Economy of Hungary

The economy of Hungary is a developing, high-income mixed economy and is the 53rd-largest in the world, with an annual output of about $265 billion. Hungary has a very high human development index and a skilled labour force, making it a strong and stable country. It is known for its export-oriented market economy, with a heavy focus on foreign trade. In 2015, Hungary’s exports were worth over $100 billion, and most of these exports went to the European Union.

Hungary’s economy is privately owned, with about 39% of its income going to taxes that support public services. Household spending makes up half of the country’s total economic output. Major industries in Hungary include food processing, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, information technology, and electronics. Hungary is the largest electronics producer in Central and Eastern Europe, and it has become a key center for mobile technology and information security.

Budapest is the financial and business capital of Hungary. It is a major economic hub and one of the fastest-growing urban economies in Europe. The city contributes nearly 40% of Hungary’s national income and has a gross metropolitan product of over $100 billion. Hungary uses its own currency, the Hungarian forint, and is part of the European single market, which connects it to more than 448 million consumers across Europe.

In recent years, Hungary has been one of the faster-growing economies in the European Union. As of 2024, its estimated annual output was $219 billion, ranking it as the 57th-largest economy in the world. The country has a low unemployment rate and a very high standard of living, with one of the lowest income inequalities in the European Union. Key industries today include automobile manufacturing, battery production, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and information technology.

History

Árpád Age

In the age of feudalism, land was the key economic factor. The new economic and social orders created private ownership of land. There were three forms of land ownership: royal, ecclesiastical, and secular private estate. The royal estate of the Árpád dynasty had evolved from tribal lands.

The origin of secular private holdings dates back to tribal common estates, which were increasingly managed by society and grew into private ownership by leaders.

From the founding of the state, royal gifts also contributed to secular private property. This organization developed a feudal estate, which included ancient estates and possessions awarded by Saint Stephen I, as well as royal donations. Béla III was the wealthiest European monarch of his time, though the reliability of records about his revenues is questioned. Over time, the unrestricted right of holders granted by lineal heirs almost returned to the king. In 1351, laws changed to abolish the nobility's free disposal of their inherited land, forbidding them to sell it.

The Carpathian Basin was more suitable for agriculture than large livestock grazing, so farming steadily increased. In the 11th and 12th centuries, natural farming and soil tilling systems met, including grazing animals and using fertilized land until it was depleted. The most important tools for agriculture were the plow and the ox.

Anjou Age

Modern Age

Before World War II, Hungary's economy was mainly focused on agriculture and small-scale manufacturing. Hungary's strategic position in Europe and lack of natural resources led to a traditional reliance on foreign trade. For example, its largest car manufacturer, Magomobil (maker of the Magosix), produced only a few thousand units. In the early 1920s, the textile industry began to expand rapidly, and by 1928 it became the most important industry in Hungary's foreign trade, exporting textile goods worth more than 60 million pengős that year. Companies like MÁVAG exported locomotives to India and South-America, and its locomotive no. 601 was the largest and most powerful in Europe at the time.

Post-war Hungarian communism

From the late 1940s, the Communist government began nationalizing industry. Factories with more than 100 workers were nationalized first, and later the limit was reduced to only 10. In agriculture, the government started a successful program of collectivization. From the early 1950s, new factories were built. This rapid industrialization followed the standard Stalinist pattern to encourage a more self-sufficient economy. Most economic activity was conducted by state-owned enterprises or cooperatives and state farms. In 1968, Stalinist self-sufficiency was replaced by the "New Economic Mechanism," which reopened Hungary to foreign trade, gave limited freedom to market workings, and allowed a limited number of small businesses to operate in the services sector.

During this era, great social progress was made. For example, the percentage of people aged 20 to 24 with less than 8 years of education decreased from 71.2% in 1949 to 4.9% in 1984. The annual consumption of meat and fish increased from 35 kilograms in 1950 to 78 in 1984. The percentage of homes with electricity increased from 46.6% in 1949 to 99% in 1984, and the percentage of homes with running water increased from 17.1% to 76.6%. The number of cars per 1,000 people increased from 3 in 1960 to 122 in 1984. For televisions, it went from 10 to 276, for washing machines from 45 to 317, and for refrigerators from 4 to 328. Infant mortality fell from 91 in 1949 to 20.4 in 1984.

