Demographic Situation

Hungary’s territory is 93,030 square km.

In 2019, the population of the country was 9,772,756. The population of the country has been on decrease, however the measure of reduction is getting moderate. The most intense decrease was seen during the 1980s. Natural decrease is a key factor of the population loss.  The volume of natural decrease is rising with a considerable decrease in the number of deaths and a less significant decrease in the number of births. By 2020, the composition of the total population by gender is expected to be 465,690,7 for men and 508,212,3 for women.The population density is 105 person/square km both in 2018 and 2019. A slowly increasing trend can be seen in the last decade as regards to life expectancy at birth, which is 72,43 years in the case of men, and 78,99 years in the case of women.

Nearly 70.5% of the population lives in towns and urban communities, while Budapest and its agglomeration has nearly 30% of the total population. The concentration of population in Central-Hungary and in the Western part of the country has further intensified in the past years: in 2019 67 person/square km lived in the Southern part of Alföld (Dél-Alföld) while 3,337 in Budapest. According to the data from 2015, the rate of urban population was 71,23% in Hungary, by 2018 it was 71.4%.

In 2015, 26.3% of the Hungarian population was at risk of poverty and social exclusion, however this rate shows a decreasing tendency, in 2017 the rate was at 19.6%, in 2019 at 18.9%.

In 2017 the average value of poverty line calculated for one consumption unit monthly was 90,450 HUF, in 2018 it was 94,820 HUF.

The proportion of people exposed to poverty or social exclusion is declining, but still above the EU average. Children and the Roma population continue to be much more vulnerable to the risk of poverty than the rest of the population. House-buying subsidies have been expanded. This expansion has been increasingly marked over the past two years to the government’s family support measures.

The emigration augmented in the decade following the accession of the European Union. In the recent years the growth has stopped and then turned again. While the peak was in 2015 with 32,800 Hungarian citizens leaving the country, in 2017 this number was 25,100, which is 15% less than the number in 2016 (29,400). The number of Hungarian citizens returning from abroad has been increasing steadily since 2014, in 2017 6% more citizens moved back than in 2016. In 2019, emigration was only 21,900, this is less than 2019’s immigration numbers.

Immigration, migration

In the beginning of 2018, the number of foreign nationals residing legally and permanently in Hungary was 156,000, this is 1.6% of the country’s population, this number increased in 2019 to 180,773 and in the first half of 2020 to 200,150. 65% of the foreigners living in Hungary has come from Europe, mainly from the surrounding countries, such as Ukraine (15.41%), Romania (11%), Germany (9.14%) and Slovakia (5.2%). 26% is from Asia, 3% from Africa and 3.79% from the continent of America.

In 2018, the positive balance of international migration moderated the natural population decrease by 27, 000.

47% of the foreigners living in Hungary are residing in Budapest, 36% in the cities outside the capital and 17% in villages. Outside the capital, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Baranya and Zala counties have the highest proportion of immigrants, while Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county has the lowest proportion. Among the foreigners living here there are more men (58.5%) than women (41.4%) and by age composition they are younger than the native population. For both genders, the age group of the 20-39 is dominant, accounting for 48% of all foreigners.

In 2017, nearly three times more foreign nationals requested Hungarian citizenship than the number of Hungarians who emigrated from the country and requested the citizenship of another country.

In 2018, 20, 000 formerly emigrated Hungarian citizens returned. 31% of the Hungarian emigrants returned from Austria, 25% from Germany, and 22% from the United Kingdom. Compared to 2017, the proportion of returnees from Austria and the United Kingdom showed an upward trend, while the proportion of returnees from Germany declined. 65% of the returnees were under 40 and 29% under 30. 56% were male, typically single. However within the Hungarian emigrants the proportion of married couples is higher than the proportion of single people. (35% and 24% respectively).

Immigration of foreign nationals and emigration of Hungarian citizens

In terms of international, and especially with regard to illegal migration, Hungary is a transit country, as the final destination of the immigrants is the Western-European region. The Hungarian government, contrary to the former liberal immigration policy of the European Commission, has taken a firm standpoint.

Between 2008 and 2012 the number of all asylum applications submitted in Hungary yearly was 1,000 or so on average, which was only a fragment of the number in the EU, meaning several thousand applications on average. The numbers started to increase in 2013, and in 2015 more than 177 thousand asylum seekers were registered.

In the following years, this number decreased significantly, 29,432 in 2016, 3,397 in 2017, 671 in 2018 and 500 in 2019. In 2015, the member states of the EU decided on the distribution of asylum seekers based on quotas according to the economic strength, unemployment index and population of the member states, with a Hungarian vote against it, among others. Hungary, Slovakia and Poland challenged the decision before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

On 5 September 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union refused the Hungarian and Slovakian appeals lodged against the mechanism of the Union to distribute the immigrants among the member states.

According to the information provided by the Government Information Centre in January 2018, the Hungarian authorities have assured to 508 (2015), 432 (2016), 1,291 (2017), and 37 (2018) people the international protection.

90% of the beneficiaries of the international protection have not had a residence in Hungary, but they have taken advantage of the free movement within the Schengen area, and have left the territory of Hungary with the issued documents.

