations of the SBS survey, all companies are registered according to the Classification of Activities KD 2010, registered in the sectors: Mining and quarrying - area 05-09; Manufacturing - area 10-33; Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply - area 35; Water supply, waste water management, control of waste disposal processes and similar activities - areas 36-39; Construction - area 41-43; Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles - area 45-47; Traffic and storage - area 49-53; Accommodation and catering services - area 55-56; Information and communication - area 58-63; Real estate business - area 68; Professional, scientific and technical activities - area 69-75; Administrative and support service activities - area 77-82; Education - Area 85; Health and Social Welfare - Area 86-88; Arts, entertainment and recreation - area 90-93 and Other service activities - area 94-96.
Reporting units are economic entities with 20 or more employees.
3.5.1. Treatment of complex enterprise
Data treatment
Sample frame based on enterprises
No
Surveying all legal units belonging to a complex enterprise
No
Surveying all legal units within the scope of SBS belonging to a complex enterprise
No
Surveying only representative units belonging to the complex enterprise
No
Other criteria used, please specify
-
Comment
-
3.5.2. Consolidation
Consolidation method
Consolidation carried out by the NSI
No
Consolidation carried out by responding enterprise/legal unit(s)
No
Other methods, please specify
-
Comment
-
3.6. Statistical population
The SBS covers active enterprises (legal and natural persons) in the reference year from the Statistical Business Register which are classified by main activity in the following sections: B - Mining and Quarrying, C - Manufacturing, D - Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, E - Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, F - Construction, G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, H - Transportation and storage, I - Accommodation and food service activities (Hotels and restaurants), J - Information and communication, L - Real estate activities, M - Professional, scientific and technical activities, N - Administrative and support service activities, P - Education (private sector), Q - Human health and social work activities (private sector), R - Arts, entertainment and recreation (private sector) and S - Other service activities, except 94 - Activities of membership organizations.
3.7. Reference area
Montenegro.
3.8. Coverage - Time
2011 - 2023
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of enterprises and number of local units are expressed in units.
Monetary data are expressed in millions of €.
Employment variables are expressed in units.
Per head values are expressed in thousands of € per head.
Ratios are expressed in percentages.
Data refer to the annual results of businesses. Data refer to calendar year 2023.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Starting with reference year 2021 two new regulations currently form the legal basis of SBS:
The Council Regulation No 58/97 has been amended three times: by Council Regulation No 410/98, Commission Regulation No 1614/2002 and European Parliament and Council Regulation No 2056/2002. As a new amendment of the basic Regulation it was decided to recast the Regulation No 58/97 in order to obtain a new "clean" legal text. In 2008 the European Parliament and Council adopted Regulation No 295/2008 and the provisions of this Regulation were applicable from the reference year 2008 to reference year 2020. Regulation No 295/2008 was amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 446/2014.
According to this Law, individual data on natural, legal persons and households shall be confidential and represent official secret (Article 56).
7.2.1. Confidentiality processing
Data treatment
Confidentiality rules applied
Yes
Threshold of number of enterprises (Number)
less than 3
Number of enterprises non confidential, if number of employments is confidential
No
Dominance criteria applied
No
If dominance criteria applied specify the threshold (Number)
-
Secondary confidentiality applied
Yes
Comment
-
8.1. Release calendar
The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 18/12, 47/19) stipulates that official statistical producers prepare, update, and publish Statistical Release Calendar. It is published on the website of Statistical Office not later than 20 December for the next year, for all official statistical producers that includes date of releasing statistical data. Any change in date of releasing in the Calendar is published in advance in accordance with the Procedure on Unplanned Revisions.
The data obtained by the Structural Survey on Business Operations are published every year in the form of a press release: Monstat website.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
First release: Structural survey on enterprise businesses activities, October for T-1.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Statistical Office publishes the following regular publications: 1. Monthly Statistical Review, 2. Statistical Yearbook, 3. Montenegro in Numbers. All publication published by Statistical Office are available at the following Monstat website.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
An online database with the Structural Business Survey is available at the following Monstat website.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 18/12) regulates rules under which external users can obtain an access to individual data for needs of research. Article 58 defines types of scientific and research organizations that can obtain such data. Providing individual data without identifier is possible only upon a written request of scientific and research institutions, with purpose of performing scientific and research activities as well as international statistical organizations and statistical producers from other countries. Research entity signs the agreement with Statistical Office, and it signs the statement on respecting the confidentiality principle. Official statistical producers keep a separate record on users and purpose of using the statistical data given to these users.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not available.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Methodological explanations are available on our website.
The role of quality reporting had been strengthened in Law of official statistics and official statistical system (Official Gazette of Montenegro 18/12 from 30 March 2012) as well as in Regulation 223/2009 on European Statistics. Producers of official statistics have to guarantee that statistics are developed, produced and disseminated on the basis of uniform standards and of harmonized methods. Furthermore, users of statistics are guaranteed access to appropriate metadata describing the quality of statistical outputs, so that they are able to interpret and use the statistics correctly.