Per capita national income grew by 343% from 1950 to 1983, real wages by 136%, and real incomes by 251% over the same period. Real value of per capita social benefits rose by 432% from 1960 to 1980. From 1949 to 1984, Hungary's GDP grew as fast as countries like Spain.

Poverty was greatly reduced, although from 1962 to 1982 the price index rose by 96%. People with less than 800 forints were 55% in 1962 and after 20 years only 6.4% of those with less than 1800 forints. In 1987, inequality was minimal, with a Gini coefficient of 0.21, and poverty was the same, with a 1% poverty rate (poverty line: $120 PPP per person per month).

Although Hungary had one of the most liberal and economically advanced economies of the former Eastern Bloc, by the end of the 1980s, state employment represented 94% of the total. Both agriculture and industry suffered from lack of investment in the 1970s, and Hungary's net foreign debt rose significantly—from $1 billion in 1973 to $15 billion in 1993—due largely to consumer subsidies and unprofitable state enterprises. Facing economic stagnation, Hungary liberalized further by passing a joint venture law, instating an income tax, and joining the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. By 1988, Hungary had developed a two-tier banking system and enacted significant corporate legislation that paved the way for market-oriented reforms in the post-communist years.

Transition to a market economy (1990–1995)

After the fall of communism, Eastern Bloc countries had to transition from centrally planned economies to market economies with multi-party political systems. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, these countries lost markets for goods and subsidies from the Soviet Union. Hungary lost nearly 70% of its export markets in Eastern and Central Europe. This left 800,000 unemployed people because unprofitable factories were closed. The loss of Soviet subsidies also affected Hungary, as many social programs had to be cut to reduce spending. As a result, many people in Hungary faced hardships during the transition to a market economy. Following privatization and tax reductions on Hungarian businesses, unemployment rose to 12% in 1991 (it was 1.7% in 1990), gradually decreasing until 2001. Economic growth, after a fall in 1991 to −11.9%, gradually grew until the end of the 1990s at an average annual rate of 4.2%. With the stabilization of the new market economy, Hungary experienced growth in foreign investment, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since 1989.

The Antall government of 1990–94 began market reforms with price and trade liberation measures, a revamped tax system, and a nascent market-based banking system. By 1994, however, the costs of government overspending and hesitant privatization had become clear. Cuts in consumer subsidies led to increases in the price of food, medicine, transportation services, and energy. Reduced exports to the former Soviet bloc and shrinking industrial output contributed to a sharp decline in GDP. Unemployment rose rapidly to about 12% in 1993. The external debt burden, one of the highest in Europe, reached 250% of annual export earnings, while the budget and current account deficits approached 10% of GDP. The devaluation of the currency, without effective stabilization measures, provoked an extremely high inflation rate, which in 1991 reached 35% and slightly decreased until 1994, growing again in 1995. In March 1995, the government of Prime Minister Gyula Horn implemented an austerity program, coupled with aggressive privatization of state-owned enterprises and an export-promoting exchange raw regime, to reduce indebtedness, cut the current account deficit, and shrink public spending. By the end of 1997 the consolidated public sector deficit decreased to 4.6% of GDP—with public sector spending falling from 62% of GDP to below 50%—the current account deficit was reduced to 2% of GDP, and government debt was paid down to 94% of annual export earnings.

The Government of Hungary no longer requires IMF financial assistance and has repaid all of its debt to the fund. Consequently, Hungary enjoys favorable borrowing terms. Hungary's sovereign foreign currency debt issuance carries investment-grade ratings from all major credit-rating agencies, although recently the country was downgraded by Moody's, S&P and remains on negative outlook at Fitch. In 1995 Hungary's currency, the Forint (HUF), became convertible for all current account transactions, and subsequent to OECD membership in 1996, for almost all capital account transactions as well. Since 1995, Hungary has pegged the forint against a basket of currencies (in which the U.S. dollar is 30%), and the central rate against the basket is devalued at a preannounced rate, originally set at 0.8% per month, the Forint is now an entirely free-floating currency. The government privatization program ended on schedule in 1998: 80% of GDP is now produced by the private sector, and foreign owners control 70% of financial institutions, 66% of industry, 90% of telecommunications, and 50% of the trading sector.

