Population and vital events

The collection of interactive figures provides up-to-date information on the latest domestic and international socio-economic trends. The decisive part of the figures included in HCSO Monitor are downloadable in both image and data formats (PNG, SVG and CSV). Feel free to browse the data in HCSO Monitor, updated many times a week!

We commemorate Prince Saint Emeric, the son of King Saint Stephen and Queen Gisela the Blessed, the patron saint of Hungarian youth on 5 November. On 1 January 2024, the number of young people aged 16–29 in Hungary was around 1.5 million, representing 15.3% of the population. Their labour market situation has improved significantly in the past period; the employment rate of recently graduated young people aged 20–34 with at least secondary education has exceeded the EU average every year since 2014.

According to preliminary data, 6,708 children were born and 9,697 people died in September 2024. The number of births lessened by 7.7% and that of marriages by 22%, while the number of deaths increased by 5.4% compared to the same period of the previous year.

In 2023, the number of deaths decreased to a greater extent than that of births, resulting in a slower pace of natural decrease. Life expectancy at birth has risen to its highest level ever. The decline in the number of marriages has continued. The Demographic Yearbook provides detailed data on the composition of the population, the changes in births, marriages, divorces and deaths, as well as the features of migration.

Pope Urban V signed the deed of foundation of the University of Pécs on 1 September 1367, this day - 1 September - becoming, since 1994, the Day of Pécs (furthermore, the Day of Hungarian Higher Education, since 2017). The city with 140 thousand inhabitants is the largest settlement of Transdanubia and the 5th largest among Hungary’s settlements. A significant part of the industrial establishments ceased following the regime change, still, today Pécs is an outstanding educational, cultural and tourism centre.

The yearbook provides an overview of Hungary's demographic, social and economic processes, environmental characteristics and their changes over time, with the help of tens of thousands of data of 500 tables, graphs and maps. Innovatively, the Tourism, catering chapter in the volume includes the gross receipts of tourist accommodation establishments by type of accommodation. Another change is that this year the Regional data chapter already presents territorial data by tourism area, giving greater emphasis to tourist destinations.

Geopolitical tensions continued to overshadow economic developments in 2023, with the gross domestic product falling by 0.9%. Inflationary pressures gradually eased, but the 17.6% annual increase in consumer prices led to a decline in real earnings and consumption, and negatively affected investment decisions. Despite the economic difficulties, employment has reached a record high. In 2023, the number of deaths and births continued to fall, in addition to the decrease in the number of women of childbearing age.

International Children's Day is celebrated in various parts of the world, but the date varies from country to country. In our country, since 1954, we celebrate children on the last Sunday in May, this year on 26 May. In Hungary, on January 1 2024, the number of people of child age, i.e. those under the age of 15, was 1.4 million, representing 14.4% of the total population.

In 2023, the number of births was lower than in the previous year, yet the number of deaths also declined by a greater extent, resulting in a slight decrease in the rate of natural decrease. The smaller surplus of international migration compared to the previous year moderated the population decline, resulting in a net decrease of 16,000 people in Hungary's population. The number of women of childbearing age continued to diminish, as did the fertility rate. The number of marriages fell, but that of divorces also lessened.

Motherhood is celebrated all over the world, with Mother’s Day being held on the second Sunday of May in most countries. It became a custom in Hungary some one hundred years ago to celebrate mothers on the first Sunday of May, which this year falls on 5 May. On that day, both children and adults may express their gratitude to grandmothers, too, in addition to the 3.1 million mothers for their love and care.

We updated data on intra-settlement housing and resident population, available within the section titled Parts of towns and of settlements, according to the status at the 2022 Census. The Detailed Gazetteer of the Countries under the Hungarian Crown was first published 150 years ago, in 1873, being edited and compiled by the National Hungarian Royal Statistical Office, followed by 25 additional printed editions, the last one in 2003. Since then the publication has come out online. The Detailed Gazetteer is the name and data repository of Hungary’s localities, the present version containing data according to the administrative status as of 1 January 2023.

Datasets from the Dissemination Database regarding settlements and Budapest’s districts have been updated with 2022 data, as such settlement and district related data for 2022 are available since 31 August, concerning, among others, resident population, live births, deaths, marriages, internal migration.