Background: Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule following World War II. In 1956 a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968 Hungary began liberalizing its economy introducing so-called 'Goulash Communism.' Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU five years later. In 2011 Hungary assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU for the first time.

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N 20 00 E

Area
Rank: 110
Land: 89,608 km²
Water: 3,420 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries
Border countries: (7) Austria 321 km; Croatia 348 km; Romania 424 km; Serbia 164 km; Slovakia 627 km; Slovenia 94 km; Ukraine 128 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cold cloudy humid winters; warm summers

Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Kekes 1014 m

Natural resources: bauxite coal natural gas fertile soils arable land

Land use
Permanent crops: 1.97%
Other: 50.79% (2011)

Irrigated land: 1409 km² (2007)

Total renewable water resources: 104 km³ (2011)

Geography
Note: landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

Population: 9,919,128 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 90
Growth rate: -0.21% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 214
Below poverty line: 14% (2012)

Nationality
Adjective: Hungarian

Ethnic groups: Hungarian 92.3% Roma 1.9% other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

Languages: Hungarian 84.6% other or unspecified 16.4% (2011 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 37.2% Calvinist 11.6% Lutheran 2.2% Greek Catholic 1.8% other 1.9% none 18.2% unspecified 27.2% (2011 est.)

Age structure
15-24 years: 11.7% (male 596,005/female 561,606)
25-54 years: 41.6% (male 2,071,845/female 2,056,611)
55-64 years: 14% (male 639,298/female 754,129)
65 years and over: 17.5% (male 661,256/female 1,107,602) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 21.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.6 %
Potential support ratio: 3.9 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 39.1 years
Female: 43.5 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.21% (2014 est.)
Rank: 214

Birth rate: 9.26 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 207

Death rate: 12.72 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 23

Net migration rate: 1.34 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 55

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.51% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: BUDAPEST (capital) 1.737 million (2011)

Environment
Current issues: the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management energy efficiency and air soil and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.3 (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 179
Male: 5.36 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.81 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 93
Male: 71.73 years
Female: 79.41 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.42 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 206

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 3.41 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 7.2 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 118
People living with hivaids: 3,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 133
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 112

Major infectious diseases
Vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27.6% (2008)
Rank: 37

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 81

Literacy
Total population: 99%
Male: 99.2%
Female: 98.9% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2011)

Country name
Conventional short form: Hungary
Local long form: none
Local short form: Magyarorszag

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 47 30 N 19 05 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 19 counties (megyek singular - megye) 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos) and 1 capital city (fovaros)
Counties: Bacs-Kiskun Baranya Bekes Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen Csongrad Fejer Gyor-Moson-Sopron Hajdu-Bihar Heves Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok Komarom-Esztergom Nograd Pest Somogy Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg Tolna Vas Veszprem Zala
Urban counties: Bekescsaba Debrecen Dunaujvaros Eger Erd Gyor Hodmezovasarhely Kaposvar Kecskemet Miskolc Nagykanizsa Nyiregyhaza Pecs Salgotarjan Sopron Szeged Szekesfehervar Szekszard Szolnok Szombathely Tatabanya Veszprem Zalaegerszeg
Capital city: Budapest

Independence: 16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established)

National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day 20 August; note - commemorates the date when his remains were transferred to Buda (now Budapest)

Constitution: previous 1949 (heavily amended in 1989 following collapse of communism); latest approved 18 April 2011 signed 25 April 2011 effective 1 January 2012; amended several times last in 2013 (2013)

Legal system: civil legal system influenced by the German model

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age 16 if married; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their duties by the president
Elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 2 May 2012 (next to be held by May 2017); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election following the formation of a new government held on 10 May 2014
Election results: Janos ADER elected president National Assembly vote - 262 to 40; Viktor ORBAN elected prime minister National Assembly vote - 130 to 57

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (199 seats; 106 single-round single-member district vote 93 nationwide party list vote; members serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 6 April 2014 (next to be held in April 2018)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Fidesz-KNDP 66.8% Unity 19.1% Jobbik 11.6% LMP 2.5%; seats by party - Fidesz-KNDP 133 Unity 38 Jobbik 23 LMP 5

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Curia president elected from among its members for 9 years by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president of the republic; other Curia judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the National Council of Justice a separate 15-member administrative body; all judges serve until the normal retirement age; Constitutional Court members elected by two-thirds vote of the National Assembly; members serve 12-year terms
Subordinate courts: regional courts of appeal; county courts including the Municipal Court of Budapest; local courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS CD CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB ESA (cooperating state) EU FAO G-9 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINURSO NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 3,910 Shoemaker Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 362-6,730
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 966-8,135
In the us consulate general: Chicago Los Angeles New York
From the us embassy: Szabadsag ter 12 H-1054 Budapest
From the us mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest 5,270 Budapest Place US Department of State Washington DC 20,521-5,270
From the us telephone: [36] (1) 475-4,400
From the us FAX: [36] (1) 475-4,764

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) white and green; the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor form of the French flag; folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength white for faithfulness and green for hope; alternatively the red is seen as being for the blood spilled in defense of the land white for freedom and green for the pasturelands that make up so much of the country

National symbols: Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen); turul (falcon)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Ferenc KOLCSEY/Ferenc ERKEL