After Hungary's GDP declined about 18% from 1990 to 1993 and grew only 1%–1.5% up to 1996, strong export performance propelled GDP growth to 4.4% in 1997, with other macroeconomic indicators similarly improving. These successes allowed the government to concentrate in 1996 and 1997 on major structural reforms such as the implementation of a fully funded pension system (partly modelled after Chile's pension system with major modifications), reform of higher education, and the creation of a national treasury. Remaining economic challenges include reducing fiscal deficits and inflation, maintaining stable external balances, and completing structural reforms of the tax system, health care, and local government financing. Recently, the overriding goal of Hungarian economic policy has been to prepare the country for entry into the European Union, which it joined in late 2004.

Before the change of regime in 1989, 65% of Hungary's trade was with Comecon countries. By the end of 1997, Hungary had shifted much of its trade to the West. Trade with EU countries now comprises 80% of the total. Germany is Hungary's single most important trading partner. The US has become Hungary's sixth-largest export market, while Hungary is ranked as the 72nd largest export market for the U.S. Bilateral trade between the two countries increased 46% in 1997 to more than $1 billion. The U.S. has extended to Hungary most-favored-nation status, the Generalized System of Preferences, Overseas Private Investment Corporation insurance, and access to the Export-Import Bank.

With about $18 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since 1989, Hungary has attracted over one-third of all FDI in central and eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union. Of this, about $6 billion came from American companies. Foreign capital is attracted by skilled and relatively inexpensive labor, tax incentives, modern infrastructure, and a good telecommunications system.

By 2006 Hungary's economic outlook had deteriorated. Wage growth had kept up with other nations in the region; however, this growth has largely been driven by increased government spending. This resulted in the budget deficit ballooning to over 10% of GDP and inflation rates predicted to exceed 6%. Nouriel Roubini, an economist in the Clinton administration, said that "Hungary is an accident waiting to happen."

Privatization

In January 1990, the State Privatization Agency (SPA, Állami Vagyonügynökség) was established to manage the first steps of privatization. Because of Hungary's $21.2 billion foreign debt, the government decided to sell state property instead of distributing it to the people for free. The SPA was attacked by populist groups because several companies' management had the right to find buyers and discuss sale terms with them thus "stealing" the company. Another reason for discontent was that the state offered large tax subsidies and environmental investments, which sometimes cost more than the selling price of the company. Along with the acquisition of companies, foreign investors launched many "greenfield investments".

The center-right Hungarian Democratic Forum government of 1990–1994 decided to abolish agricultural co-operatives by splitting them up and giving machinery and land to their former members. The government also introduced a Recompensation Law which offered vouchers to people who had owned land before it was nationalized in 1948. These people (or their descendants) could exchange their vouchers for land previously owned by agricultural co-operatives, who were forced to give up some of their land for this purpose.

Small stores and retail businesses were privatized between 1990 and 1994, however, greenfield investments by foreign retail companies like Tesco, Cora and IKEA had a much bigger economic impact. Many public utilities, including the national telecommunications company Matáv, the national oil and gas conglomerate MOL Group, and electricity supply and production company MVM Group were privatized as well.

Though most banks were sold to foreign investors, the largest bank, National Savings Bank (OTP), remained Hungarian-owned. 20%–20% of the shares were sold to foreign institutional investors and given to the Social Security organizations, 5% were bought by employees, and 8% was offered at the Budapest Stock Exchange.

Economy since 1995

Reaching 1995, Hungary's fiscal indices deteriorated: foreign investment fell as well as judgement of foreign analysts on economic outlook. Due to high demand in import goods, Hungary also had a high trade deficit and budget gap, and it could not reach an agreement with the IMF, either. After not having a minister of finance for more than a month, prime minister Gyula Horn appointed Lajos Bokros as Finance Minister on 1 March 1995. He introduced a string of austerity measures (the "Bokros Package") on 12 March 1995 which had the following key points: one-time 9% devaluation of the forint, introducing a constant sliding devaluation, 8% additional customs duty on all goods except for energy sources, limitation of growth of wages in the public sector, simplified and accelerated privatization. The package also included welfare cutbacks, including abolition of free higher education and dental service; reduced family allowances, child-care benefits, and maternity payments depending on income and wealth; lowering subsidies of pharmaceuticals, and raising retirement age.

