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.

geography

location

47.0° N, 20. 0° E
Central Europe, northwest of Romania

area

93,028 sq km
land
89,608 sq km
water
3,420 sq km

land boundaries

2,106 km

coastline

0 km

climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

terrain

mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

elevation

143 m
lowest point
Tisza River
78 m
highest point
Kekes
1,014 m

natural resources

  • bauxite
  • coal
  • natural gas
  • fertile soils
  • arable land

land use

arable land
48.5 %
permanent crops
2 %
permanent pasture
8.4 %
forest
22.5 %
other
18.6 %

population distribution

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

people

population

  • 9,771,827
  • 93
    global rank

nationality

  • Hungarian(s)
    noun
  • Hungarian
    adjective

ethnic groups

Hungarian
85.6 %
Romani
3.2 %
German
1.9 %
other
2.6 %
unspecified
14.1 %

languages

  • Hungarian
    official
  • English
  • German
  • Russian
  • Romanian
  • French
  • other

religions

Roman Catholic
37.2 %
Calvinist
11.6 %
Lutheran
2.2 %
Greek Catholic
1.8 %
other
1.9 %
none
18.2 %
no response
27.2 %

birth rate

  • 8.8
    per 1,000 population
  • 208
    global rank

death rate

  • 12.9
    per 1,000 population
  • 10
    global rank

urban population

71.9 %

major urban areas

  • Budapest
    pop. 1,768,000

life expectancy

  • 76.7
    total population
  • 89
    global rank
73
male
80.6
female

adult obesity rate

  • 26.4%
    percent of adults
  • 41
    global rank

government

country name

    conventional

  • none
    long form
  • Hungary
    short form

    local

  • none
    long form
  • Magyarorszag
    short form

government type

parliamentary republic

capital

Budapest
47.30 N, 19.5 E

independence

national holidays

  • Saint Stephen's Day
    20 August

legal system

civil legal system influenced by the German model

age of suffrage

18

flag description

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

national colors

  • red
  • white
  • green

national anthem

"Himnusz" (Hymn)

economy

overview

Hungary has transitioned from a centrally planned to a market-driven economy with a per capita income approximately two thirds of the EU-28 average; however, in recent years the government has become more involved in managing the economy. Budapest has implemented unorthodox economic policies to boost household consumption and has relied on EU-funded development projects to generate growth. Following the fall of communism in 1990, Hungary experienced a drop-off in exports and financial assistance from the former Soviet Union. Hungary embarked on a series of economic reforms, including privatization of state-owned enterprises and reduction of social spending programs, to shift from a centrally planned to a market-driven economy, and to reorient its economy towards trade with the West. These efforts helped to spur growth, attract investment, and reduce Hungary’s debt burden and fiscal deficits. Despite these reforms, living conditions for the average Hungarian initially deteriorated as inflation increased and unemployment reached double digits. Conditions slowly improved over the 1990s as the reforms came to fruition and export growth accelerated. Economic policies instituted during that decade helped position Hungary to join the European Union in 2004. Hungary has not yet joined the euro-zone. Hungary suffered a historic economic contraction as a result of the global economic slowdown in 2008-09 as export demand and domestic consumption dropped, prompting it to take an IMF-EU financial assistance package. Since 2010, the government has backpedaled on many economic reforms and taken a more populist approach towards economic management. The government has favored national industries and government-linked businesses through legislation, regulation, and public procurements. In 2011 and 2014, Hungary nationalized private pension funds, which squeezed financial service providers out of the system, but also helped Hungary curb its public debt and lower its budget deficit to below 3% of GDP, as subsequent pension contributions have been channeled into the state-managed pension fund. Hungary’s public debt (at 74.5% of GDP) is still high compared to EU peers in Central Europe. Real GDP growth has been robust in the past few years due to increased EU funding, higher EU demand for Hungarian exports, and a rebound in domestic household consumption. To further boost household consumption ahead of the 2018 election, the government embarked on a six-year phased increase to minimum wages and public sector salaries, decreased taxes on foodstuffs and services, cut the personal income tax from 16% to 15%, and implemented a uniform 9% business tax for small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies. Real GDP growth slowed in 2016 due to a cyclical decrease in EU funding, but increased to 3.8% in 2017 as the government pre-financed EU funded projects ahead of the 2018 election. Systemic economic challenges include pervasive corruption, labor shortages driven by demographic declines and migration, widespread poverty in rural areas, vulnerabilities to changes in demand for exports, and a heavy reliance on Russian energy imports.

GDP

289,600,000,000 USD
2017

agriculture products

  • wheat
  • corn
  • sunflower seed
  • potatoes
  • sugar beets
  • pigs
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • dairy products

poverty level

14.9%
2015

budget

  • 61,980,000,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 64,700,000,000
    expenditures (USD)

communications

telephones

    fixed lines

  • 3,016,878
    total subscriptions
  • 46
    global rank

    mobile cellular

  • 10,041,939
    total subscriptions
  • 85
    global rank

broadcast media

mixed system of state-supported public service broadcast media and private broadcasters; the 5 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; 4 state-supported public-service radio networks; a large number of local stations including commercial, public service, nonprofit, and community radio stations; digital transition completed at the end of 2013; government-linked businesses have greatly consolidated ownership in broadcast and print media

internet

.hu
country code

    users

  • 7,474,413
    total
  • 76.07
    % of population
  • 68
    global rank

energy

electricity access

100%
2016

transportation

air transport

    national system

  • 5
    registered air carriers
  • 20,042,185
    annual passenger traffic

    airports

  • 41
    total
  • 20
    paved

railways

8,049 km
total length

roadways

203,601 km
total length

waterways

1,622 km
total length

military

expenditures

expenditures here

service age

18