Hungary

Republic of HungaryMagyar Koztarsasag

republicIndependence 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

Hungary as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 88 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

Position47 00 N, 20 00 E

Area93,030 sq km

LocationCentral Europe, northwest of Romania

Populationas each edition published it

10 million July 1996 est. · 10.57m in 1990

Population growth% a year

-0.68% 1996 est. · -0.07% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

69.02 years 1996 est. · 70.86 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.51 children per woman 1996 est. · 1.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

12.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 15 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$7,000 1995 est. · $5,380 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.5% 1995 · -5% in 1993

Geography

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

15 fields

Land useshare of 93,030 sq km

arable land 51%permanent crops 6%meadows and pastures 13%forest and woodland 18%other 12%irrigated 1,750 sq km (1989)

Area

93,030sq km

land area: 92,340 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Land boundaries

2,009km

border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km (all with Serbia), Slovakia 515 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Climate

temperate;
cold, cloudy, humid winters;
warm summers

Terrain

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

lowest point:: Tisza River 78 m
highest point:: Kekes 1,014 m

Natural resources

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils

Environment

current issues:: an early-1996 government study identified 179 areas that suffer from air pollution, 54 areas with polluted soil, and 32 areas with polluted underground water;
the study estimated clean-up costs at $350 million, but the 1996 government budget allocates only about $7 million for this purpose
international agreements:: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geographic note

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

People

15 fields

Population

10,002,541

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: -0.68% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

10.72Death

15.06Net migration

-2.48

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years69.02

64.23 · 74.04

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy99%

99% · 98%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Hungarian 89.9%Gypsy 4%German 2.6%Serb 2%Slovak 0.8%Romanian 0.7%

Religions

Roman Catholic 67.5%Calvinist 20%Lutheran 5%atheist and other 7.5%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 18% (male 907,963; female 867,536)
15-64 years:: 68% (male 3,325,529; female 3,464,588)
65 years and over:: 14% (male 538,106; female 898,819) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.6 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.91 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

12.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Hungarian(s)
adjective:: Hungarian

Government

Republic; President Arpad GONCZ (since 3 August 1990; Prime Minister Gyula HORN (since 15 July 1994) was elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president

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Legislature, 386 seatsseats by party

MSzP 209SzDSz 70MDF 37FKgP 26KDNP 22FiDeSz 20other 2

Name of country

conventional long form:: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form:: Hungary
local long form:: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form:: Magyarorszag

38 counties (megyek, singular - megye) and 1 capital city* (fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Bekescsaba, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest*, Csongrad, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Fejer, Gyor, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Hodmezovasarhely, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Komarom-Esztergom, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nograd, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Pest, Somogy, Sopron, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala, Zalaegerszeg

Independence

1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

National holiday

St. Stephen's Day (National Day), 20 August (commemorates the founding of Hungarian state circa 1000 AD)

Constitution

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972;
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

Legal system

in process of revision, moving toward rule of law based on Western model

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Arpad GONCZ (since 3 August 1990; previously interim president from 2 May 1990) was elected for a four-year term by the National Assembly;
election last held 19 June 1995 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - President GONCZ elected by parliamentary vote with a total of 259 votes out of 335
head of government:: Prime Minister Gyula HORN (since 15 July 1994) was elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
cabinet:: Council of Ministers was elected by the National Assembly on recommendation of the president

Legislative branch

unicameral

National Assembly (Orszaggyules)

elections last held on 8 and 29 May 1994 (next to be held spring 1998);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (386 total) MSzP 209, SzDSz 70, MDF 37, FKgP 26, KDNP 22, FiDeSz 20, other 2

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the National Assembly

Political parties and leaders

Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), Lajos FUR, chairman;
Independent Smallholders (FKgP), Jozsef TORGYAN, president;
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSzP), Gyula HORN, president;
Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), Gyorgy GICZY, president;
Federation of Young Democrats (FiDeSz), Viktor ORBAN, chairman;
Alliance of Free Democrats (SzDSz), Ivan PETO, chairman

note: the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Workers' Party (MSzMP) renounced Communism and became the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSzP) in October 1989; there is still a small MMP

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Gyorgy BANLAKI
chancery:: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 362-6730

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8135; consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Donald M. BLINKEN
embassy:: V. Szabadsag Ter 12, Budapest
mailing address:: Am Embassy, Unit 1320, APO AE 09213-1320
telephone:: [36] (1) 267-4400, 269-9331

FAX

[36] (1) 269-9326

Flag

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

Economy

Hungary, probably the most Western-oriented | economy in East Europe before the transition to a market system | began in 1990, made good progress in the initial years of | transition.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$7,000

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

1.5%

(1995)industrial production growth: 6% (1995 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

28.3%

(1995)

Unemployment rate

10.4%

(yearend 1995)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture 7.3%industry 37.5%services 55.2%

Budget

Revenues

$12.6 billionExpenditures

$13.8 billion (1995)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 6,740,000 kW

Electricity production

31 billionElectricity consumption per capita

3,012 (1993)

Economic overview

Hungary, probably the most Western-oriented economy in East Europe before the transition to a market system began in 1990, made good progress in the initial years of transition. The reform process slowed in 1993-94, however, in part because of the May 1994 elections and the resulting change in government.