In the sense of the General Education Act, the Minister responsible for education – with the approval of the Minister responsible for aliens policing and asylum – by issuing a provisional operating permit – may allow the operation of an educational institution for the children of those in the status of provisional protection staying in the territory of Hungary, as well as the children staying in the transit zone.

Pursuant to the law, non-Hungarian citizen underage children become entitled to kindergarten education, furthermore subjected to compulsory education in Hungary if according to the provisions of the Act on the Right of Asylum, the Act on the Travel and Residence of Persons Having the Right of Free Movement and Residence, or the Act on the Travel and Residence of Citizens from a Third Country. If the above criteria are met, the non-Hungarian citizens may use kindergarten education, school education, students’ hostel education, pedagogical assistance service with the same conditions as Hungarian citizens.

Official and Minority Languages

In the Republic of Hungary over 97% of the population is Hungarian (Magyar) and Hungarian is the official language, but the Fundamental Law of Hungary recognises the national and ethnic minorities as constituent communities of the state. It ensures rights to foster their cultures, education in their native languages, the use of their native languages, the use of names in their native languages and their collective participation in public affairs. Pursuant to Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of National Minorities, the Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Roma/’Cigány’, Romanian, Ruthene, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, and Ukrainian languages are considered as languages used by national minorities. In the sense of the above act, Hungary protects national minorities, allows them to foster their own culture, to use their mother tongues, to have access to the education in their mother tongues, their collective participation in public life, as well as promotes the implementation of their cultural autonomy, and guarantees their right to local governments.

The number of those considering themselves belonging to a national minority has considerably increased since 2011 in most Hungarian national minorities.  

The 2011 census showed that 555,507 people of the Hungarian population belong to a national minority. In Hungary the Roma minority has the highest population (on 1 of October 2011 315 thousand people claimed to be Roma). The representation of the national minorities is provided by 1,827 local and 13 national minority self-governments. The data of the census show that the population of minorities with mother tongue continues to drop, with the exemption of those whose native language was claimed to be Roma or belong to some smaller ethnical minorities. Pursuant to Act CXI of 2011 on the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the legal institution of the Commissioner for National and Ethnic Minority Rights ceased to exist and the related tasks were taken over by the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights from 1 January 2012.

Pursuant to the Act on the Rights of National Minorities, the state supports the application of languages used by national minorities in the minority general education, not depending on the maintainer of the general education institution. The additional costs of minority general education shall be borne by the state, as set forth by the law. The education of the minorities in or for their mother tongues, their education may take place in a kindergarten, school, school class or group, depending on the local possibilities and demands. The General Educational Act ensures the right to minority education, and the right to be educated in the mother tongue.

The National Core Curriculum intends to play an important role in fostering the identity of Hungarian minorities, and strengthens the learners in their belonging to their national communities, as well as it puts an emphasis on how important it is to convey the language and culture of the minority.

According to the National Core Curriculum (NCC) information about national minorities in Hungary will appear in all subject areas and all knowledge levels already from the first grade of primary school. Due to this change, the popular poetry of national minorities may be included in the local pedagogical programmes in line with the regional and local characteristics, and pupils will have more opportunities to broaden their knowledge about other cultures.Minority theatres, museums and community houses are important cultural institutions of minorities. Pursuant to the Act on the Rights of National Minorities, the minority local governments are entitled to establish and maintain minority cultural institutions, and take over the maintainer’s right and cultural tasks fulfilment of cultural institutions established by others. Minority local governments are supported by the state to operate cultural institutions maintained by them in a manner and to an extent as set forth by the Act on the State Budget.

Religions

In terms of religion, Hungary is fairly homogenous. The 2011 census reflects that the number of those belonging to great historical churches decreased, the ratio of adherents of smaller churches, denominations increased, as well as the number of those not belonging to a church or denomination increased among the population questioned. More than 7 million of the population belongs to one of the Christian churches: Catholic (3,872,000), Reformist (1,153,000), Evangelist (215,000). The overall ratio of those who claim themselves to belong to smaller or newer congregations or religions is only 1.1%.

Out of the registered 286 religions in Hungary, there are about 150 where the number of adherents is below 100. The underlying reason is partly the increase in the range of religions available since 1990 and partly the greater number of foreign citizens living in Hungary, who brought their own religion with themselves. It is true to say in general, that the average age of those claiming to belong to a church or congregation is higher than the average age of the entire population. Catholics and Evangelists are more likely to live in rural areas.

The legislative basis for the relationship of the state and churches derives from the Fundamental Law, as well as Act CCVI of 2011 on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion, and on the Legal Status of Churches, Religious Denominations and Religious Communities.

In Hungary, church is separated from the state. The state is not entitled to establish a body for the administration and/or supervision of churches.

Since the change of the regime, the system of church funding has also changed: among others the government defined the recognised churches, those which are only denominations, and a decision was also made on which churches will be exempted from taxation. The system was also modified in that the supports are transferred several times yearly under different titles instead of a single payment. In addition to the above, not only the central bodies, but smaller communities, dioceses are also supported if they meet official criteria such as that the number of adherents should reach 5,000.

From 1 September 2013, the new General Educational Act introduced a new compulsory class: education of ethical studies or religious and ethical studies. Students can freely choose among these two. The teaching of ethical studies is the task of the state, whereas religious and ethical studies are taught by the church.