Demographics of Hungary
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Hungary, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Hungary's population has been declining since 1980.
Population
The population composition at the foundation of Hungary depends on the size of the arriving Hungarian population and the size of the Slavic population at the time. One source mentions 200 000 Slavs and 400 000 Hungarians, while other sources often don't give estimates for both, making comparison more difficult. The size of the Hungarian population around 895 is often estimated between 120 000 and 600 000, with a number of estimates in the 400-600 000 range. Other sources only mention a fighting force of 25 000 Magyar warriors used in the attack, while declining to estimate the total population including women and children and warriors not participating in the invasion. In the historical demographics the largest earlier shock was the Mongol Invasion of Hungary, several plagues also took a toll on the country's population.According to the demographers, about 80 percent of the population was made up of Hungarians before the Battle of Mohács, however the Hungarian ethnic group became a minority in its own country in the 18th century due to the resettlement policies and continuous immigration from neighboring countries. Major territorial changes made Hungary ethnically homogeneous after World War I. Nowadays, more than nine-tenths of the population is ethnically Hungarian and speaks Hungarian as the mother tongue.
900–1910
Note: The data refer to the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, and not that of the present-day republic.[Total Fertility Rate] from 1850 to 1899
The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period in the present-day Hungary. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.| Years | 1850 | 1851 | 1852 | 1853 | 1854 | 1855 | 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 |
| Total Fertility Rate in Hungary | 5.18 | 5.15 | 5.12 | 5.09 | 5.06 | 5.03 | 5 | 4.97 | 4.94 | 4.91 | 4.88 |
| Years | 1871 | 1872 | 1873 | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 |
| Total Fertility Rate in Hungary | 5.23 | 4.96 | 5.18 | 5.23 | 5.55 | 5.61 | 5.29 | 5.23 | 5.58 | 5.23 |
| Years | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 |
| Total Fertility Rate in Hungary | 5.2 | 4.96 | 5.25 | 5.08 | 5.48 | 5.11 | 4.97 | 4.95 | 4.62 | 4.79 |
Vital statistics from 1900
Unless otherwise indicated, vital statistics are from the Hungarian Statistical Office.Births and deaths in the territory of modern Hungary
Current population natural growth
- Number of births from January to June 2019 = 41,959
- Number of births from January to June 2020 = 44,250
- Number of deaths from January to June 2019 = 68,035
- Number of deaths from January to June 2020 = 64,302
- Natural growth from January to June 2019 = –26,076
- Natural growth from January to June 2020 = –20,052
Infant mortality rate
Total fertility rates
Historical
TFR by county
Vital statistics by county
There are large variations in the birth rates as of 2016: Zala County has the lowest birth rate with 7.5 births per thousand inhabitants, while Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County has the highest birth rate with 11.2 births per thousand inhabitants.The death rates also differ greatly from as low as 11.3 deaths per thousand inhabitants in Pest County to as high as 15.7 deaths per thousand inhabitants in Békés County.
Demographics statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review.- One birth every 6 minutes
- One death every 4 minutes
- Net loss of one person every 16 minutes
- One net migrant every 90 minutes
;Population:
;Age structure:
;Median age:
;Birth rate:
;Death rate:
;Total fertility rate:
;Net migration rate:
;Mother's mean age at first birth:
;Population growth rate:
;Life expectancy at birth:
;Religions:
Roman Catholic 37.2%, Calvinist 11.6%, Lutheran 2.2%, Greek Catholic 1.8%, other 1.9%, none 18.2%, unspecified 27.2%
;Infant mortality rate:
;Languages:
Hungarian 99.6%, English 16%, German 11.2%, Russian 1.6%, Romanian 1.3%, French 1.2%, other 4.2%
note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Hungarian is the mother tongue of 98.9% of Hungarian speakers
;Dependency ratios:
;Urbanization:
;Unemployment, youth ages 15–24:
;Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.06 male/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male/female
15–64 years:
0.97 male/female
65 years and over:
0.57 male/female
total population:
0.91 male/female
Life expectancy at birth
Ethnic groups and language
0.1%History
Hungary before the Treaty of Trianon (4 June 1920)
Hungary lost 64% of its total population in consequence of the Treaty of Trianon, decreasing from 20.9 million to 7.6 million, and 31% of its ethnic Hungarians, Hungary lost five of its ten most populous cities.within Austria-Hungary and independent Hungary after the Treaty of Trianon. Based on the 1910 census. Administrative Hungary in green, autonomous Croatia-Slavonia grey.
According to the census of 1910, the largest ethnic group in the Kingdom of Hungary were Hungarians, who were 54.5% of the population of Kingdom of Hungary, excluding Croatia-Slavonia.
