Quarterly international migration balance
Released: 8 August 2025
The international migration balance is the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants, taking into account the movement of both Hungarian and foreign citizens. In recent years, the number of immigrants has always exceeded that of emigrants, although the difference shows a decreasing trend.
By increasing the frequency of data collection and developing a new model-based estimation procedure, it will be possible to produce quarterly international migration balances, which have been calculated annually so far. According to our plans, in the future, the country’s population will be published quarterly based on the quarterly migration balance, which is currently produced as experimental statistics, and the available interannual data on natural events (births, deaths).
1. Trends in the international migration balance
Figure 1
The international migration balance was negative in the first quarter of 2024 due to the low number of foreign immigrants, and then it reached a positive figure of 4,500–6,000 people in the third to fourth quarters, primarily due to the increased number of arriving foreign citizens. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of immigrants slightly fell below the number of emigrants again, to which the loss of foreign and Hungarian citizens also contributed. In the past five quarters, the migration balance of Hungarian citizens was negative: the number of emigrating Hungarians has always exceeded that of return migrants. The quarterly evolution of the migration balance is influenced by several factors, e.g. the number of migrations typically increases at the beginning of the university semester or the peak of the period of employment abroad. In the first quarter of last year, the issuance of residence permits to third-country nationals was suspended by law, which contributed significantly to the negative migration balance in the first quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, due to stricter regulations, fewer third-country workers arrived in Hungary, and some returned to their home countries. As a consequence, the net migration of foreign citizens was negative again.
2. Distribution of immigrants, return migrants, and emigrants by sex and age group
Figure 2
Figure 3
It is generally characteristic of people moving to another country that the majority are men. In 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, in the case of both foreign citizens and Hungarian citizens, approximately 60% of migrants were men in the examined quarters. For emigrants aged 65 and over, women outnumbered men, contrary to the general trend, presumably due to the general excess of women in the older population.
Since international migration most often occurs for employment purposes, most of them are from the working-age age group (15–64 years old), mainly from the 25–29 age group. The proportion of this age group was significant in the examined quarters, both among immigrants and returning citizens, and among emigrants; their proportion ranged between 15% and 18%.
3. Foreign immigrants by country of citizenship
Figure 4
In the first quarter of 2025, similarly to last year, the largest number of foreigners moving to Hungary came from Asia. In four of the last five quarters, Vietnamese citizens accounted for the highest share of immigrants (11–19%). In the first quarter of 2024, Germans were the most numerous (18%), which may be related to the legal restrictions on third-country nationals in force at that time. In the other quarters, the proportion of German citizens among immigrants was also dominant, ranging between 6% and 10%. Since our country's accession to the EU (2004), German citizens have always made up a significant part of foreign immigrants (their proportion typically ranged between 5% and 10% of all foreign immigrants).
Released: 8 August 2025
The international migration balance is the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants, taking into account the movement of both Hungarian and foreign citizens. In recent years, the number of immigrants has always exceeded that of emigrants, although the difference shows a decreasing trend.
By increasing the frequency of data collection and developing a new model-based estimation procedure, it will be possible to produce quarterly international migration balances, which have been calculated annually so far. According to our plans, in the future, the country’s population will be published quarterly based on the quarterly migration balance, which is currently produced as experimental statistics, and the available interannual data on natural events (births, deaths).
1. Trends in the international migration balance
The international migration balance was negative in the first quarter of 2024 due to the low number of foreign immigrants, and then it reached a positive figure of 4,500–6,000 people in the third to fourth quarters, primarily due to the increased number of arriving foreign citizens. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of immigrants slightly fell below the number of emigrants again, to which the loss of foreign and Hungarian citizens also contributed. In the past five quarters, the migration balance of Hungarian citizens was negative: the number of emigrating Hungarians has always exceeded that of return migrants. The quarterly evolution of the migration balance is influenced by several factors, e.g. the number of migrations typically increases at the beginning of the university semester or the peak of the period of employment abroad. In the first quarter of last year, the issuance of residence permits to third-country nationals was suspended by law, which contributed significantly to the negative migration balance in the first quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, due to stricter regulations, fewer third-country workers arrived in Hungary, and some returned to their home countries. As a consequence, the net migration of foreign citizens was negative again.
2. Distribution of immigrants, return migrants, and emigrants by sex and age group
It is generally characteristic of people moving to another country that the majority are men. In 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, in the case of both foreign citizens and Hungarian citizens, approximately 60% of migrants were men in the examined quarters. For emigrants aged 65 and over, women outnumbered men, contrary to the general trend, presumably due to the general excess of women in the older population.
Since international migration most often occurs for employment purposes, most of them are from the working-age age group (15–64 years old), mainly from the 25–29 age group. The proportion of this age group was significant in the examined quarters, both among immigrants and returning citizens, and among emigrants; their proportion ranged between 15% and 18%.
3. Foreign immigrants by country of citizenship
In the first quarter of 2025, similarly to last year, the largest number of foreigners moving to Hungary came from Asia. In four of the last five quarters, Vietnamese citizens accounted for the highest share of immigrants (11–19%). In the first quarter of 2024, Germans were the most numerous (18%), which may be related to the legal restrictions on third-country nationals in force at that time. In the other quarters, the proportion of German citizens among immigrants was also dominant, ranging between 6% and 10%. Since our country's accession to the EU (2004), German citizens have always made up a significant part of foreign immigrants (their proportion typically ranged between 5% and 10% of all foreign immigrants).