Information, communication

In the 1st quarter of 2020 the duration of calls initiated from mobile and fixed line networks increased by 6.8% and 2.2% year-on-year. The temporarily changed contact practices – due to the coronavirus outbreak – may have played a role in the growth. Mobile data traffic grew by more than two-thirds in one year. The expansion of the internet market continued, subscriptions moved toward the exceptionally high speed offering ranges.

In 2002, the International Telecommunication Union initiated the introduction of World Internet Day. Nowadays, internet use has become a daily routine for most people. In 2019, 75% of the population aged 16–74-year-olds in Hungary and 79% in the EU used the internet on a daily basis: among other things, looking for health-related information, making phone calls or looking for a job.

Both society and the economy are becoming more and more digital, making it essential that more people have access to the internet. Children are being educated online due to the coronavirus epidemic, which also makes it important for households with children to access the world wide web. Between 2010 and 2019, the share of Hungarian households with children having internet access increased from 76% to 98%, reaching the EU average.

In 2018, the Hungarian economy performed 4.9% better compared to the previous year. In parallel with economic growth, the labour market continued to expand dynamically. An important pillar of GDP growth was the improvement in the willingness of economic stakeholders to invest and the use of EU funds. In 2018, among factors influencing population number, the number of births declined faster than that of deaths. So the natural decline of the population continued. The total fertility rate was the same as in 2017, and the inclination to have children was significantly above the 2011 low.