These reforms not only increased investor confidence, but they were also supported by the IMF and the World Bank, however, they were not welcome widely by the Hungarians; Bokros broke the negative record of popularity: 9% of the population wanted to see him in an "important political position" and only 4% were convinced that the reforms would "improve the country's finances in a big way"

In 1996, the Ministry of Finance introduced a new pension system instead of the fully state-backed one: private pension savings accounts were introduced, which were 50% social security based and 50% funded.

In 2006 Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány was reelected on a platform promising economic "reform without austerity". However, after the elections in April 2006, the Socialist coalition under Gyurcsány unveiled a package of austerity measures which were designed to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2008.

Because of the austerity program, the economy of Hungary slowed down in 2007.

Great Recession

Declining exports, reduced domestic consumption and fixed asset accumulation affected Hungary during the Great Recession, making the country enter a severe recession of −6.4%, one of the worst economic contractions in its history.

On 27 October 2008, Hungary reached an agreement with the IMF and EU for a rescue package of US$25 billion, aiming to restore financial stability and investors' confidence.

Because of the uncertainty of the crisis, banks gave less loans which led to a decrease in investment. This along with price-awareness and fear of bankruptcy led to a fallback in consumption which then increased job losses and decreased consumption even further. Inflation did not rise significantly, but real wages decreased.

The fact that the euro and the Swiss franc are worth a lot more in forints than they were before affected a lot of people. According to The Daily Telegraph, "statistics show that more than 60 percent of Hungarian mortgages and car loans are denominated in foreign currencies". After the election in 2010 of the new Fidesz-party government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungarian banks were forced to allow the conversion of foreign-currency mortgages to the forint. The new government also nationalized $13 billion of private pension-fund assets, which could then be used to support the government debt position.

Post-recession

The economy showed signs of recovery in 2011 with decreasing tax rates and a moderate 1.7 percent GDP growth.

From November 2011 to January 2012, all three major credit rating agencies downgraded Hungarian debt to a non-investment speculative grade, commonly called "junk status". In part this is because of political changes creating doubts about the independence of the Hungarian National Bank.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso wrote to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stating that new central bank regulations, allowing political intervention, "seriously harm" Hungary's interests, postponing talks on a financial aid package. Orbán responded "If we don't reach an agreement, we'll still stand on our own feet."

The European Commission launched legal proceedings against Hungary on 17 January 2012. The procedures concern Hungary's central bank law, the retirement age for judges and prosecutors and the independence of the data protection office, respectively. One day later Orbán indicated in a letter his willingness to find solutions to the problems raised in the infringement proceedings. On 18 January he participated in plenary session of the European Parliament which also dealt with the Hungarian case. He said "Hungary has been renewed and reorganised under European principles". He also said that the problems raised by the European Union can be resolved "easily, simply and very quickly". He added that none of the EC's objections affected Hungary's new constitution.

Following the mild recession of 2012, the GDP picked up again from 2014, and based on the commission's Winter 2015 forecast it was projected to have accelerated to 3.3%. The more dynamic economic performance attributed to a moderately growing domestic demand and supported the growth of gross fixed capital formation. The surge (3.8% in the first half of 2014), however was only achieved via temporary measures and factors, such as the stepped-up absorption of EU-funds and the central bank's Funding for Growth Scheme, which subsidised loans for small-and medium-sized enterprises. The fundaments of growth didn't considerably change in 2015 as well – the government supported EU-fund transfers along with the moderately successful central bank loans of economic revitalization – fueled the fair GDP growth.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The Hungarian GDP, GDP per capita, living standards and wages had been steadily rising until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when just like the rest of Europe, the stats above tanked. GDP fell to $155 billion, GDP PPP has fallen to $322 Billion, GDP per capita to $15,855, inflation slightly rose to 4.54%.

National debt rose considerably, to around 80% Debt-to-GDP from the previous 60–65%.

The country was hard hit, unemployment was also higher than average until 2021 when the lockdowns ended. The GDP, GDP per capita, GDP PPP, unemployment and national debt have all recovered to and beyond their pre-COVID values. On the other hand, inflation has risen to the record levels, reaching 24.5% in December 2022, being the highest in Europe.

