Published on: 1 September 2026

Economic performance 1.7% higher in 2nd quarter 2026 than in 2nd quarter 20251

The volume of Hungary’s gross domestic product was 1.7% higher according to both raw data and seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data in the 2nd quarter of 2026 than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Compared to the previous quarter, the economic performance rose by 0.5% according to seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data. In the first half of the year, the performance of the economy was 1.7% higher according to both raw data and seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data than in the same period of the previous year.

In 2nd quarter 2026:

The volume of GDP was 1.7% higher according to both raw data and seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data than in the same period of the previous year. The raw volume index published in the second estimate was unchanged and the seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled index went up by 0.1 percentage point compared to the flash estimate.

Production approach:

The value added of agriculture was 12.4% lower than in the corresponding period of the previous year due to the severe drought. Industry increased its performance by 3.7%, within which manufacturing by 2.7%. Among manufacturing branches, the largest contributor to the growth was the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, while the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products slowed it the most. The value added of construction was 0.3% lower than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Volume indices of production of gross domestic product (GDP)

(corresponding period of previous year = 100.0%)

NACE Industries 2025 2026
quarter(s)
II III IV I–IV I II
AAgriculture, forestry and fishing90.691.698.395.7101.987.6
B–EManufacturing, mining and quarrying and other industry97.597.997.997.5100.8103.7
C Of which: manufacturing96.398.698.997.4101.3102.7
FConstruction104.2103.3105.1103.095.799.7
G–TServices, total, of which:101.5102.0101.2101.4102.3101.9
G Wholesale and retail trade101.6103.2102.1102.2102.3101.7
H Transportation and storage101.4101.5101.2101.3100.4102.2
I Accommodation and food service activities103.5102.8102.0102.4102.3101.0
J Information and communication103.5102.1100.4101.3102.4100.2
K Financial and insurance activities101.8105.7106.2103.1102.9106.0
L Real estate activities98.797.797.898.599.798.1
M–N Professional, scientific, technical and administrative activities102.7103.7101.9102.4105.3105.2
O Public administration, defence and compulsory social security99.3101.2101.4100.0101.1102.0
P Education104.5104.1102.4103.5103.0102.7
Q Human health and social work activities100.3103.4100.8101.7101.3101.6
R–T Arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities105.6100.6104.5103.3104.6101.4
GDP, total (at purchasers’ prices)100.3100.8100.8100.5101.7101.7

The gross value added of services rose by 1.9% in total. The highest increase (6.0%) occurred in financial and insurance activities. The performance of professional, scientific, technical and administrative activities grew by 5.2% and that of education by 2.7%. The value added of transportation and storage was 2.2%, that of public administration 2.0% and the value added of wholesale and retail trade 1.7% higher than a year earlier. The performance of human health and social work activities was up by 1.6%, that of arts, recreation and other service activities by 1.4%, the performance of accommodation and food service activities by 1.0% and that of information and communication by 0.2%. The value added of real estate activities decreased by 1.9%.

The largest positive contributor to the 1.7% increase in gross domestic product in the 2nd quarter of 2026 was the performance of services (1.1 percentage points), within which mainly professional, scientific, technical and administrative activities (0.5 percentage point). The performance of industry helped the growth by 0.7 percentage point, while construction did not contribute to it substantially. The balance of taxes and subsidies on products raised the volume of GDP by 0.2 percentage point, while agriculture lowered it by 0.3 percentage point.

Expenditure approach:

The actual final consumption of households was 4.1% higher than in the same period of the previous year. Household final consumption expenditure, representing the largest proportion of the components of the actual final consumption of households, rose by 4.5%. The (domestic) consumption expenditure of households realised on the territory of Hungary became 4.8% higher. The volume of domestic consumption expenditure increased in all durability groups: by 6.4% in the case of durable goods, by 7.3% for semi-durable goods, by 5.2% in the case of non-durable goods and by 4.2% for services.

The volume of social transfers in kind from the government became 2.5% and that of the actual final consumption of the government 2.0% higher. The volume of social transfers in kind from non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) went up by 1.3%.

As a result of the above trends, actual final consumption rose by 3.8%.

Gross fixed capital formation decreased by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Both the volume of investments in construction and that of investments in machinery and equipment lessened.

Gross capital formation became 9.1% larger compared to the same period of the previous year.

As a result of the trends of consumption and capital formation, domestic use as a whole grew by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter.

Volume indices of final use of gross domestic product (GDP)

(corresponding period of previous year = 100.0%)

Items of use 2025 2026
quarter(s)
II III IV I–IV I II
Household final consumption expenditure103.7102.2102.9103.1105.5104.5
Social transfers in kind from government100.6102.0101.5101.5101.2102.5
Social transfers in kind from NPISHs105.499.9109.2103.9107.5101.3
Actual final consumption of households103.3102.1102.9102.9104.9104.1
Actual final consumption of government106.899.7108.9103.2105.4102.0
Actual final consumption, total103.8101.8103.8102.9104.9103.8
Gross fixed capital formation95.197.699.897.299.993.7
Changes in inventoriesa)xxxxxx
Acquisitions less disposals of valuablesa)xxxxxx
Gross capital formation, total94.5103.7101.3100.5112.2109.1
Domestic use, total101.5102.5103.2102.3106.6105.0
Exports, of which:99.099.398.398.998.2101.8
Exports of goods98.499.697.498.798.3102.4
Exports of services101.498.0101.099.697.899.9
Imports, of which:100.4101.7101.6101.2104.1106.3
Imports of goods101.2103.7103.1102.2105.7108.4
Imports of services96.693.395.196.596.896.9
External balance of goods and servicesa)xxxxxx
Gross domestic product (GDP), total100.3100.8100.8100.5101.7101.7

a) For these items, the volume index is not interpretable.

In the external trade of the economy, a surplus of 817 billion forints was generated at current prices. The volume of exports became 1.8% and that of imports 6.3% higher. In trade in goods, accounting for more than 80% of external trade, exports rose by 2.4% and imports by 8.4%. Within the external trade of the economy, the exports of services (including tourism) became 0.1% and their imports 3.1% lower compared to the same period of the previous year.

Actual final consumption contributed by 2.8 percentage points and gross capital formation by 1.9 percentage points to the 1.7% growth in gross domestic product in the 2nd quarter of 2026, while the balance of external trade as a whole worsened the economic performance by 2.9 percentage points.

In 2nd quarter 2026 compared to previous quarter, according to seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data:

The performance of the economy rose by 0.5%.

From the production approach, the value added of construction went up by 5.6%, that of industry by 2.5% and the value added of services by 0.5%. The performance of agriculture decreased by 15.6%.

From the expenditure approach, the volume of household final consumption expenditure rose by 1.0%, that of social transfers in kind from the government by 0.8% and the volume of the actual final consumption of the government by 0.2% out of the components of actual final consumption. Gross fixed capital formation was cut by 3.6%. In external trade, the volume of exports increased by 2.5% and that of imports by 1.7%.