Population and vital events

The collection of interactive figures provides up-to-date information on the latest domestic and international socio-economic trends. The decisive part of the figures included in HCSO Monitor are downloadable in both image and data formats (PNG, SVG and CSV). Feel free to browse the data in HCSO Monitor, updated many times a week!

In 1989, the United Nations declared 11 July as World Population Day to raise awareness of the scale of population growth and the implied challenges. Today, the most significant population explosion is taking place in Africa, where the population increased 6.7-fold between 1950 and 2024; currently, 18% of the world’s population lives there. The United Nations predicts that by 2100, Africa will account for 37% of the world's population, while Asia's share is expected to decline from the current 59% to 45%.

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.

According to preliminary data, 5,696 children were born and 9,639 people died in May 2025. The number of births lessened by 10% and that of deaths by 2.3%, while the number of marriages increased by 2.5% compared to the same month of the previous year.

In Hungary, fewer children were born in 2024 than a year earlier. The number of deaths also declined, but to a lesser extent than the number of births, so the rate of natural decrease accelerated. A lower surplus of international migration than in the previous year slightly reduced the population decrease, and the country's population fell by 45 thousand people. The number of marriages fell short of the previous year, while the number of divorces slightly exceeded it.

King Leopold I gave Debrecen free royal town status in a patent dated 11 April 1693, in commemoration of this event the city is celebrating since 1998 its day on 11 April. Debrecen was the capital of the country twice, since the mid-1980s it is the second most populous city of Hungary (preceding Miskolc). It is a significant economic and educational-cultural centre. The city is the first in the rank of county seats considering the number of registered enterprises, and the University of Debrecen hosts, among the tertiary educational institutions of Hungary, the most foreign students.

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.