Hungary

Internet country code

.hu

Internet hosts

383,071 (2004)

Internet users

1.6 million (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones 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

Telephones - main lines in use

3,666,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

6,862,800 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $35 billion expenditures: $39.88 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Currency

forint (HUF)

Currency code

HUF

Current account balance

$-7.347 billion (2003)

Debt - external

$42.38 billion (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

24.4 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA $250 million (2000)

Economy - overview

Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income one-half that of the Big Four European nations. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and joined the European Union in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $23 billion since 1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation has declined substantially, from 14% in 1998 to 4.7% in 2003; unemployment has persisted around the 6% level. Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Short-term issues include the reduction of the public sector deficit and further increasing the flexibility of the labor markets.

Electricity - consumption

35.15 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

7.261 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

10.43 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

34.39 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

forints per US dollar - 224.307 (2003), 257.887 (2002), 286.49 (2001), 282.179 (2000), 237.146 (1999)

Exports

$42.03 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment 57.6%, other manufactures 31.0%, food products 7.5%, raw materials 1.9%, fuels and electricity 1.9% (2001)

Exports - partners

Germany 34.1%, Austria 8%, Italy 5.8%, France 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $139.8 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.3% industry: 32.5% services: 64.2% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $13,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 20.5% (1998)

Imports

$46.19 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.3%, fuels and electricity 8.2%, food products 2.9%, raw materials 2.0% (2001)

Imports - partners

Germany 24.5%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.9%, Austria 6.3%, Russia 6.2%, France 4.8%, Japan 4.2% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

6.4% (2003 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.7% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

22% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

4.164 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 8%, industry 27%, services 65% (1996)

Natural gas - consumption

13.37 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

4 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

9.587 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

3.231 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

50.45 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

140,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

47,180 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

136,600 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

41,190 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

110.7 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

8.6% (1993 est.)

Public debt

57% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$12.78 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

5.9% (2003 est.)

Area

total: 93,030 sq km land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m

Environment - current issues

the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession will require large investments

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geographic coordinates

47 00 N, 20 00 E

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

Irrigated land

2,100 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,171 km border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Land use

arable land: 50.09% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 47.85% (2001)

Location

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 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, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg : capital city: Budapest

Capital

Budapest

Constitution

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador George Herbert WALKER embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round of voting); Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Legal system

rule of law based on Western model

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20

National holiday

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Political parties and leaders

Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Istvan HILLER, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Hungary was 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 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 in 2004.

Military branches

Ground Forces, Air Forces

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.08 billion (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.75% (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,519,052 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,011,750 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004 (June 2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 64,426 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16% (male 826,032; female 782,687) 15-64 years: 69% (male 3,407,931; female 3,517,450) 65 years and over: 15% (male 545,488; female 952,787) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

9.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

13.16 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,800 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 8.68 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.25 years male: 68.07 years female: 76.69 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 38.4 years male: 35.9 years female: 41.1 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian

Net migration rate

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

10,032,375 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.25% (2004 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other 7.5%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

Hungary amended the status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in neighboring states, who had objected to the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution

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; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking

Airports

43 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)

Heliports

5 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 188,203 km paved: 81,680 km (including 438 km of expressways) unpaved: 106,523 km (1999)

Merchant marine

total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,568 GRT/10,025 DWT by type: cargo 2 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003)

Railways

total: 7,937 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,682 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)

Waterways

1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004)