MONSTAT as producer of official statistics have to guarantee that statistics are developed produced and disseminated on the basis of uniform standards and of harmonized methods.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Internal users:
Statistical business register - updated with feedback information from Structural Business Statistics; Inward FATS - generated from Structural Business Statistics results; Short-term business statistics - value added for weighting and structure defining; Industry statistics - value added and production value for weighting and structure defining; Distributive trade statistics - turnover for weighting; Construction statistics - value added for weighting.
External users:
Ministries and government bodies - on request; scientists and researchers - on request; businesses - on request.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Satisfaction survey is not carried out.
12.3. Completeness
SBS variables collected and transmitted to Eurostat are at sector level, no activity breakdown or size class breakdown data are transmitted
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Not available.
13.2. Sampling error
Not relevant.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not available.
14.1. Timeliness
Data are published on the date determined by the Calendar of Publication of Statistical Data - end of October for the previous year.
14.2. Punctuality
Not available.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The methodology is in line with EU Regulations, which enables comparability between countries.
15.2. Comparability - over time
NACE Rev. data 2 classifications have been available since 2011.
15.2.1. Time series
Time series
First reference year available (calendar year)
2011
Calendar year(s) of break in time series
No
Reason(s) for the break(s)
-
Length of comparable time series (from calendar year to calendar year)
2011 - 2023
Comment
-
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
SBS variable Value added is in correlation with National Accounts result for same population.
Other comparisons were not undertaken.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Data for different aggregates inside SBS are completely consistent.
Cost and Burden for the SBS statistics are defined according to the National Statistical Program for each reference year.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistical Office has adopted the revision policy and it is available on the Monstat website.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Regular revision is done on preliminary data.
18.1. Source data
SBS data are based on administrative and statistical sources (data from Financial) for accounting and statistical purposes, taken from Revenue and customs administration. Main economic variables (turnover, purchases of goods and services, personnel cost, value added, etc.) are directly available from the administrative sources. The Business Register is updated yearly. The unit's principal activity is also updated yearly.
18.1.1. Data sources overview
Data sources overview
Survey data
No
VAT data
No
Tax data
No
Financial statements
Yes
Other sources, please specify
-
Comment
-
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual data collection.
18.3. Data collection
All data are collected from administrative and statistical sources in electronic form as extraction from a database. Data are undertaken on CD. Additionally a set of control activities is implemented to ensure the quality of the data.
18.4. Data validation
During data entry, data checks are done in order to prevent invalid data value entries. When all row data are entered to the system, data inconsistencies checks are done among related variables to identify errors or warnings for predefined boundaries for either specific variables or ratios. Before transmitted to Eurostat, data are also checked with the EDIT tool.
18.5. Data compilation
SBS data is compiled from administrative data source that cover all business subjects. Accounting data from the financial annual reports are translated into items for data categories compilation.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
No comments.
Structural business statistics (SBS) describes the structure, conduct and performance of economic activities, down to the most detailed activity level (several hundred economic sectors). SBS covers all activities of the business economy with the exception of agricultural activities, public administration and (largely) non-market services such as education and health. Main characteristics (variables) of the SBS data category:
Business demographic variables (e.g. Number of active enterprises)
"Output related" variables (e.g. Net turnover, Value added)
"Input related" variables: labour input (e.g. Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees); goods and services input (e.g. Purchases of goods and services); capital input (e.g. Gross investments)
Business services statistics (BS) collection contains harmonised statistics on business services. From 2008 onwards BS become part of the regular mandatory annual data collection of SBS. The BS’s data requirement includes variable “Turnover” broken down by products and by type of residence of client.
Reporting units are economic entities with 20 or more employees.
The SBS covers active enterprises (legal and natural persons) in the reference year from the Statistical Business Register which are classified by main activity in the following sections: B - Mining and Quarrying, C - Manufacturing, D - Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, E - Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, F - Construction, G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, H - Transportation and storage, I - Accommodation and food service activities (Hotels and restaurants), J - Information and communication, L - Real estate activities, M - Professional, scientific and technical activities, N - Administrative and support service activities, P - Education (private sector), Q - Human health and social work activities (private sector), R - Arts, entertainment and recreation (private sector) and S - Other service activities, except 94 - Activities of membership organizations.
Montenegro.
Data refer to the annual results of businesses. Data refer to calendar year 2023.
Not available.
Number of enterprises and number of local units are expressed in units.
Monetary data are expressed in millions of €.
Employment variables are expressed in units.
Per head values are expressed in thousands of € per head.
Ratios are expressed in percentages.
SBS data is compiled from administrative data source that cover all business subjects. Accounting data from the financial annual reports are translated into items for data categories compilation.
SBS data are based on administrative and statistical sources (data from Financial) for accounting and statistical purposes, taken from Revenue and customs administration. Main economic variables (turnover, purchases of goods and services, personnel cost, value added, etc.) are directly available from the administrative sources. The Business Register is updated yearly. The unit's principal activity is also updated yearly.
Annual.
Data are published on the date determined by the Calendar of Publication of Statistical Data - end of October for the previous year.
The methodology is in line with EU Regulations, which enables comparability between countries.
NACE Rev. data 2 classifications have been available since 2011.