Physical properties

Natural resources

Main article: Geography of Hungary

Hungary has a land area of 93,030 km² and a water surface area of 690 km², making up 1% of Europe's total area. Most of Hungary's land is flat plains, with some foothills and small hills. The Great Hungarian Plain and the Little Hungarian Plain cover much of the country. Hungary has a lot of land that can be used for farming, more than many other European countries. However, Hungary does not have many natural resources like coal or oil for energy.

Hungary has forests covering 19% of its land, mostly in the foothills. These forests include oak, beech, fir, willow, acacia, and plane trees. Hungary has many rivers, with the Danube and Tisza being the most important. Hungary also has three large lakes, the biggest being Lake Balaton, which is popular for tourists and activities like swimming and winter sports.

Infrastructure

Transport

Main article: Transport in Hungary

Hungary has many roads, including 1,118 km of motorways. Budapest, the capital, is connected by motorways to several neighboring countries. Several important European travel routes pass through Hungary, all leading to Budapest.

Hungary has many airports, with Budapest Ferihegy International Airport being the largest. In 2008, millions of passengers used this airport. The railroad system in Hungary is quite long, with parts of it having electricity to power the trains.

Public utilities

Electricity reaches every place in Hungary. Piped gas is available in most settlements. Hungary works on projects to secure its gas supply and has reserves for emergencies. Most homes have running water, and many are connected to sewage systems. The government helps people improve water and sewage services.

Internet use has grown a lot in Hungary. Many homes now have internet, most using broadband. In 2004, the government started the eHungary program to bring internet access to public places like libraries and schools, helping people learn how to use online services effectively.

Sectors

In 2022, the biggest group of companies in Hungary was Services, with 273,851 companies. This was followed by Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, and Retail Trade, with 113,153 and 87,237 companies respectively.

Agriculture

Agriculture was an important part of Hungary's economy, making up about 4.3% of the country's money made in 2008. Together with food-related jobs, it used about 7.7% of the workers. When counting all related jobs, agriculture made up around 13% of Hungary's money made. Hungary grows a lot of different crops like wheat, corn, and sunflower, and it is good at making foods like paprika and foie gras. The country also raises animals like cattle and pigs.

Health care

Main article: Healthcare in Hungary

Hungary has a system where the government pays for health care for everyone. This helps keep people healthy, with longer lives and fewer babies who are born unhealthy. The country spends a good amount of its money on health care to keep people well.

Industry

Hungary's industry includes making machines, chemicals, and cars. It also has factories for food and other products. Because Hungary does not have a lot of its own energy or raw materials, it needs to bring many of these things in from other places. Car factories from big companies like Audi and Mercedes-Benz have been built in Hungary, creating many jobs.

Automobile production

Hungary is a popular place for car companies to build factories. Companies like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW have factories there, making many cars and car parts. These factories help create jobs and bring money to the country.

Services

The service sector is the biggest part of Hungary's economy, making up about 65.5% of the country's money made in 2023. This includes jobs in banking, logistics, and many other services. Hungary's location in Europe helps it attract businesses and tourists.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Hungary

Tourism is very important to Hungary. Many people visit places like Lake Balaton and Budapest to enjoy the beautiful sights and relaxing spas. In 2023, millions of tourists visited Hungary, bringing in a lot of money.

Currency

Hungary uses the Hungarian forint as its money. It has been the country's currency since August 1, 1946. A forint is made up of 100 smaller units called fillérs, but these are no longer used in everyday transactions.

The country has several types of coins and paper money. There are coins worth 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 forints, and banknotes come in values of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 forints. Some older coins and a banknote have been taken out of use, but prices are still rounded in a fair way.

¹ Current EU member states that have not yet adopted the Euro, candidates and official potential candidates.
² No more than 1.5% higher than the 3 best-performing EU member states.
³ No more than 2% higher than the 3 best-performing EU member states.
⁴ Formal obligation for Euro adoption in the country EU Treaty of Accession or the Framework for membership negotiations.
⁵ Values from April 2025 report. To be updated each year.

Socioeconomic characteristics

Further information: Education in Hungary

Human capital

Education in Hungary is free and required from age 5 to 16. All children get free pre-school, 8 years of basic school, and 4 years of secondary school. Higher education follows a three-part system and uses a credit system. The government wants to meet European standards and encourages learning new skills and languages. All secondary schools teach foreign languages, and students need a language certificate to graduate. This has led to many more people learning at least one foreign language.

