Hungary

republicIndependence 1001, unification by King Stephen I

Hungary as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBudapest

Area93,030 km2

Populationas each edition published it

10.57 million July 1990 · 9.86m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition -0.07% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 70.86 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.8 children per woman 1990 · 1.6 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

15 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 4.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $5,380 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -5% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 93,030 km2

arable land 54%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 14%forest and woodland 18%other 11%includes 2% irrigated

Total area

93,030km2

land area: 92,340 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries

2,251km total

Austria 366 km, Czechoslovakia 676 km, Romania 443 km, USSR 135 km, Yugoslavia 631 km

Disputes

Transylvania question with Romania; Nagymaros Dam dispute with Czechoslovakia

Climate

temperate;
cold, cloudy, humid winters;
warm summers

Natural resources

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils

Environment

levees are common along many streams, but flooding occurs almost every year

Note

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between USSR and Mediterranean basin

People

14 fields

Population

10,568,686

(July 1990), growth rate - 0.1% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

12Death

13Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Hungarian 96.6%German 1.6%Slovak 1.1%Southern Slav 0.3%Romanian 0.2%

Religion

Roman Catholic 67.5%Calvinist 20.0%Lutheran 5.0%atheist and other 7.5%

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun--Hungarian(s); adjective--Hungarian

Labor force

4,860,000; 43.2% services, trade, government, and other, 30.9% industry, 18.8% agriculture, 7.1% construction (1988)

Organized labor

96.5% of labor force;
Central Council of Hungarian Trade Unions (SZOT) includes 19 affiliated unions, all controlled by the government;
independent unions legal;
may be as many as 12 small independent unions in operation

Government

Republic

17 fields

National Assembly, 394 seats, elected 25 March 1990seats by party

Democratic Forum 165Free Democrats 92Independent Smallholders 43Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) 33Young Democrats 21Christian Democrats 21independent candidates or jointly sponsored candidates 19

Administrative divisions

19 counties (megyek, singular--megye) and 1 capital city* (fovaros);
Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest*, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Komarom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar, Szolnok, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala

Constitution

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972 and 18 October 1989

Legal system

based on Communist legal theory, with both civil law system (civil code of 1960) and common law elements;
Supreme Court renders decisions of principle that sometimes have the effect of declaring legislative acts unconstitutional;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

Anniversary of the Liberation, 4 April (1945)

Executive branch

president, premier, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Orszaggyules)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court Chief of State--President-designate Arpad GONCZ (since 2 May 1990); Head of Government--Prime Minister Jozsef ANTALL (since 23 May 1990)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Forum, Jozsef Antall, chairman;
Free Democrats, Janos Kis, chairman;
Independent Smallholders, Istvan Prepeliczay, president;
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP), Rezso Nyers, chairman;
Young Democrats;
Christian Democrats, Sandor Keresztes, president;
note--the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Workers' Party (MSZMP) renounced Communism and became the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) in October 1989

Suffrage

universal at age 18 National Assembly--last held on 25 March 1990 (first round, with the second round held 8 April 1990);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(394 total) Democratic Forum 165, Free Democrats 92, Independent Smallholders 43, Hungarian Socialist Party (MSP) 33, Young Democrats 21, Christian Democrats 21, independent candidates or jointly sponsored candidates 19;
an additional 8 seats will be given to representatives of minority nationalities

Member of

CCC, CEMA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, IBEC, ICAC, ICAO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dr. Peter VARKONYI;
Chancery at 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 362-6730;
there is a Hungarian Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador-designate Charles THOMAS;
Embassy at V. Szabadsag Ter 12, Budapest (mailing address is APO New York 09213);
telephone [36] (1) 126-450

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Economy

Hungary's postwar Communist government spurred the movement from a predominantly agricultural to an industrialized economy.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

18%

(1989 est.)

