Unsettling demographic stats: Hungary’s marriage and birth trends in 2023 revealed!

In 2023, Hungary experienced a significant decrease in both the number of marriages and divorces, as per preliminary data released by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH). The number of marriages hit an all-time low, with only 50,150 marriages contracted, marking a notable decline compared to previous years.

According to 24.hu, the past year saw Hungary experiencing a significant downturn in both marriages and divorces. With only 50,150 marriages contracted, it marked the lowest figure since 2015, in stark contrast to previous years when marriage rates ranged between 64,000 and 72,000 annually from 2019 to 2022.

In terms of divorces, only 16,700 couples opted for divorce last year, the lowest figure in over 50 years since 2020, when it stood at 14,979. Before 2020, the divorce rate had not dipped below 15,000 since 1960. Although no official figures are available, it is suggested that measures such as penalty interest payments within the family home benefit and stringent eligibility criteria for benefits might be contributing to keeping the divorce rate in check.

Over the past year, Hungary experienced a negative net balance in marriages, with 58,000 marriages ending compared to just over 50,000 marriages contracted. This negative balance includes not only divorces but also marriages ending due to the death of one spouse, amounting to 41,300 such cases in 2023.

Women postpone motherhood in Hungary

In Hungary, the trend of women giving birth at later stages in life continues to rise. Last year, a total of 85,200 children were born, marking an all-time low. Among them, 43,800 were boys and 41,400 were girls.

Over the past 25 years, there has consistently been a marginal surplus of male births compared to female births. Notably, the average age of women welcoming their first child reached a record high of 29.24 years, continuing its upward march from previous years. When considering the average age of mothers at the birth of each child, the figure stood at 30.54, also a record high.

This stands in stark contrast to data from previous decades when the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child was considerably lower, such as below 23 in 1990 and around 27.92 in 2009. In response to this trend, the government introduced the personal income tax exemption for mothers under 30 last year, aiming to encourage earlier childbirth, as studies suggest that becoming a mother before the age of 30 increases the likelihood of having two or more children.

For the second consecutive year, Hungary‘s total fertility rate, reflecting the average number of children a woman would give birth to in her lifetime based on her age-specific fertility rate, has slightly decreased.

In 2021, it stood at 1.59, declining to 1.52 in 2022 and further dropping to 1.51 last year. Despite this, there is a notable long-term improvement from the negative low of 1.25 in 2010. It is important to note that a population’s sustainability is attained when the total fertility rate reaches 2.1.

Furthermore, preliminary data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) indicated a record low in the number of abortions in Hungary, with merely 21,000 reported in 2023. This marks a striking contrast to the mid-2000s when figures surpassing 50,000 abortions annually were prevalent.

Read also:

• Shocking truth revealed: Why Hungarians have shorter retirement lives – HERE
• Tragic: Number of Hungarians leaving the country at historic high – HERE