Although the territories of the former Kingdom of Hungary that were assigned by the treaty to neighbouring states in total had a majority of non-Hungarian population, they also included areas of Hungarian majority and significant Hungarian minorities, numbering 3,318,000 in total.
The number of Hungarians in the different areas based on census data of 1910. The present day location of each area is given in parenthesis.
- In Upper Hungary : 885,000 - 30%
- In Transylvania : 1,658,045 - 31.6%
- In Vojvodina : 425,672 - 28.1%
- In Transcarpathia : 183,000 - 30%
- In Croatia: 121,000 - 3.5%
- In Prekmurje : 14,065 - 15%
- In Burgenland : 26,200 - 9%
Non-Hungarian population in the Kingdom of Hungary, based on 1910 census data
- In Upper Hungary : 1,687,977 Slovaks and 1,233,454 others. However, according to the Czechoslovak census in 1921, there were 2,025,003 Slovaks, 650,597 Hungarians, 145,844 Germans, 88,970 Ruthenians and 90,456 others including Jews.
- In Carpathian Ruthenia : 330,010 Ruthenians and 275,932 others
- In Transylvania : 2,831,222 Romanians and 2,431,273 others and Germans - 563,087. The 1919 and 1920 Transylvanian censuses indicate a greater percentage of Romanians and a smaller Hungarian minority
- In Vojvodina and Croatia-Slavonia : 2,756,000 Croats and Serbs and 1,366,000 others
- In Prekmurje : 74,199 Slovenes, 14,065 Hungarians, 2,540 Germans
- In Burgenland : 217,072 Germans and 69,858 others
Post-Trianon Hungary
- 551,212 German
- 141,882 Slovak
- 23,760 Romanian
- 36,858 Croatian
- 23,228 Bunjevac and Šokci
- 17,131 Serb
- 7,000 Slovenes
Note: 300.000 Hungarian refugees fled to Hungary from the territory of successor states after the WW I.
From 1938 to 1945
Hungary expanded its borders and regained territories from Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia at the outset of the war. These annexations were affirmed under the Munich Agreement, two Vienna Awards, Carpathian Ruthenia and parts of Yugoslavia were occupied and annexed in 1939 and 1941, respectively.The population of Northern Transylvania, according to the Hungarian census from 1941 counted 53.5% Hungarians and 39.1% Romanians.
The territory of Bácska had 789,705 inhabitants, and 45,4% or 47,2% declared themselves to be Hungarian native speakers or ethnic Hungarians.
The percentage of Hungarian speakers was 84% in southern Czechoslovakia and 25% in the Sub-Carpathian Rus.
After WW II: 1949–1990
After World War II, about 200,000 Germans were deported to Germany according to the decree of the Potsdam Conference. Under the forced exchange of population between Czechoslovakia and Hungary, approximately 73,000 Slovaks left Hungary. After these population movements Hungary became an ethnically almost homogeneous country except the rapidly growing number of Romani people in the second half of the 20th century.For historical reasons, significant Hungarian minority populations can be found in the surrounding countries, notably in Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia. Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia are also host to a number of ethnic Hungarians.
2001–2011
- Note: In 2001 570,537, in 2011 1,398,731 people did not give answer for ethnicity. Moreover, people were able to give more than one answer on the question asking for the minorities, hence the sum of the above exceeds the number of population.
- Methodology had changed in 2001 and 2011 also.
- Roma people is estimated to be around 8.8% Roma
2016
- Note: In Hungary people are able to give more than one answer on the question asking for the minorities, hence the sum of the above exceeds the number of population.
- In 2016 102,000 people did not give answer for ethnicity.
Historical ethnic groups of Hungary
The Roma minority
The first Romani groups arrived in Hungary in the fifteenth century from Turkey. Nowadays, the real number of Roma in Hungary is a disputed question.In the 2001 census only 190 046 called themselves Roma, but experts and Roma organisations estimate that there are between 450,000 and 1,000,000 Roma living in Hungary. Since then, the size of the Roma population has increased rapidly. Today every fifth or sixth newborn child belongs to the Roma minority. Based on current demographic trends, a 2006 estimate by Central European Management Intelligence claims that the proportion of the Roma population will double by 2050, putting the percentage of its Roma community at around 14-15% of the country's population.
There are problems related to the Roma minority in Hungary, and the very subject is a heated and disputed topic.
Objective problems:
- Slightly more than 80% of Roma children complete primary education, but only one third continue studies into the intermediate level. This is far lower than the more than 90% proportion of children of non-Roma families who continue studies at an intermediate level. Less than 1% of Roma hold higher educational certificates.
