Population and vital events

In the first five months of 2020 the number of births was 4.8% more and that of deaths 5.8% less than in the corresponding period of 2019 according to preliminary data. As a result, the natural decrease declined by 22% or 5,042 compared to January–May 2019. In May 2020 the number of live births increased by 1.9% and that of deaths went down by 3.9% compared to the same month of the previous year. The natural decrease of 2,331 in May was 18% lower than a year earlier.

7.5% less people died in the first 16 weeks of 2020 as a whole than in the same period last year. The number of deceased people was permanently lower in the first 11 weeks, but there was a slight surplus of deaths from the middle of March.
This weekly updated summary table of vital events includes data broken down by sex and age as well.

The coronavirus epidemic is particularly dangerous for the elderly, so we need to take better care of them during these weeks. More and more people are among the elderly: on 1 January 2019, nearly 1.9 million people aged 65 and over lived in Hungary, nearly one fifth of the population.

On 1 February 2020, a withdrawal agreement entered into force between the European Union and the United Kingdom (Brexit). Reducing the EU to 27 member states significantly changes aggregated (average, total, etc.) EU data. However, due to the different purposes of use, consideration should be given to the simultaneous communication of old and new aggregates, and the back-calculation of time series for the new composition is also an issue to be addressed. Taking all this into account, it is necessary to restructure the publication of EU statistics.

The wide range of tables presented in this annual publication provides useful data about the current issues of the population. The Demographic Yearbook offers detailed information on the number and composition of population, the changes in marriages, registered partnerships, divorces, births, foetal losses, deaths and causes of death, as well as internal and international migration. The international data are also suitable for comparisons between different countries. The main demographic indicators are illustrated by interactive graphs, maps and age pyramids, too. For the access to this publication, our Users have to register on our website www.ksh.hu/shelf. Then, by activating the volume identifier, they can upload the publication on their own user shelf created on our website and there it can be accessed at any time.

On 1 January 2019, the number of the population was 9,764 thousand in Hungary, 14.3 thousand fewer than a year earlier. Major demographic processes in 2018 were controversial, in which both favourable and unfavourable changes occurred. Compared to the previous year fewer children were born, the number of deaths decreased as well, though to a lower extent than that of births, therefore, the natural decrease of the population went on increasing. A rise in the number of marriages was a favourable phenomenon, the number of induced abortions and foetal deaths diminished and infant mortality fell to a new historic low.