By 1994 the privatization of state firms had ground to a halt, while both the budget and current account deficits soared to unsustainable levels - about 8% and 10% of GDP, respectively. The situation improved sharply in 1995; an austerity program introduced in March reduced both deficits, and a renewed privatization effort later in 1995 resulted in more than $3 billion worth of sales of state firms to foreign investors - money that will be used to reduce Hungary's large foreign debt.

As for other macroeconomic developments, real GDP increased 2.9% in 1994 - following several years of steep decline - and about 1.5% in 1995. Unemployment reached 14% in early 1993 before gradually falling back to 10% in 1995. Inflation has oscillated; it reached 40% in mid-1991, dropped to 17% in early 1994, and then jumped back to 31% by mid-1995.

Prospects for 1996 are good. With the government still committed to austerity, both the budget and current account deficits should fall to about 4% of GDP. Economic growth is expected to be about 2% and unemployment at about 10%, with inflation falling to 20% by yearend. In March 1996 the IMF signed a new standby loan agreement with Budapest, and the OECD approved Hungary's application for admission.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $72.5 billion (1995 est.)

Labor force

4.8 million (1995); by occupation: services, trade, government, and other 47.2%, industry 29.7%, agriculture 16.1%, construction 7.0% (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

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

Illicit drugs

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and transit point for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals

Exports

$13 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

commodities:: raw materials and semi-finished goods 36.4%, consumer goods 26.7%, food and agriculture 20.5%, capital goods 13.1%, fuels and energy 3.3% (1994)
partners:: Germany 28.2%, Austria 10.9%, Italy 8.5%, Russia 7.5%, US 4.0% (1994)

Imports

$15 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

commodities:: fuels and energy 11.0%, raw materials and semi-finished goods 36.9%, capital goods 23.3%, consumer goods 22.0%, food and agriculture 6.8% (1994)
partners:: Germany 23.4%, Austria 12.0%, Russia 12.0%, Italy 7.0%, UK 4.0% (1994)

External debt

$32.7 billion (October 1995)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $136 million (1993) note: assistance received from OECD countries and international organizations, $3,700 million (1990-93)

Currency

1 forint (Ft) = 100 filler

Exchange rates

forints per US$1 - 144 (January 1996), 125.681 (1995),105.160 (1994), 91.933 (1993), 78.988 (1992), 74.735 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 78 in all

over 3 047 m

2 438 to 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

under 914 m

914 to 1 523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

158,711Railways

7,685Waterways

1,622 (1988)

Highways: paved: 69,992 km (including 441 km of expressways) · unpaved: 88,719 km (1992 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 35 km 1.524-m gauge · standard gauge: 7,474 km 1.435-m gauge (2,162 km electrified; 1,236 km double track) · narrow gauge: 176 km mostly 0.760-m gauge (1995) note: Hungry and Austria jointly manage the cross-border standard-gauge railway between Gyor, Sopron, Ebenfurti, and Vasut, a distance of about 100 km

Railways

total:: 7,685 km
broad gauge:: 35 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge:: 7,474 km 1.435-m gauge (2,162 km electrified; 1,236 km double track)
narrow gauge:: 176 km mostly 0.760-m gauge (1995)

note: Hungry and Austria jointly manage the cross-border standard-gauge railway between Gyor, Sopron, Ebenfurti, and Vasut, a distance of about 100 km

Highways

total:: 158,711 km
paved:: 69,992 km (including 441 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 88,719 km (1992 est.)

Communications

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, | Territorial Defense

9 fields

Fixed lines

1.52 million

(1993 est.)

Telephone system

14,213 telex lines;
automatic telephone network based on microwave radio relay system;
608,000 telephones on order;
12-15 year wait for a telephone;
49% of all telephones are in Budapest (1991 est.);
note - the former state-owned telecommunications firm MATAV - now privatized and managed by a US/German consortium - has ambitious plans to upgrade the inadequate system, including a contract with the German firm Siemens and the Swedish firm Ericsson to provide 600,000 new phone lines during 1996-98

domestic:: microwave radio relay
international:: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region)

males age 15-49:: 2,552,794
males fit for military service:: 2,036,399
males reach military age (18) annually:: 82,040 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $620 million, 1.7% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Hungary.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/hungary/1996.

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