2010 Edition

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 in 2004.

Area

land

89,608 sq km

total

93,028 sq km

water

3,420 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Kekes 1,014 m

lowest point

Tisza River 78 m

Environment - current 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

Environment - international 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

2,082 cu m/yr (2001)

total

21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%)

Geographic coordinates

47 00 N, 20 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

2,300 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

total

2,185 km

Land use

arable land

49.58%

other

48.36% (2005)

permanent crops

2.06%

Location

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

120 cu km (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 763,553/female 720,112) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,384,961/female 3,475,135) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 566,067/female 995,768) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

9.7 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

12.67 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

5.4% of GDP (2006)

Ethnic groups

Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,300 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

5.64 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.38 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.55 years (2010 est.)

male

70.8 years

total population

74.57 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.3% (2003 est.)

male

99.5%

total population

99.4%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases

tickborne encephalitis (2009)

Median age

female

42.6 years (2010 est.)

male

37.8 years

total

40 years

Nationality

adjective

Hungarian

noun

Hungarian(s)

Net migration rate

1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

9,992,339 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.156% (2010 est.)

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)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

16 years (2008)

male

15 years

total

15 years

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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.39 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

68% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)

capital city

Budapest

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

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

47 30 N, 19 05 E

name

Budapest

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989; and 1997 note: 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Hungary

conventional short form

Hungary

local long form

Magyar Koztarsasag

local short form

Magyarorszag

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Tsakopoulos KOUNALAKIS

embassy

Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest

FAX

[36] (1) 475-4764

mailing address

pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270

telephone

[36] (1) 475-4400

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Bela SZOMBATI

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8135

telephone

[1] (202) 362-6730

Executive branch

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 )

chief of state

President Pal SCHMITT (since 6 August 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

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

head of government

Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary created)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, 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

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Legal system

based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

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)

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

elections

last held on 11 and 25 April 2010 (next to be held in April 2014)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Ferenc KOLCSEY/Ferenc ERKEL note: adopted 1844; the anthem is also known as "Isten, aldd meg a magyart" (God, Bless the Hungarians)

name

"Himnusz" (Hymn)

National holiday

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Political parties and leaders

Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [5 administrators]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Semjen ZSOLT]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Atilla 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); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (personal data protection); 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);

environmentalists

Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Central bank discount rate

6.25% (31 December 2009) 10% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

11.04% (31 December 2009 est.) 10.18% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$631 million (2010 est.) $441 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$134.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $147.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

28 (2005) 24.4 (1998)

Economy - overview

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 3.8% in 2010. 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-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. The economy rebounded in 2010 with a big boost from exports, and growth of more than 2.5% is expected in 2011. Unemployment remained high, at more than 11%.

Electricity - consumption

37.4 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - exports

9.446 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

13.35 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

40.03 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Exchange rates

forints (HUF) per US dollar - 213.69 (2010), 202.34 (2009), 171.8 (2008), 183.83 (2007), 210.39 (2006)

Exports

$93.74 billion (2010 est.) $82.1 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 25.54%, Italy 5.67%, UK 5.41%, France 5.37%, Romania 5.28%, Slovakia 4.97%, Austria 4.52% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

2.8%

industry

35.7%

services

61.5% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$19,000 (2010 est.) $18,800 (2009 est.) $20,100 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

0.8% (2010 est.) -6.3% (2009 est.) 0.6% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$132.3 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$190 billion (2010 est.) $188.5 billion (2009 est.) $201.2 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 24.1% (2004)

Imports

$87.44 billion (2010 est.) $76.42 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 50%, fuels and electricity 11%, food products, raw materials

Imports - partners

Germany 25.05%, China 8.56%, Russia 7.3%, Austria 6.08%, Netherlands 4.73%, France 4.51%, Slovakia 4.14%, Italy 4.13%, Poland 4.07% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (2010 est.)

Industries

mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.5% (2010 est.) 4.2% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

19.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

4.17 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

4.5%

industry

32.1%

services

63.4% (2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$28.29 billion (31 December 2009) $18.58 billion (31 December 2008) $47.65 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

11.32 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

85 million cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

9.708 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

2.603 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

8.098 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

158,200 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

69,650 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - imports

181,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - production

35,580 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

26.57 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

12% (2010 est.)

Public debt

72.1% of GDP (2010 est.) 78% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$45.73 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $44.18 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$67.94 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $70.99 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$20.48 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $19.41 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$72.61 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $70.41 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$99.06 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $103 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$28.67 billion (31 December 2010 est) $30.25 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

11.5% (2010 est.) 10% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

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 have emerged; highly developed market for satellite and cable TV services with about two-thirds of viewers utilizing multi-channel 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 (2007)

Internet country code

.hu

Internet hosts

2.655 million (2010)

Internet users

6.176 million (2009)

Telephone system

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

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

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

Telephones - main lines in use

3.069 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

11.793 million (2009)

Airports

43 (2010)

Airports - with 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 - with 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 4,407 km; oil 987 km; refined products 335 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs

Railways

broad gauge

36 km 1.524-m gauge

narrow gauge

219 km 0.760-m gauge (2008)

standard gauge

7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)

total

8,057 km

Roadways

paved

70,539 km (31,363 km of interurban roads including 858 km of expressways)

total

160,057 km

unpaved

89,518 km (2008)

Waterways

1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2010)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,380,381 females age 16-49: 2,319,142 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,884,232 females age 16-49: 1,923,902 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

55,922 (2010 est.)

male

58,894

Military branches

Land Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2010)

Military expenditures

1.75% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 6-month service obligation (2010)

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

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 page last updated on January 13, 2011 ======================================================================