- Poverty: most of the Roma people live in significantly worse conditions than others.
- Bad health conditions: life expectancy is about 10 years less compared to non-Romas
- Lack of debate regarding the subject: academic researchers and members of the mainstream press disregard any critics and study the subject in the canonical viewpoint. Critics don't have the funds necessary to perform alternative studies.
Kabars
Böszörménys
The Muslim Böszörménys migrated to the Carpathian Basin in the course of the 10th-12th centuries and they were composed of various ethnic groups. Most of them must have arrived from Volga Bulgaria and Khwarezm.Pechenegs
Communities of Pechenegs lived in the Kingdom of Hungary from the 11-12th centuries. They were most numerous in the county of Tolna.Oghuz Turks (Ouzes)
Smaller groups of Oghuz Turk settlers came to the Carphatian Basin from the middle of the 11th century. They were settled mostly in Barcaság. The city of Ózd got its name after them.Jassics
The Jassic people were a nomadic tribe which settled -with the Cumans- in the Kingdom of Hungary during the 13th century. Their name is almost certainly related to that of the Iazyges. Béla IV, king of Hungary granted them asylum and they became a privileged community with the right of self-government. During the centuries they were fully assimilated to the Hungarian population, their language disappeared, but they preserved their Jassic identity and their regional autonomy until 1876. Over a dozen settlements in Central Hungary still bear their name.Cumans
During the Russian campaign, the Mongols drove some 200,000 Cumans, a nomadic tribe who had opposed them, west of the Carpathian Mountains. There, the Cumans appealed to King Béla IV of Hungary for protection. In the Kingdom of Hungary, Cumans created two regions named Cumania : Greater Cumania and Little Cumania, both located the Great Hungarian Plain. Here, the Cumans maintained their autonomy, language and some ethnic customs well into the modern era. According to Pálóczi's estimation originally 70-80,000 Cumans settled in Hungary.Romanians
The oldest extant documents from Transylvania make reference to Vlachs too. Regardless of the subject of Romanian presence/non-presence in Transylvania prior to the Hungarian conquest, the first chronicles to write of Vlachs in the intra-Carpathian regions is the Gesta Hungarorum, while the first written Hungarian sources about Romanian settlements derive from the 13th century, record was written about Olahteluk village in Bihar County from 1283. The 'land of Romanians', Terram Blacorum showed up in Fogaras and this area was mentioned under different name in 1285. The first appearance of a supposed Romanian name 'Ola' in Hungary derives from a charter.They were a significant population in Transylvania, Banat, Maramureș and Partium. There are different estimations in connection with number of Romanians in Kingdom of Hungary. According to a research based on place-names made by István Kniezsa, 511 villages of Transylvania and Banat appear in documents at the end of the 13th century, however only 3 of them bore Romanian names, and around 1400 AD, Transylvania and Banat consisted of 1757 villages, though only 76 of them had names of Romanian origin. The number of Romanians started to increase significantly from the Early modern period, and by 1700 the Romanian ethnic group consisted of 40 percent of the Transylvanian population and their number raised even more in the 18th century. Although, according to other estimates, the Romanian inhabitants who were primarily peasants, consisted of more than 60 percent of the population in 1600. Jean W.Sedlar estimates that Vlachs constituted about two-thirds of Transylvania's population in 1241 on the eve of the Mongol invasion, however according to other researches the Hungarian ethnic group in Transylvania was in decent majority before Battle of Mohács and only lost its relative majority by the 17th century. Official censuses with information on Hungary's ethnic composition have been conducted since the 19th century.
In 1881, Romanian-majority settlements projected to the present-day territory of Hungary were: Bedő, Csengerújfalu, Kétegyháza, Körösszakál, Magyarcsanád, Méhkerék, Mezőpeterd, Pusztaottlaka and Vekerd.
Important communities lived in Battonya, Elek, Gyula, Körösszegapáti, Létavértes, Nyíradony, Pocsaj, Sarkadkeresztúr, and Zsáka.
