Europe :: Hungary
page last updated on October 4, 2012
Flag of Hungary
Location of Hungary
 
Map of Hungary
Introduction ::Hungary
Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU five years later. In 2011, Hungary assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU for the first time.
Geography ::Hungary
Central Europe, northwest of Romania
47 00 N, 20 00 E
total: 93,028 sq km
country comparison to the world: 110
land: 89,608 sq km
water: 3,420 sq km
slightly smaller than Indiana
total: 2,185 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border
lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 m
bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land
arable land: 49.58%
permanent crops: 2.06%
other: 48.36% (2005)
1,400 sq km (2003)
120 cu km (2005)
total: 21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%)
per capita: 2,082 cu m/yr (2001)
the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions
People ::Hungary
noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian
Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)
Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)
9,958,453 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
0-14 years: 14.9% (male 763,371/ female 717,490)
15-64 years: 68% (male 3,348,155/ female 3,425,896)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 632,346/ female 1,071,195) (2012 est.)
total: 40.5 years
male: 38.4 years
female: 43 years (2012 est.)
-0.184% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
9.49 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
12.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
urban population: 68% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
BUDAPEST (capital) 1.705 million (2009)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
21 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 137
total: 5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 179
male: 5.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
total population: 75.02 years
country comparison to the world: 93
male: 71.27 years
female: 78.98 years (2012 est.)
1.41 children born/woman (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
8.2% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 53
3.097 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
7.04 beds/1,000 population (2008)
less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
3,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
fewer than 200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2009)
17.7% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 25
5.2% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 51
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99.2%
female: 98.9% (2010 est.)
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2008)
total: 26.5%
country comparison to the world: 22
male: 28.2%
female: 24.2% (2009)
Government ::Hungary
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: none
local short form: Magyarorszag
parliamentary democracy
name: Budapest
geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)
counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala
urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg
capital city: Budapest
16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established)
Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August; note - commemorates the date when his remains were transferred to Buda (now Budapest)
25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012
civil legal system influenced by the German model
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Janos ADER (since 10 May 2012)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their duties by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 2 May 2012 (next to be held by May 2017); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 May 2010
election results: Janos ADER elected president; National Assembly vote - 262 to 40; Viktor ORBAN elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 261 to 107
note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first round or a simple majority in the second round
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 and 25 April 2010 (next to be held in April 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz 52.7%, MSzP 19.3%, Jobbik 16.7%, LMP 7.5%; seats by party - Fidesz 263, MSzP 59, Jobbik 47, LMP 16, independent 1
note: current composition - seats by party - Fidesz-KDNP 263, MSzP 48, Jobbik 46, LMP 15, Democratic Coalition 10, independent 4
Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms); Curia (highest court; head of Curia elected by National Assembly, the other judges elected by the president on recommendation of the head of the National Office of the Courts, a separate administrative body); Regional Courts of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president)
Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Democratic Coalition [Ferenc GYURCSANY]; Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Attila MESTERHAZY]; Movement for a Better Hungary or Jobbik [Gabor VONA]; Politics Can Be Different or LMP [13-member leadership]
Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Fourth Republic (Negyedik Koztarsasag) or 4K! (anti-Orban, pro-democracy Facebook movement emerged from a Facebook group, One Million for Freedom of the Press, and plans to form a leftist political party); Green Future (protests the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the people); Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (freedom of expression, information privacy); Hungarian Helsinki Committee (asylum seekers' rights, human rights in law enforcement and the judicial system); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet) or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa)
Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
chief of mission: Ambassador Gyorgy SZAPARY
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos KOUNALAKIS
embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest
mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270
telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400
FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green; the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor form of the French flag; folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength, white for faithfulness, and green for hope; alternatively, the red is seen as being for the blood spilled in defense of the land, white for freedom, and green for the pasturelands that make up so much of the country
Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen); turul (falcon)
name: "Himnusz" (Hymn)
lyrics/music: Ferenc KOLCSEY/Ferenc ERKEL
note: adopted 1844
Economy ::Hungary
Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of the EU-25 average. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment worth more than $70 billion. In late 2008, Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global financial crisis - led Budapest to obtain an IMF/EU/World Bank-arranged financial assistance package worth over $25 billion. The global economic downturn, declining exports, and low domestic consumption and fixed asset accumulation, dampened by government austerity measures, resulted in an economic contraction of 6.8% in 2009. In 2010 the new government implemented a number of changes including cutting business and personal income taxes, but imposed "crisis taxes" on financial institutions, energy and telecom companies, and retailers. The IMF/EU bail-out program lapsed at the end of the year and was replaced by Post Program Monitoring and Article IV Consultations on overall economic and fiscal processes. The economy began to recover in 2010 with a big boost from exports, especially to Germany, and achieved growth of approximately 1.4% in 2011. At the end of 2011 the government turned to the IMF and the EU to obtain a new loan for foreign currency debt and bond obligations in 2012 and beyond. Whether negotiations result in a loan depend on Hungary meeting EU and IMF requirements for ensuring the independence of monetary, judicial, and data privacy institutions. The EU also launched an Excessive Deficit Procedure and requested that the government outline measures to sustainably reduce the budget deficit to under 3% of GDP. Unemployment remained high, at nearly 11% in 2011. Ongoing economic weakness in Western Europe is likely to further constrain growth in 2012.
