Hungary

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 Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule after World War II. In 1956, Moscow responded to a Hungarian revolt and announcement of its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact with a massive military intervention. 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 five years later.

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

47 00 N, 20 00 E

Europe

slightly smaller than Virginia; about the same size as Indiana

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

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

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

1,331 sq km (2022)

Duna (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

landlocked; strategic location on main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula, as well as between Ukraine and the Mediterranean basin; the Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

Hungarian 84.3%, Romani 2.1%, German 1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 13.7% (2022 est.)

Catholic 30.1% (Roman Catholic 27.5%, Greek Catholic 1.7%, other Catholic 0.9%), Calvinist 9.8%, Lutheran 1.8%, other Christian (includes Orthodox) 1.6%, other 0.4%, none 16.1%, no answer 40.1% (2022 est.)

-0.29% (2025 est.)

9.03 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

14.41 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

1.778 million BUDAPEST (capital) (2023)

28.4 years (2020 est.)

12 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.78 (2025 est.)

3.46 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

6.8 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

26.4% (2016)

52.3% (2022 est.)

air and soil pollution; water pollution from industry and large-scale agriculture

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

14.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

104 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic

19 counties (<em>megyek</em>, singular - <em>megye</em>), 25 cities with county rights (<em>megyei jogu varosok</em>, singular - <em>megyei jogu varos</em>), and 1 capital city (<em>fovaros</em>) <br><br><strong>counties:</strong> Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad-Csanad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala <br><br><strong>cities with county rights:</strong> Baja, Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Esztergom, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg <br><br><strong>capital city:</strong> Budapest

civil system influenced by the German model

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction

18 years of age, 16 if married and marriage is registered in Hungary; universal

Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP<br>Democratic Coalition or DK<br>Dialogue for Hungary or Párbeszéd<br>Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz<br>Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP<br>Jobbik - Conservatives or Jobbik<br>LMP-Hungary's Green Party or LMP<br>Mi Hazank (Our Homeland Movement) or MHM<br>Momentum Movement or Momentum<br>Movement for a Better Hungary or Jobbik<br>National Self-Government of Germans in Hungary or MNOÖ<br>On the People's Side or A Nép Pártján<br>Our Homeland Movement or Mi Hazánk<br>TISZA – Respect and Freedom Party or TISZA

Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established)

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August (1083)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength, white for faithfulness, and green for hope; alternatively, the red can stand for the blood spilled in defense of the land, white for freedom, and green for pasturelands<br><br><strong>history:</strong> the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor of the French flag 

Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen)

red, white, green

<p>high-income EU and OECD economy; modest recovery from 2024 recession driven by private consumption and moderated inflation; challenges include high fiscal deficits, frozen access to EU funds, and risks from export reliance; implementing tax exemptions, price controls, and mortgage interest caps ahead of 2026 elections</p>

$222.905 billion (2024 est.)

maize, wheat, barley, milk, sunflower seeds, sugar beets, rapeseed, apples, pork, grapes (2023)

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

-2.5% (2024 est.)

4.954 million (2024 est.)

12.1% (2021 est.)

23.4% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

Germany 25%, Italy 6%, Romania 6%, USA 5%, Slovakia 4% (2023)

cars, vehicle parts/accessories, electric batteries, packaged medicine, computers (2023)

Germany 23%, China 7%, Austria 6%, Poland 6%, S. Korea 6% (2023)

vehicle parts/accessories, natural gas, integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, industrial acids/oils/alcohols (2023)

mixed system of state-supported media and private broadcasters; the 5 publicly owned TV channels and the 2 main privately owned TV stations are the major national broadcasters; large number of special-interest channels; highly developed market for satellite and cable TV with about two-thirds of viewers utilizing the services; 4 state-supported radio networks; large number of local stations, including commercial, public service, nonprofit, and community radio stations; digital transition completed in 2013 (2019)

.hu

HA

109 (2025)

15 (2025)

Hungarian Defense Forces (HDF or Magyar Honvédség): the HDF is organized as a joint force under a general staff with commands for land, air, cyber, special operations, territorial defense, and support forces (2025)

approximately 30,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

the HDF has a mix of Soviet-era and more modern, NATO-compatible arms from such countries as Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, T&uuml;rkiye, and the US; in 2017, Budapest launched a modernization program aimed at replacing its Soviet-era weaponry with modern systems; Hungary has also placed emphasis on building up its defense industrial capacity (2025)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 2005) (2026)

250 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 200 Chad; 470 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2025)

the Hungarian Defense Forces (HDF) are responsible for ensuring the defense of the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and citizens, and fulfilling Hungary’s commitments to the EU and NATO, as well as contributing to other international peacekeeping efforts under the UN; key areas of concern for the HDF the HDF is also responsible for some aspects of domestic security, crisis management, disaster response, and assisting law enforcement forces in border security<br><br>Hungary has been a member of NATO since 1999 and considers the collective defense ensured within the Alliance as a cornerstone of the country’s security; NATO membership is complemented by Hungary’s ties to the EU under its Common Security and Defense Policy; the HDF has participated in multiple NATO-led security missions, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, as well as EU-led missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mali; it hosts a NATO battlegroup comprised of troops from Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and the US, and NATO’s Multinational Division Center, a headquarters capable of commanding a division-sized force (typically 15-20,000 troops) in a crisis; both organizations were established as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine; Hungary is a member of the Visegrad Group, a regional platform that brings together Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to discuss cultural, defense, and political cooperation (2025)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)