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The 12 imports Montenegro is best placed to replace.

Montenegro imported USD 3.9bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 344m. These are the 12 that sit closest to what it already makes well, with how concentrated the supply of each is.

USD 347mthe 12, imported in 2024
14products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
257products Montenegro already exports well
71product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The 12

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Montenegro already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Montenegro would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Montenegro does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially colouredHS 252329

    Comes fromCroatia 41%, 9 source countries
    Nearest export strengthElectrical energy (exports USD 425m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well54

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 54m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 4 per cent (3); Croatia supplies 41 per cent (1).

    USD 54mup 103% on 2022
  2. 2

    Waters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavouredHS 220210

    Comes fromSerbia 70%, 37 source countries
    Nearest export strengthDog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feeding (exports USD 1m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 392k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 24m
    Countries that export it well60

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 38m, top 10 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 13 per cent (2); Serbia supplies 70 per cent (2).

    USD 38mup 55% on 2022
  3. 3

    Cigarettes: containing tobaccoHS 240220

    Comes fromSerbia 74%, 12 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 262k
    Countries that export it well41

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 32m, top 15 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 39 per cent (1); Serbia supplies 74 per cent (2).

    USD 32mup 8% on 2022
  4. 4

    Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10HS 210690

    Comes fromSerbia 36%, 65 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 384k
    Countries that export it well51

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 57m, top 7 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 31 per cent (1).

    USD 57mup 28% on 2022
  5. 5

    Furniture: wooden, other than for office, kitchen or bedroom useHS 940360

    Comes fromSerbia 46%, 56 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 1m; 1 more line in the heading, USD 12m
    Countries that export it well30

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 27m, top 24 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 42 per cent (1); Serbia supplies 46 per cent (1).

    USD 27mup 37% on 2022
  6. 6

    Food preparations: sweet biscuits, whether or not containing cocoaHS 190531

    Comes fromSerbia 68%, 33 source countries
    Nearest export strengthDog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feeding (exports USD 1m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 36k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 25m
    Countries that export it well52

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 21m, top 42 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 27 per cent (1); Serbia supplies 68 per cent (2).

    USD 21mup 26% on 2022
  7. 7

    Mastics: n.e.c. in heading no. 3214HS 321490

    Comes fromSerbia 67%, 31 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 50k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 14m
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 48 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 27 per cent (1); Serbia supplies 67 per cent (2).

    USD 18mup 38% on 2022
  8. 8

    Iron or steel: structures and parts thereof, n.e.c. in heading 7308HS 730890

    Comes fromBosnia and Herzegovina 34%, 36 source countries
    Nearest export strengthAluminium: structures (excluding prefabricated buildings of heading... (exports USD 1m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 970k
    Countries that export it well33

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 32m, top 17 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 31 per cent (1).

    USD 32mup 50% on 2022
  9. 9

    Insulated electric conductors: for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts, not fitted with connectorsHS 854449

    Comes fromSerbia 45%, 45 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 47k
    Countries that export it well35

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 22m, top 38 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 38 per cent (1); Serbia supplies 45 per cent (1).

    USD 22mup 14% on 2022
  10. 10

    Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves...HS 721420

    Comes fromBosnia and Herzegovina 42%, 15 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 115k
    Countries that export it well45

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 55 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 20 per cent (2); Bosnia and Herzegovina supplies 42 per cent (1).

    USD 18mup 6% on 2022
  11. 11

    Iron or steel wire: grill, netting and fencing, welded at intersections, of wire with a maximum cross-sectional...HS 731420

    Comes fromBosnia and Herzegovina 78%, 12 source countries
    Nearest export strengthAluminium: structures (excluding prefabricated buildings of heading... (exports USD 1m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well31

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 16m, top 65 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 35 per cent (1); Bosnia and Herzegovina supplies 78 per cent (2).

    USD 16mup 25% on 2022
  12. 12

    Paper articles: toilet paperHS 481810

    Comes fromSerbia 45%, 26 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone named
    Exports of this lineUSD 46k
    Countries that export it well40

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 10m, top 99 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Montenegro's export strengths in the top 15 per cent (2); Serbia supplies 45 per cent (1).

    USD 10mup 2% on 2022

The bill and its path, the sources and their unit values, who exports the line well, the nearest strengths, the public buyers where a country publishes them, and the method. We reply by email. Privacy

One line per customs heading. Products Montenegro already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in heading no.... imports USD 135m, exports USD 48m, top source Serbia 24%
  • Beer: made from malt imports USD 27m, exports USD 3m, top source Serbia 78%
  • Dresses: women's or girls', of synthetic fibres (not knitted or crocheted) imports USD 30m, exports USD 8m, top source China 75%
  • Particle board of wood, whether or not agglomerated with resins or other... imports USD 23m, exports USD 2m, top source Turkey 55%
  • Dog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feeding imports USD 19m, exports USD 1m, top source Serbia 88%
  • Meat preparations: sausages and similar products, of meat, meat offal, blood... imports USD 22m, exports USD 5m, top source Serbia 44%
  • Waters: mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not containing... imports USD 16m, exports USD 364k, top source Serbia 91%
  • Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa: n.e.c. in chapter 18 imports USD 16m, exports USD 2m, top source Serbia 28%
  • Glass: carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials and other containers of... imports USD 15m, exports USD 1m, top source Croatia 32%
  • Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa: in blocks, slabs or... imports USD 13m, exports USD 549k, top source Serbia 33%
How the 12 were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 71 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-03. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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