$198.1 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
$194.8 billion (2010 est.)
$192.4 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars
$140.3 billion (2011 est.)
1.7% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
1.3% (2010 est.)
-6.8% (2009 est.)
$19,800 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
$19,500 (2010 est.)
$19,200 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars
agriculture: 3.7%
industry: 31.3%
services: 65% (2011 est.)
4.274 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 87
agriculture: 4.7%
industry: 30.9%
services: 64.4% (2010 est.)
10.9% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
11.2% (2010 est.)
13.9% (2010)
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 22.6% (2009)
24.7 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 134
24.4 (1998)
16.7% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
revenues: $74.03 billion
expenditures: $68.16 billion (2011 est.)
52.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
4.2% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 19
note: in 2011, the Government decided to redirect funds from the country's obligatory private pension scheme into state coffers in order to pay off government debt, effectively renationalizing the private pension system; the 2.9% deficit shown here does not include this change; including this change would result in a budget surplus of 3.6%; the EU launched an Excessive Deficit Procedure against Hungary in January 2012, because it expects the 2013 deficit to reach 3.7%; the primary criticism of Hungary's deficit reductions in 2011 and 2012 was that they were not achieved in a sustainable manner (2011 est.)
80.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
81.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
note: general government gross debt is defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year in the following categories of government liabilities: currency and deposits, securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives, and government, state government, local government, and social security funds.
3.9% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
4.9% (2010 est.)
7% (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 63
5.75% (31 December 2010)
8.32% (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
7.57% (31 December 2010 est.)
$30.51 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
$31.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$74.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
$68.78 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$110.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
$104.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$18.77 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
$27.71 billion (31 December 2010)
$28.29 billion (31 December 2009)
wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products
mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles
5.4% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
$1.929 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
$1.42 billion (2010 est.)
$103.1 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
$91.45 billion (2010 est.)
machinery and equipment 55.3%, other manufactures 30.6%, food products 7.4%, raw materials 3.2%, fuels and electricity 3.3% (2009 est.)
Germany 25.1%, Romania 5.7%, Austria 5.4%, Slovakia 5.4%, Italy 5%, France 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2010 est.)
$93.9 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
$87.15 billion (2010 est.)
machinery and equipment 44.7%, other manufactures 41.3%, fuels and electricity 5.1%, food products, raw materials 6.7%
Germany 24.7%, Russia 8.6%, China 8.4%, Austria 6.2%, Slovakia 4.9%, Poland 4.7%, Netherlands 4.4%, Italy 4.3% (2010 est.)
$48.84 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$44.99 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$184.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
$178.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$71.89 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
$69.46 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$20.56 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
$19.59 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
forints (HUF) per US dollar -
201.06 (2011 est.)
207.94 (2010 est.)
202.34 (2009)
171.8 (2008)
183.83 (2007)
calendar year
Energy ::Hungary
35.34 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
35.85 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
4.702 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
9.897 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
8.804 million kW (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
69% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
22% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
0.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
8.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
22,560 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
108,500 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
31.72 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
167,900 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
141,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
49,010 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
171,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
2.464 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
11.24 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
566 million cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
8.019 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
8.013 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
50.39 million Mt (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Communications ::Hungary
2.933 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 52
11.69 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 65
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized; the system is digital and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996
domestic: competition among mobile-cellular service providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile-cellular phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line connections
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
mixed system of state-supported public service broadcast media and private broadcasters; the 3 publicly-owned TV channels and the 2 main privately-owned TV stations are the major national broadcasters; a large number of special interest channels; highly developed market for satellite and cable TV services with about two-thirds of viewers utilizing their services; 3 state-supported public-service radio networks and 2 major national commercial stations; a large number of local stations including commercial, public service, nonprofit, and community radio stations; digital transition postponed to the end of 2014 (2007)
.hu
3.064 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 33
6.176 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 41
Transportation ::Hungary
41 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 104
total: 20
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2012)
total: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 11 (2012)
3 (2012)
gas 4,716 km; oil 984 km; refined products 361 km (2010)
total: 8,057 km
country comparison to the world: 26
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,911 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2009)
total: 197,519 km
country comparison to the world: 25
paved: 74,993 km (43,898 km of interurban roads including 911 km of expressways)
unpaved: 112,526 km (2010)
1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 48
Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs
Military ::Hungary
Hungarian Defense Forces: Land Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2011)
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 6-month service obligation (2010)
males age 16-49: 2,349,948
females age 16-49: 2,290,568 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,902,639
females age 16-49: 1,897,378 (2010 est.)
male: 59,237
female: 55,533 (2010 est.)
1.75% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
Transnational Issues ::Hungary
bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continue in 2006 with Slovakia over Hungary's failure to complete its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary has implemented the strict Schengen border rules
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; efforts to counter money laundering, related to organized crime and drug trafficking are improving but remain vulnerable; significant consumer of ecstasy