Hungary – The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HSCO, in Hungarian, KSH – Központi Statisztikai Hivatal) published late October the results of the 2022 census.
The demographic decline continues since 1980
Since the last census in 2011, the number of people living in Hungary has fallen by 3.4%. That brings Hungary’s population to 9.6 million inhabitants, a drop of 334,000 in eleven years.
The population of Hungary’s current territory, which stood at 5,011,310 in 1870, increased with each census (except in 1949 due to losses during the Second World War) until 1980, when it reached 10,709,463. It then embarked on a path of continual decline.
As in other Western countries, demographic trends vary from region to region. Urban and more industrialised regions are experiencing population growth, while rural areas continue to depopulate.
The counties of Pest (around Budapest) and Győr-Moson-Sopron (on the Austrian border) actually increased by 9.5% and 4%, respectively, between 2011 and 2022, while those of the counties of Békés (south-east) Nógrád (north), Tolna (south), and Borsod-Adaúj-Templén (north-east) fell by 12.4%, 9.9%, 9.7%, and 9.2%, respectively.
Hungary never had so many foreigners living on her soil
Despite the anti-immigration rhetoric of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the number of foreigners (people without Hungarian citizenship, though including some ethnic Hungarian) rose from 0.91% in 2001, to 1.44% in 2011 and 2.27% in 2022.
76% of foreigners living in Hungary come from European countries, and are mainly nationals from Ukraine, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia – except for Germany, only countries with big Hungarian minorities.
Non-European foreigners are mainly Chinese and Vietnamese people. The other countries of origin of non-European foreigners living in Hungary are, in decreasing order, South Korea, Turkey, India, the United States, Russia, and Iran. All these countries are strategical partners of Hungary, which explains the increase of delivered visas.
National minorities on the decline
Meantime, the 2022 census shows a drop in the number of members of national minorities, from 5.59% of the total population in 2011 down to 4.27%. The census’ ethnicity section is optional. It is possible to declare a primary and a secondary ethnic group to which a respondent belongs.
Since the last census of 2011, the number of Gypsies decreased from 308,957 (3.11%) to 200,306 (2.09%); the number of Germans went down from 131,951 (1.33%) in 2011 to 98,402 (1.02%) in 2022; the number of Slovaks fell from 29,647 (0.30%) in 2011 to 25,534 in 2022, and so on.
Religiosity is on the wane
The number of people declaring religious affiliation dropped from 54.65% in 2011 to 42.94% in 2022, with the number of Catholics falling from 38.96% to 30.06%, Reformed Catholics from 11.61% to 9.83%, and Lutherans from 2.16% to 1.84%.
According to the Bishop of Szombathely, János Székely, who reacted to the publication of these figures in the Catholic magazine Magyar Kurír, these figures should encourage introspection in every Christian and every church. European Christianity, including Hungarian Christianity, needs religious conversions and renewal. ”