Factbook dossier
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 Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule after World War II. In 1956, Moscow responded to a Hungarian revolt and announcement of its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact with a massive military intervention. 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.
Location
Central Europe, northwest of Romania
Area
total : 93,028 sq km land: 89,608 sq km water: 3,420 sq km
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land
Population
total: 9,855,745 (2024 est.) male: 4,812,668 female: 5,043,077
Ethnic groups
Hungarian 84.3%, Romani 2.1%, German 1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 13.7% (2022 est.) note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic group; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5 10% of Hungary's population
Languages
Hungarian (official) 98.8%, English 25.3%, German 12.6%, Russian 2.1%, French 1.5%, Romanian 1.4%, other 5.1% (2022 est.) major-language sample(s): A World Factbook n lk l zhetetlen forr sa az alapvető inform ci nak. (Hungarian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one spoken language
Religions
Catholic 30.1% (Roman Catholic 27.5%, Greek Catholic 1.7%, other Catholic 0.9%), Calvinist 9.8%, Lutheran 1.8%, other Christian (includes Orthodox) 1.6%, other 0.4%, none 16.1%, no answer 40.1% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
air and soil pollution; water pollution from industry and large-scale agriculture
Government type
parliamentary republic
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 etymology: Buda on the western shore of the Danube and Pest on the eastern shore merged in 1873 to form Budapest; Buda's name may derive from the name of its founder or from a local word meaning "water;" Pest derives from a Slavic word meaning "furnace" or "oven"
Executive branch
chief of state: President Tamas SULYOK (since 5 March 2024) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly with two-thirds majority vote in first round or simple majority vote in second round for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president most recent election date: president: 26 February 2024 prime minister: 3 April 2022 election results: 2024: Tamas SULYOK elected president; National Assembly vote - 134 to 5 2022: Katalin NOVAK (Fidesz) elected president; National Assembly vote - 137 to 51 expected date of next election: president: spring 2029 prime minister: April or May 2027
Legislative branch
legislature name: National Assembly (Országgyülés) legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: National Assembly (Orszaggyules) number of seats: 199 (all directly elected) electoral system: mixed system scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 4/3/2022 parties elected and seats per party: Hungarian Civic Union-Christian Democratic People's Party (FIDESZ-KDNP) (135); Democratic Coalition (DK) (15); Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) (10); Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) (10); Momentum (10); Other (19) percentage of women in chamber: 15.6% expected date of next election: April 2026
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$389.207 billion (2024 est.) $387.223 billion (2023 est.) $390.513 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$40,700 (2024 est.) $40,400 (2023 est.) $40,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.7% (2024 est.) 17.1% (2023 est.) 14.6% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
Germany 25%, Italy 6%, Romania 6%, USA 5%, Slovakia 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
Germany 23%, China 7%, Austria 6%, Poland 6%, S. Korea 6% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Hungarian Defense Forces (HDF or Magyar Honv ds g): the HDF is organized as a joint force under a general staff with commands for land, air, cyber, special operations, territorial defense, and support forces (2025) note: the National Police are under the Ministry of Interior and responsible for maintaining order nationwide; the Ministry of Interior also has the Counterterrorism Center, a special police force responsible for protecting the president and the prime minister and for preventing, uncovering, and detecting terrorist acts
Military expenditures
2.1% of GDP (2025 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2021 est.)