Slovaks
The Slovak people lived mainly in Upper Hungary, northern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. Due to post-Ottoman resettlements, the regions of Vojvodina, Banat and Békés county received bigger Slovak communities in the 18th century. After WWII a major population exchange with Czechoslovakia was carried out: about 73,000 Slovaks were transferred to Slovakia, replaced by an incomparable number of Hungarians.Serbs
From the 14th century, escaping from the Ottoman threat, a large number of Serbs migrated to the Hungarian Kingdom. After the Battle of Mohács, most of the territory of Hungary got into Ottoman rule. In that time, especially in the 17th century, many Serb, and other Southern Slavic immigrants settled in Hungary. Most of the Ottoman soldiers in the territory of present-day Hungary were South Slavs. After the Turkish withdrawal, Kingdom of Hungary came under Habsburg rule, a new wave of Serb refugees migrated to the area around 1690, as a consequence of the Habsburg-Ottoman war. In the first half of the 18th century, Serbs and South Slavs were ethnic majority in several cities in Hungary.Germans
migration can be distinguished in Hungary before the 20th century. The first two waves of settlers arrived to the Hungarian Kingdom in the Middle Ages in Upper Hungary and in Southern Transylvania.The third, largest wave of German-speaking immigrants into Hungary occurred after the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from Hungarian territory, after the Treaty of Karlowitz. Between 1711 and 1780, German-speaking settlers immigrated to the regions of Southern Hungary, mostly region of Bánát, Bács-Bodrog, Baranya and Tolna counties, which had been depopulated by the Ottoman wars. At the end of the 18th century, the Kingdom of Hungary contained over one million German-speaking residents. In 2011, 131,951 people declared to be German in Hungary.
Rusyns
had lived mostly in Carpathian Ruthenia, Northeast Hungary, however significant Rusyn population appeared in Vojvodina from the 18th century.Croats
was in personal union with Hungary from 1102. Croat communities were spread mostly in the western and southern part of the country and along the Danube, including Budapest.Poles
The Poles lived at the northern borders of Kingdom of Hungary from the arrival of the Hungarians.Slovenes
The Slovenes lived in the western part of the Carpathian basin before the Hungarian conquest. In the 11th and 12th century, the current linguistic and ethnic border between the Hungarian and Slovene people was established. Nowadays, they live in Vendvidék between the Mura and the Rába rivers. In 2001, there were around 5,000 Slovenes in Hungary.Jews
The first historical document about Jews of Hungary is the letter written about 960 to King Joseph of the Khazars by Hasdai ibn Shaprut, the Jewish statesman of Córdoba, in which he says Jews living in "the country of Hungarin". There are Jewish inscriptions on tombs and monuments in Pannonia dated to the second or third century CE.Armenians
The first Armenians came to Hungary from the Balkans in the 10 - 11th century.Greeks
migrated to Kingdom of Hungary from the 15th and 16th centuries. Mass migrations did not occur until the 17th century, the largest waves being in 1718 and 1760–1770; they were primarily connected to the economic conditions of the period. It is estimated that 10,000 Greeks emigrated to Hungary in the second half of the 18th century. A number of Greeks Communists escaped to Hungaryafter the Greek Civil War, notably in the 'Greek' village of Beloiannisz.
Bulgarians
The town of Szentendre and the surrounding villages were inhabited by Bulgarians since the Middle Ages. However, present day Bulgarians are largely descended from gardeners who migrated to Hungary from the 18th century.Religion
The majority of Hungarians became Christian in the 11th century. Hungary remained predominantly Catholic until the 16th century, when the Reformation took place and, as a result, first Lutheranism, then soon afterwards Calvinism, became the religion of almost the entire population.In the second half of the 16th century, however, Jesuits led a successful campaign of counterreformation among the Hungarians, although Protestantism survived as the faith of a significant minority, especially in the far east and northeast of the country. Orthodox Christianity in Hungary has been the religion mainly of some national minorities in the country, notably Romanians, Rusyns, Ukrainians, and Serbs.
Faith Church, one of Europe's largest Pentecostal churches, is also located in Hungary. Hungary has historically been home to a significant Jewish community.
According to 2011 census data, Christianity is the largest religion in Hungary, with around 5.2 million adherents, while the largest denomination in Hungary is Catholicism. There is a significant Calvinist minority and smaller Lutheran, Orthodox and Jewish minorities. However, these census figures are representative of religious affiliation rather than attendance; around 12% of Hungarians attend religious services more than least once a week and around 50% more than once a year, while 30% of Hungarians do not believe in God at all. The census showed a large drop of religious adherents who wish to answer, from 74.6% to 54.7% in ten years' time, replacing them by people either who do not wish answer or people who are not following a religion.
Immigration
Foreign-born population
| Continent | 2016 population | % of total | 2017 population | % of total | 2018 population | % of total |
| Europe | 99,194 | 65.63 | 104,254 | 64.43 | 117,552 | 65.03 |
| Asia | 39,937 | 26.42 | 44,692 | 27.62 | 49,056 | 27.14 |
| America | 5,397 | 3.57 | 5,891 | 3.64 | 6,850 | 3.79 |
| Africa | 5,985 | 3.96 | 6,334 | 3.91 | 6,660 | 3.68 |
| Other and unknown | 619 | 0.41 | 638 | 0.39 | 655 | 0.36 |