Factbook

Background:

     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.

Location:Central Europe, northwest of Romania
Geographic coordinates:47 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references:Europe
Area:total: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km
water: 690 sq km
Area—comparative:slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Climate:temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
Terrain:mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m
Natural resources:bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Land use:arable land: 49.58%
permanent crops: 2.06%
other: 48.36% (2005)
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 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   
Population:9,956,108 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 15.3% (male 785,643/female 741,907)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,399,926/female 3,498,403)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 554,356/female 975,873) (2007 est.)
Median age:total: 38.9 years
male: 36.5 years
female: 41.5 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:-0.253% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:9.66 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:13.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.059 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.972 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.568 male(s)/female
total population: 0.909 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 72.92 years
male: 68.73 years
female: 77.38 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.33 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Nationality:noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian
Ethnic groups:Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)
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)
Languages:Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.5%
female: 99.3% (2003 est.)     
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag
Government type:parliamentary democracy
Capital:name: Budapest
geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)
National holiday:Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August
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; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system
Legal system:based German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister ?
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
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1

Judicial branch:Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) Political parties and leaders:Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Janos KOKA]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Ferenc GYURCSANY]

Flag description:three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green   
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 over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since 1989. Hungary issues investment-grade sovereign debt. International observers, however, have expressed concerns over Hungary's fiscal and current account deficits. In 2007, Hungary eliminated a trade deficit that had persisted for several years. Inflation declined from 14% in 1998 to a low of 3.7% in 2006, but jumped to 7.8% in 2007. Unemployment has persisted above 6%. Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Policy

challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 4% of GDP by 2008, from about 6% in 2007. The government's austerity program of tax hikes and subsidy cuts has reduced Hungary's large budget deficit, but the reforms have dampened domestic consumption, slowing GDP growth to less than 2% in 2007. The government will need to pass additional reforms to ensure the long-term stability of public finances. The government plans to eventually lower its public sector deficit to below 3% of GDP to adopt the euro.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$194.2 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$136.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP—real growth rate:2.1% (2007 est.)
GDP—per capita (PPP):$19,500 (2007 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 32.4%
services: 64.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:4.19 million (2007 est.)
Labor force—by occupation:agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 33.3%
services: 61.2% (2003)
Unemployment rate:7.1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:8.6% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 22.2% (2002)
Distribution of family income—Gini index:28 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):7.8% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):21.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:revenues: $62.25 billion
expenditures: $69.98 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:70.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture—products:wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products
Industries:mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles
Exports—commodities:machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003)
Exports—partners:Germany 29.5%, Italy 5.6%, France 5%, Austria 5%, UK 4.5%, Romania 4.2%, Poland 4.1% (2006)
Imports—commodities:machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% (2003)
Imports—partners:Germany 27.1%, Russia 8.2%, China 6.9%, Austria 6.2%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.6%, Netherlands 4.3%, Poland 4.3% (2006)
Currency (code):forint (HUF)  
Telephones—main lines in use:3.35 million (2006)
Telephones—mobile cellular:9.965 million (2006)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:35 (plus 161 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:.hu
Internet hosts:2.313 million (2007)
Internet users:3.5 million (2006)    
Airports:46 (2007)
Railways:total: 8,057 km
Roadways:total: 159,568 km
paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of expressways)
unpaved: 89,518 km (2005)
Waterways:1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2007) 
Military branches:Ground Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004; 6-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 50 (2006)