Information, communication

The performance of the Hungarian economy in the 1st quarter of 2025 was identical with the same period of the previous year’s level. Increasing performance in the service sector as well as the growth in consumption had a positive impact on the GDP. The continuing setback of the industry and construction, a subdued investment activity, the deterioration in the balance of the external trade counterbalanced this trend. Regarding the labour market, employment rate – considering the 1st quarters’ values – was the highest ever, while the unemployment rate lessened.

The celebration of the World Telecommunication Day has been decreed in 1968. The signing of the International Telecommunication Union’s deed of foundation on 17 May 1865 in Paris was the event leading up to this celebration. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialised agency of the UN, Hungary is among its close to two hundred member states, too. ITU decided on its 2005 conference to celebrate on 17 May not only telecommunication, but the information society as well.

The number of fixed-line internet services subscriptions surpassed by 2.1% the one year earlier data in the 3rd quarter of 2024, due to the 8.1% increase of the optical segment. Packages offering at least 500 Mbit/s download speed reached 22% of all subscriptions. Fixed-line internet download traffic was 3,9%, mobile data traffic 21% higher than in the same period of 2023.

In regard to telecommunication services close to HUF 338 billion revenue has been realised at service providers in the 3rd quarter of 2024, 58% of this coming from mobile voice and mobile internet services. The average time for fixed line calls stable (nearly 6 minutes), while mobile calls increased by 2.7% compared to the same period of the previous year.

In regard to telecommunication services close to HUF 338 billion revenue has been realised at service providers in the 3rd quarter of 2024, 58% of this coming from mobile voice and mobile internet services. The average time for fixed line calls stable (nearly 6 minutes), while mobile calls increased by 2.7% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The number of fixed connection internet subscriptions in Hungary came close to 3.6 million in 2023, increasing by 1.3% year-on-year. The growth has been impacted by the 12% rise in the optical group. Download data traffic grew by 25%, the upload one by 6.0%, both reaching record high values. The number of SIM cards for mobile phone and/or mobile internet services – continuing the previous years’ expansion – came close by the end of 2023 to 14.2 million.

The use of infocommunication devices by households and people in Hungary, based on the majority of main indices, increased in 2023, year-on-year. Broadband internet was present in 93% of households, 88% of the population aged 16-74 used the internet on a daily basis. The use of ICT devices grew in the other segment of the digital society, the administration one, too, digital difference among state administration and local governments continued to shrink.

Geopolitical tensions continued to overshadow economic developments in 2023, with the gross domestic product falling by 0.9%. Inflationary pressures gradually eased, but the 17.6% annual increase in consumer prices led to a decline in real earnings and consumption, and negatively affected investment decisions. Despite the economic difficulties, employment has reached a record high. In 2023, the number of deaths and births continued to fall, in addition to the decrease in the number of women of childbearing age.