The survey of the census conducted by Hungary’s Central Statistical Office (KSH) included a query regarding citizenship, revealing that out of the 9.6 million respondents, 2.3 per cent, or nearly 220,000 people, did not identify themselves as Hungarian. The majority of them are European (150,000), but there is also a significant presence of Asian nationals in Hungary (approximately 50,000).
However, the composition of this group has changed significantly compared to the 2011 census data: Instead of the 38,000 Romanians counted back then, there are now only 18,000 living in Hungary (down by 53 per cent), while the 2011 Serbian minority population of 7700 has dwindled to 4,500 (minus 41 per cent) by 2022. On the other hand, the number of Pakistanis has surged, from a mere 200 to nearly seven times that – 1300; but the Jordanian and Filipino communities have also multiplied – both groups have grown from 200 to almost a thousand each. Nearly four and a half times as many Brazilians were counted compared to last time (1,243), while there are over four times as many Indians (3,600).
The Central Statistical Office also recorded the economic activity status of the respondents, regarding which there is significant variation between individuals of different nationalities.
In terms of the proportion of dependents, Jordan and Iran lead the list – almost half of the approximately 3,700 citizens from these two countries are dependents. According to KSH’s classification, a person falls into this category when they have no income or earnings and their livelihood is provided for by an individual or an institution. Regarding dependency, the lowest proportion – around 9 per cent – is observed among Slovaks, Italians, and Greeks.
Filipino and Thai populations in Hungary are around 1,000 each, and these nationalities boast the highest employment rates among those surveyed: eight out of ten earn an income through employment. Slightly lower, but still around 70 per cent, is the employment rate among citizens of Mediterranean countries (Italy, Greece, Spain) and Brazilians. The lowest rates of employment (20-30 per cent) are found among Dutch, German, and Swiss citizens. The reason for this was also revealed: these nationalities have the highest proportion of inactive individuals receiving benefits (50-60 per cent). In other words, individuals from these countries are, for the most part, spending their retirement years in Hungary. It is interesting to note that in terms of the proportion of individuals aged less than 15, only one country ranks higher than Hungary: China, as out of the 18,000 Chinese residents in Hungary, 2,848 are under 15 years old.
The number of university and college graduates has doubled
Over two decades, the population structure has undergone significant changes in terms of educational attainment as well. While at the turn of the millennium, 19 out of 100 people hadn’t even completed eight years of primary education, this figure has reduced to 9 out of 100 in recent years. The number of those who had completed eight years of primary schooling, but had not graduated from high school has decreased from 2.9 million to 1.8 million, translating to a percentage drop from 28.5 to just over 18. One of the most remarkable changes can be observed among those with university or college degrees: while in 2001, there were nine such graduates out of a hundred, last year, there were more than 19.
However, it’s worth noting that the increase in the number of graduates may have been influenced by the fact that in recent years, degrees were obtainable without – the formerly required – language proficiency exams.
One-fifth of the unemployed have never worked at all
In last year’s census, 237,000 people declared themselves as unemployed, with 46,000 of them claiming never to have worked. As this can be distorted by individuals fresh onto the labour market after leaving education, we examined the data by age group. This analysis, however, reveals that only about 20,000 of the 46,000 were under the age of 25.
Half of the 237,000 unemployed (116,000 individuals) lost their jobs within the year before, 40,000 people had their last job between one and two years before the census, while 20,000 individuals had been without employment for 3-4 years. Nearly 12,000 individuals hadn’t worked in the four years leading up to the census.
Every seventh Hungarian resident lives alone
The composition of households by number of members has also undergone spectacular changes. While in 2001, a quarter of the 3.7 million households counted one solitary individual, this applied to more than 35% of households in 2022. This accounts for 1.4 million people, which, when considering the 9.6 million respondents, means that one out of seven people in Hungary live alone.
The proportion of two-person households hasn’t changed (it remains around 28% across both surveys), but the number of 3-5 person households has significantly decreased (those currently living alone had to move from somewhere), falling from 43.6% to 33%. In Hungary, there are 128,000 households counting six or more people. Of these, 40,000 are in Budapest and Pest County, while of the remaining nearly 90,000, 11,470 are located in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County and nearly 10,000 in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County.
KSH’s housing survey also reveals that approximately a quarter of all households (about one million) are equipped with air conditioning units, but solar collectors are present in far fewer households, with only 28,000 having them.
Plummeting marriage rates, divorce figures soaring
Despite the government’s efforts to promote family-founding and marriage in recent years, the proportion of single individuals has increased from 23 per cent to 30 per cent over the last two decades. In other words, nearly every third person in Hungary is either unmarried or has never married. Correspondingly, the number of married individuals has plummeted, from 4.5 million in 2001 to just under 3.6 million, representing an eight percentage point decrease. The number of divorced individuals has also spiked: while in 2011 only every fourteenth individual was divorced, last year, this proportion was one out of nine – meaning slightly over one million individuals.
Pest is the most youthful county
In Hungary, there are 906 individuals aged at least a hundred years. In terms of age, 47 year-olds are the most numerous in every county – this is not entirely surprising, as they are the ones born in 1975, often referred to as the “Ratkó grandchildren.” (Named after 1950’s Cabinet Minister of Health Anna Ratkó, associated with somewhat controversial healthcare reforms resulting in demographic expansion.) Considering average age, Pest County is the most youthful (40.8 years), while Zala County is the “oldest”, with an average age of 45 and a half years. Zala County also has the fewest babies (children under one year old) in proportion to the population: just under 2,000 children of the county’s 260,000 inhabitants belonged to this category. Regarding the proportion of the very youngest, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County leads the list: of its 530,000 people, 6,200 had not yet reached 12 months of age – this is a 1.18% proportion compared to Zala County’s 0.75%.