Unemployment rate

0.4%

(1989)

External debt

$19.6billion

(1989)

Exports $19.1 billion (f.o.b. 1988)commodities, where a share is given

capital goods

36%foods

24%consumer goods

18%fuels and minerals

11%other

11%

; partners USSR 48%, Eastern Europe 25%, developed countries 16%, less developed countries 8% (1987)

Imports $18.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988)

machinery and transport

28%fuels

20%chemical products

14%manufactured consumer goods

16%agriculture

6%other

16%

; partners--USSR 43%, Eastern Europe 28%, less developed countries 23%, US 3% (1987)

Budget

Revenues

$14.0 billionExpenditures

$14.2 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $944 million (1988)

Hungary's postwar Communist government spurred the movement from a predominantly agricultural to an industrialized economy. The share of the labor force in agriculture dropped from over 50% in 1950 to under 20% in 1989. Agriculture nevertheless remains an important sector, providing sizable export earnings and meeting domestic food needs.

Industry accounts for about 40% of GNP and 30% of employment. Nearly three-fourths of foreign trade is with the USSR and Eastern Europe. Low rates of growth reflect the inability of the Soviet-style economy to modernize capital plant and motivate workers. GNP grew about 1% in 1988 and declined by 1% in 1989.

Since 1985 external debt has more than doubled, to nearly $20 billion. In recent years Hungary has moved further than any other East European country in experimenting with decentralized and market-oriented enterprises. These experiments have failed to jump-start the economy because of: limitations on funds for privatization;

continued subsidization of insolvent state enterprises; and the leadership's reluctance to implement sweeping market reforms that would cause additional social dislocations in the short term.

GNP

$64.6 billion, per capita $6,108; real growth rate - 1.3% (1989 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 0.6% (1988)

Electricity

7,250,000 kW capacity; 30,300 million kWh produced, 2,870 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

mining, metallurgy, engineering industries, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals)

Agriculture

including forestry, accounts for about 15% of GNP and 19% of employment;
highly diversified crop-livestock farming;
principal crops--wheat, corn, sunflowers, potatoes, sugar beets;
livestock--hogs, cattle, poultry, dairy products;
self-sufficient in food output

Aid

donor--$1.8 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1962-88)

Currency

forint (plural--forints); 1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler

Exchange rates

forints (Ft) per US$1--62.5 (January 1990), 59.2 (1989), 50.413 (1988), 46.971 (1987), 45.832 (1986), 50.119 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Airports, 90 total, 90 usable

permanent-surface runways

20runways over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

10runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Railroads

7,770 (1987)Inland waterways

1,622 (1986)

Railroads: ; 7,513 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 222 km narrow gauge (mostly 0.760-meter), 35 km 1.524-meter broad gauge; 1,138 km double track, 2,088 km electrified; all government owned

Railroads

7,770 km total;
7,513 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 222 km narrow gauge (mostly 0.760-meter), 35 km 1.524-meter broad gauge;
1,138 km double track, 2,088 km electrified;
all government owned (1987)

Highways

130,000 km total;
29,701 km national highway system--26,727 km asphalt and bitumen, 146 km concrete, 55 km stone and road brick, 2,345 km macadam, 428 km unpaved;
58,495 km country roads (66% unpaved), and 41,804 km (est.) other roads (70% unpaved) (1987)

Pipelines

crude oil, 1,204 km; refined products, 600 km; natural gas, 3,800 km (1986)

Ports

Budapest and Dunaujvaros are river ports on the Danube;
maritime outlets are Rostock (GDR), Gdansk (Poland), Gdynia (Poland), Szczecin (Poland), Galati (Romania), and Braila (Romania)

Merchant marine

16 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 77,141 GRT/103,189 DWT

Civil air

22 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

stations--13 AM, 11 FM, 21 TV;
8 Soviet TV relays;
3,500,000 TV sets;
5,500,000 receiver sets;
at least 1 satellite earth station

Defense Forces

Hungarian People's Army, Frontier Guard, Air and Air Defense Command

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

2,645,016fit for military service

2,112,651reach military age (18) annually

86,481

Defense expenditures

43.7billion forints

NA% of total budget (1989); note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Branches