Economy overview: Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of the EU-28 average. In late 2008 Hungary's impending inability to service its short-term debt - brought on by the global financial crisis - led Budapest to obtain an IMF/EU/World Bank-arranged financial assistance package worth over $25 billion. The global economic downturn declining exports and low domestic consumption and fixed asset accumulation dampened by government austerity measures resulted in a severe economic contraction in 2009. In 2010 the new government implemented a number of changes including cutting business and personal income taxes but imposed 'crisis taxes' on financial institutions energy and telecom companies and retailers. The IMF/EU bail-out program lapsed at the end of the year and was replaced by Post Program Monitoring and Article IV Consultations on overall economic and fiscal processes. At the end of 2011 the government turned to the IMF and the EU to obtain financial backstop to support its efforts to refinance foreign currency debt and bond obligations in 2012 and beyond but Budapest's rejection of EU and IMF economic policy recommendations led to a breakdown in talks with the lenders in late 2012. Global demand for high yield has since helped Hungary to obtain funds on international markets. Hungary’s progress reducing its deficit to under 3% of GDP led the European Commission in 2013 to permit Hungary for the first time since joining the EU in 2004 to exit the Excessive Deficit Procedure.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 57

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 193

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 71

Gross national saving:
Rank: 97

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 20.4%
Investment in fixed capital: 16.4%
Investment in inventories: -0.7%
Exports of goods and services: 97.2%
Imports of goods and services: -88.8%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 28%
Services: 68.7% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat corn sunflower seed potatoes sugar beets; pigs cattle poultry dairy products

Industries: mining metallurgy construction materials processed foods textiles chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals) motor vehicles

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (2013 est.)
Rank: 131

Labor force: 4.263 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 88
By occupation industry: 29.7%
By occupation services: 63.2% (2011)

Unemployment rate: 10.7% (2012 est.)
Rank: 113

Population below poverty line: 14% (2012)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 22.6% (2009)

Distribution of family income gini index: 24.4 (1998)
Rank: 138

Budget
Expenditures: $66.01 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.9% of GDP
Surplus or deficit rank: 119

Taxes and other revenues: 47.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 17

Public debt: 79.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 27

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.7% (2012 est.)
Rank: 65

Central bank discount rate: 7% (31 December 2011)
Rank: 41

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.02% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 97

Stock of narrow money: $33.03 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 56

Stock of broad money: $68.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 64

Stock of domestic credit: $87.27 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 58

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 58

Current account balance: $2.087 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 45

Exports: $90.23 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 39
Commodities: machinery and equipment 53.5% other manufactures 31.2% food products 8.7% raw materials 3.4% fuels and electricity 3.9% (2012)
Partners: Germany 25.6% Romania 6.2% Slovakia 6.1% Austria 6% Italy 4.8% France 4.8% UK 4.2% (2012)

Imports: $87.37 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 37
Commodities: machinery and equipment 45.4% other manufactures 34.3% fuels and electricity 12.6% food products 5.3% raw materials 2.5% (2012)
Partners: Germany 25.1% Russia 8.8% China 7.4% Austria 7.1% Slovakia 5.6% Poland 4.8% Italy 4.5% Netherlands 4.2% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $44.67 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 47

Debt external: $169.3 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 34

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $107 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 40

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $41.82 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 38

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 34.28 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 62
Consumption: 36.13 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 56
Exports: 9 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 22
Imports: 16.97 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 11
Installed generating capacity: 9.9 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 58
Generation sources fossil fuels: 72% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 104
Generation sources nuclear: 20% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 9
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 1% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 142
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 35

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 27,990 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 70
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 128
Crude oil imports: 114,800 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 47
Crude oil proven reserves: 27.32 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 83

Refined petroleum
Products production: 177,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 58
Products consumption: 141,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 70
Products exports: 59,110 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 58
Products imports: 171,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 33

Natural gas
Production: 2.462 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 57
Consumption: 11.9 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 44
Exports: 2.837 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 40
Imports: 10.18 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 30
Proven reserves: 8.098 billion m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 85

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 49.56 million Mt (2011 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.96 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 51
Mobile cellular: 11.58 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 72

Telephone system
Domestic: competition among mobile-cellular service providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile-cellular phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line connections
International: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions) 1 Inmarsat 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals (2011)

Broadcast media: mixed system of state-supported public service broadcast media and private broadcasters; the 3 publicly owned TV channels and the 2 main privately owned TV stations are the major national broadcasters; a large number of special interest channels; highly developed market for satellite and cable TV services with about two-thirds of viewers utilizing their services; 3 state-supported public-service radio networks and 2 major national commercial stations; a large number of local stations including commercial public service nonprofit and community radio stations; digital transition postponed to the end of 2014 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .hu
Hosts: 3.145 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 33
Users: 6.176 million (2009)
Users rank: 41

Military expenditures:
Rank: 113

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 6-month service obligation (2012)

Airports: 41 (2013)
Rank: 104
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways: 11 (2013)

Heliports: 3 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 19,028 km; oil 1007 km; refined products 842 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 26
Broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge
Standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,911 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2009)

Roadways
Rank: 25
Paved: 76,075 km (includes 1477 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 123,492 km (2010)

Waterways: 1622 km (most on Danube River) (2011)
Rank: 48

Ports and terminals: Budapest Dunaujvaros Gyor-Gonyu Csepel Baja Mohacs

Disputes international: bilateral government legal technical and economic working group negotiations continue in 2006 with Slovakia over Hungary's failure to complete its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border Hungary has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; efforts to counter money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking are improving but remain vulnerabl