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| Introduction | Hungary |
| Background: | Hungary was 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 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. |
| People | Hungary |
| Population: | 10,032,375 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 16% (male 826,032; female 782,687) 15-64 years: 69% (male 3,407,931; female 3,517,450) 65 years and over: 15% (male 545,488; female 952,787) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 38.4 years male: 35.9 years female: 41.1 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.25% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 9.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 13.16 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 8.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 72.25 years male: 68.07 years female: 76.69 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 2,800 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian |
| Ethnic groups: | Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 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% |
| Languages: | Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8% |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Hungary |
| 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: | Budapest |
| Administrative divisions: | 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) : counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala : urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg : capital city: Budapest |
| Independence: | 1001 (unification by King Stephen I) |
| 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: | rule of law based on Western model |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round of voting); Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 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 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20 |
| 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 [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador George Herbert WALKER embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 |
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green |
| Communications | Hungary |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 3,666,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 6,862,800 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998) |
| Radios: | 7.01 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: | 4.42 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .hu |
| Internet hosts: | 383,071 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 16 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 1.6 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Hungary |
| Railways: | total: 7,937 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 188,203 km paved: 81,680 km (including 438 km of expressways) unpaved: 106,523 km (1999) |
| Waterways: | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,568 GRT/10,025 DWT by type: cargo 2 registered in other countries: 8 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 43 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 11 |
| Heliports: | 5 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Hungary |
| Military branches: | Ground Forces, Air Forces |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (June 2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,519,052 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,011,750 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 64,426 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $1.08 billion (2002 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.75% (2002 est.) |
| Transnational Issues | Hungary |
| Disputes - international: | Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in neighboring states, who had objected to the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution |
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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