Hungary has some well-known universities, such as:

• Semmelweis University with schools in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and physical education.
• Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), which is among the top 500 universities in the world.
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), established in 1782 and considered the oldest technical university in the world.
• Corvinus University of Budapest (BCE)
• Central European University (CEU)
• University of Pécs (PTE)
• University of Miskolc (ME)
• University of Szeged (SZTE), ranked 451st–500th in the world in 2010.
• University of Debrecen (DE)

The government pays for most education, which is about 5% of the country’s yearly income. To improve universities, the government asks students and companies to help too. The European Union also supports education.

But there are some problems. Students in general schools do better than average, but those in vocational schools do much worse. Universities don’t always match what jobs are needed, and the government plans to improve career guidance and create a digital system to help students find jobs.

Brain drain

Hungary sees many young people leaving the country, especially to western or central Europe like Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Many leave because wages are lower than in other EU countries. Since 2010, over 239,000 Hungarians have moved abroad, with many being young adults and students. This loss of skilled people, called “brain drain,” affects the country’s economy. The Hungarian currency also faces stability issues, and family and education reasons also play a role. With fewer births and many people leaving, Hungary’s population is aging and shrinking.

Social stratification

Hungary, like many countries, has differences in income and wealth among people of different ages, genders, and backgrounds. The country’s income equality is close to the best in the world. The top 10% earn about 22% of all income, while the bottom 10% earn only 4%. About 13% of people live in poverty. Life expectancy is about 73 years.

Women make up about 55% of workers aged 15 to 64, and girls and boys have almost equal numbers in school. However, the Roma in Hungary face big challenges. Many lost jobs after the fall of Communism, and most of the poorest people in Hungary are Roma. Many Roma people face discrimination when looking for work, making it hard for them to find jobs and leading to ongoing problems.

Institutional quality

Twenty years after big changes in the government, corruption is still a big problem in Hungary. Many managers say they often have to pay bribes to politicians, especially in politics and the healthcare system.

The government system is meant to keep powers separate, so courts are independent. But the courts are slow and busy, which makes it hard to handle cases quickly or punish corruption effectively.

Unemployment in Hungary

See also: Unemployment in Hungary

State participation

The Hungarian National Bank is the central bank of Hungary, and its main job is to keep prices stable. This means making sure that prices for things don’t go up too fast or too slow.

Hungary uses a system where the value of its money, the forint, changes based on supply and demand compared to other currencies like the euro. In the past, the forint’s value went down during a big economic problem but went back up afterward.

Hungary’s government spends a lot of money, taking in about 44% of the country’s total income and spending about 45%. This is higher than in many other European countries. The government also tries to follow rules to join the Eurozone, but it still has some work to do to meet all those rules.

Hungary changed its tax system in 2011. Before that, people paid different amounts of tax depending on how much money they made. Now, everyone pays the same tax rate on their income. Companies also pay taxes, and the rate for them has gone down over time. The tax on things people buy, called value added tax, is very high in Hungary.

Miscellaneous data

This table shows important economic numbers from 1980 to 2025. Numbers for 2025 are guesses because the year is not finished yet.

The information comes from the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook database, published in April 2024.

Here are some quick facts about technology in Hungary from 2011:

• Number of households – 4,001,976
• Number of landline phones – 2,884,000
• Landline phones per household – 72.1%
• Landline phones per person – 28.9%
• Number of mobile phone subscriptions – 11,669,000
• Mobile phone subscriptions per person – 117.1%

Broadband connections

• Fixed broadband connections – 2,111,967
• Mobile broadband connections – 1,872,178
• Fixed broadband per household – 52.8%
• Mobile broadband per household – 43.4%

Computer and internet use in 2009

• Computers – 65% of people
• Internet – 62% of people

External relations

Hungary joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, after a vote by the people. Being part of the EU helps Hungary because it allows the country to trade freely with other members.

After joining the EU, workers from Hungary were allowed to work in Ireland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom right away. Some other countries had rules that made it harder for Hungarian workers to move there.

By 2007, about 25% of Hungary's exports were high-technology products. This was the fifth highest percentage in the European Union, following Malta, Cyprus, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The average for all EU countries was 17.1%, and for the Eurozone it was 16%.