Country Facts - Hungary

The People

Nationality Hungarian(s)

Ethnic Composition

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

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	67.5%
Calvinist	20%
Lutheran	5%
Other and nonaffiliated	7.5%

Languages Spoken

Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Education and Literacy

Education is compulsory until age 16. Literacy is 99 percent nationwide.

Labor Force

Total: 4.2 million (1997)
By occupation:

Services	65%
Industry	27%
Agriculture	8%

Geography

Land Mass Total

35,919 sq mi (93,030 sq km)

Land

35,652 sq mi (92,340 sq km)

Water

266 sq mi (690 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 1,348 mi (2,171 km)
Border countries: Austria 227 mi (366 km), Croatia 204 mi (329 km), Romania 275 mi (443 km), Yugoslavia 93 mi (151 km), Slovakia 420 mi (677 km), Slovenia 63 mi (102 km), Ukraine 64 mi (103 km)

Climate/Weather

Temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Terrain

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

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Tisza River 255 ft (78 m)
Highest: Mount Kekes 3,326 ft (1,014 m)

Natural Resources

Bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Land use

Arable land	52%
Permanent crops	3%
Other	45%

(1998)

Environment - current issues

The approximation of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for E.U. accession 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.

Demographics

Population

10,075,034 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	16.4%	male 847,081	female 802,340
15-64 years:	68.8%	male 3,406,701	female 3,528,087
65 years and over:	14.8%	male 544,956	female 945,869

(2002)

Growth Rate

-0.3% (2002)

Life Expectancy

71.9 years (2002)
female: 76.55 years
male: 67.55 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$12,000 (2001)

Infant Mortality

8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.58 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.91 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and to work toward accession to the European Union. The private sector accounts for over 80 percent of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $23 billion since 1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation and unemployment - both priority concerns in 2001 - have declined substantially. Economic reform measures such as health care reform, tax reform, and local government financing failed to be addressed by the government of Viktor Orban. In May of 2002, Peter Medgyessy became Prime Minister and was on hand in December of the same year when Hungary achieved its long-term goal of receiving an admission date for entry into the E.U. in 2004.

Unemployment

6.5% (2001)

Inflation Rate

9.2% (2001)

Industries

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

Exports

US$27.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$29.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$120.9 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Germany 37%, Austria 9%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5% (2000)

Top Import Partners

Germany 25%, Russia 8%, Austria 7%, Italy 7% (2000)

Top Exports

Machinery and equipment 59.5%, other manufactures 29.4%, food products 6.9%, raw materials 2.4%, fuels and electricity 1.8% (2000)

Top Imports

Machinery and equipment 51.1%, other manufactures 35.9%, fuels and electricity 8.1%, food products 2.8%, raw materials 2.1% (2000)

Debt - external

US$28.5 billion (2001)

Economic aid

US$122.7 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Ofiices	8a.m. to 4:30p.m.	Closed
Retail	Food stores: 7a.m. to 7p.m., Department stores: Monday to Wednesday and Friday 10a.m. to 6p.m.; Thursdays until 8p.m.	Food stores: Saturday 7a.m. to 2p.m. Department stores: Saturday 9a.m. to 1p.m.
Banks	9a.m. or 10a.m. to 4p.m. (to 1p.m. on Friday).	Closed
Goverment	9a.m. to 3:30p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to noon.

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Anniversary of 1848 Revolution and War of Independence	March 15	March 15	March 15
Easter¹	April 20	April 11
Easter Monday	April 1	April 21	April 12
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Whit Sunday (Pentecost)²	June 8	May 30	May 15
Whit Monday	June 9	May 31	May 16
Celebration of the Foundation of the State and St. Stephen's Day	August 20	August 20	August 20
Anniversery of 1956 Revolution and Proclamation of Republic	October 23	October 23	October 23
All Saints Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Christmas Eve	December 24	December 24	December 24
Christmas Day³	December 25	December 25	December 25
Second Day of Christmas	December 26	December 26	December 26
New Year's Eve	December 31	December 31	December 31

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	The Christian feast of the Pentacost, Whit Sunday or Whit Monday takes place 50 days after Easter, in observation of the day God came to the Disciples through the Holy Ghost.
³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press