Hungary Population: 9,976,062
7 VISITORS FROM HERE!«  Previous Country | Next Country  » Back to Flag Counter Overview |  |
| Background | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Central Europe, northwest of Romania |
| Geographic coordinates: | 47 00 N, 20 00 E |
| Area: | total: 93,028 sq km land: 89,608 sq km water: 3,420 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than Indiana |
| Land Boundaries: | 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 |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers |
| Terrain: | mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border |
| Elevation extremes: | 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: 49.58% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 48.36% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,400 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | |
| Current Environment Issues: | 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
| ^Back to Top | |
| People | |
| Population: | 9,976,062 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.9% (male 767,824/female 721,242) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 3,361,538/female 3,444,450) 65 years and over: 16.9% (male 622,426/female 1,058,582) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 40.2 years male: 38.1 years female: 42.8 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.17% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.6 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 12.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.057 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.57 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.79 years male: 71.04 years female: 78.76 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.4 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 3,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 200 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian |
| Ethnic groups: | Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | 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) |
| Languages: | Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | 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 |
| Administrative divisions: | 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 |
| Independence: | 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) |
| National holiday: | Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August; note - commemorates the date when his remains were transferred to Buda (now Budapest) |
| Constitution: | 25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012 |
| Legal system: | civil legal system influenced by the German model |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Pal SCHMITT (since 6 August 2010) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010) cabinet: Council 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 ) elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 June 2010 (next to be held by June 2015); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 May 2010 election results: Pal SCHMITT elected president; National Assembly vote - Pal SCHMITT 263, Andras BALOGH 58; Viktor ORBAN was 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 two rounds or a simple majority in the third round |
| Legislative branch: | 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 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms); Supreme Court (head of Supreme Court elected by National Assembly, the other judges elected by the president on recommendation of the head of the Supreme Court); Regional Courts of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); 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) |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, 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, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | 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 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | 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 |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Economy | |
| 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. The government's austerity measures, imposed since late 2006, have reduced the budget deficit from over 9% of GDP in 2006 to 3.2% in 2010, with a target of less than 3% in 2011. Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global financial crisis in late 2008 - 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 6.3% 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 economy rebounded in 2010 with a big boost from exports, especially to Germany, and growth of more than 2.5% is expected in 2011. Unemployment remained high, at more than 10% in 2010. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $187.6 billion (2010 est.) $185.4 billion (2009 est.) $198.7 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $129 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 1.2% (2010 est.) -6.7% (2009 est.) 0.8% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $18,800 (2010 est.) $18,500 (2009 est.) $19,800 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.4% industry: 37% services: 60.5% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 4.23 million (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 4.7% industry: 30.9% services: 64.4% (2010 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 11.2% (2010 est.) 10% (2009 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 13.9% (2010) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 22.6% (2009) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 24.7 (2009) 24.4 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (2010 est.) 4.2% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 19.3% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $58.17 billion expenditures: $63.66 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 80.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 78.4% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products |
| Industries: | mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 10.4% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 37.55 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 42.7 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 4.703 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 9.879 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 34,480 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 146,600 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 69,820 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 171,600 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 26.57 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 2.494 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 12.05 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 227 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 9.636 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 8.098 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $2.692 billion (2010 est.) -$700 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $93.47 billion (2010 est.) $81.54 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2009 est.) |
| Exports - partners: | Germany 25.5%, Italy 5.5%, UK 5.4%, Romania 5.3%, Slovakia 5.1%, France 4.9%, Austria 4.7% (2010 est.) |
| Imports: | $87.25 billion (2010 est.) $76.79 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment 50%, fuels and electricity 11%, food products, raw materials |
| Imports - partners: | Germany 26.1%, Russia 7.7%, China 6.8%, Austria 5.9%, Netherlands 4.4%, Poland 4.3%, Italy 4.2% (2010 est.) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $44.99 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $44.18 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $152 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $160.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $82.07 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $68.97 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $21.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $20.49 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $27.71 billion (31 December 2010) $28.29 billion (31 December 2009) $18.58 billion (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | forints (HUF) per US dollar - 206.15 (2010) 202.34 (2009) 171.8 (2008) 183.83 (2007) 210.39 (2006) |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 3.069 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 50 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 11.793 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | 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 |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .hu |
| Internet hosts: | 2.655 million (2010) |
| Internet users: | 6.176 million (2009) |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 43 (2010) country comparison to the world: 99 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 22 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 11 (2010) |
| Heliports: | 5 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | gas 4,716 km; oil 984 km; refined products 361 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 9,208 km 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) |
| Roadways: | total: 197,519 km paved: 74,993 km (43,898 km of interurban roads including 911 km of expressways) unpaved: 112,526 km (2010) |
| Waterways: | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs |
| ^Back to Top | |
| Military | |
| Military branches: | Land Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 6-month service obligation (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,349,948 females age 16-49: 2,290,568 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,902,639 females age 16-49: 1,897,378 (2010 est.) |
| ^Back to Top | |
«
Previous Country | Next Country » Back to Flag Counter OverviewSource: CIA - The World Factbook