Brutal population decline: Hungarians are dropping like flies

Illustration. Photo: MTI/Gábor Kiss

Although population decline has eased slightly, the trend has not yet been reversed in Hungary as the population of the country fell by another 42 thousand in a year. Meanwhile, the number of Hungarians who have disappeared from Serbia has also been revealed.

According to preliminary data, 7004 children were born and 11 606 people died in March 2023. The number of births was the same as in March 2022, while deaths fell by 7.3 percent and marriages by 32 percent, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) told MTI on Friday.

It said 7004 children were born in March, the same number as a year earlier. 11,606 people died, 7.3 percent fewer than in March last year, or 920 fewer. The natural death rate was 4,602 compared to 5,522 in March 2022.

Between April 2022 and March 2023, 89,799 children were born, 0.7 percent or 611 fewer than in the previous 12 months. In January-March this year, the number of births increased by 7.1 percent compared to the same months in 2022. The total fertility rate was estimated at 1.55, the same as in the previous 12 months.

According to the KSH, 131,883 deaths occurred, 12 percent or 18,272 fewer than in the previous 12 months. In the first quarter of this year, the number of deaths fell by 10 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

Births fell by less than deaths, resulting in a natural decrease of 42,084, 30 percent lower than the 59,745 deaths in the previous 12 months. Despite the positive trend, the natural decrease is still huge in Hungary.

Hungarian population decline in Serbia has been revealed

As we have previously written, Serbia faces an even larger population loss than Hungary, but at the time of the Hungarian census, there weren’t any fresh Serbian data available to make an estimate about the decrease of the Hungarian minority.

Now, the Serbian National Institute of Statistics published the results of the Serbian census, Szabad Magyar Szó reports. Out of a population of 6,647,003, 184,442 identified themselves as Hungarians.

This means that the Hungarian minority remained the largest in Serbia ahead of the Bosnian and Romani minorities. At the time of the 2011 census, the number of Hungarians was 253,899. This means that now 69,457 fewer Hungarian live in Serbia than 11 years ago. This represents a 28 percent decrease.

Read also: Why are thousands of German pensioners moving to Hungary?

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7 Comments

Cigány ország says:

02/05/2023 at 20:05

Finally some good news!
FV says:

02/05/2023 at 20:11

@DNH, what about all the people moving abroad ? I hear it more and more often, a lot of young couples moving abroad to give a better future to their young kids. this shall be considered. Thank you.
Nelson Taylor Sol says:

02/05/2023 at 20:41

Very interesting data. I guess Magyars will need a sense of purpose, or mission, in order to focus on stopping the decline. That trend is mirrored throughout the “western” world, so migrating to greener pastures won’t solve a problem that has deeper than than purely economical roots.
Attila says:

02/05/2023 at 21:00

@fv number of deaths minus number of births is 42000. So, population decreased. That is without emigration and immigration.
Michael Steiner says:

03/05/2023 at 08:11

Maybe instead of wasting money on bicycle lanes and–rolls eyes–“green” windmills, the country should create financial incentives for people to have more children. Why do people need two jobs to survive and why can’t a woman (or man) be a stay-at-home parent without making life’s necessities unaffordable? Simultaneously, why are people more interested in being able to go on a vacation or get a Netflix subscription than creating a family? The priorities are all jacked up: both the government’s and the people’s.
Norbert says:

03/05/2023 at 11:45

@michealsteiner – the birth gap is slightly more complex. The biggest issue is apparently (backed up by data) that many more women are remaining childless, for numerous reasons. And there’s no breeding program on the planet that can keep up with the impact. Extensive analysis, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6s8QlIGanA&t=247s

Totally agree regarding your point that action is required, though. Including funding.
Bit of Rocket Fuel needed; says:

03/05/2023 at 11:51

Steiner Michael – bit of Democratic THINKING in what you have commented.
Hungary, the landscape we see at this very point in time – DEPRESSIVE – what is the ATTRACTIVENESS to stay – if you are a “Risk Taker” – backing yourself and for the future, if you have Wife and “little ones” – to LEAVE ???
Steiner constructive in Government incentive programs.
Orban 4 years past in a speech that was on the performance of Hungary over the past, at the time year.
Orban made reference to the death to children ratio, that we needed to BREED and that his Government would be introducing incentives for that PURPOSE.
“Lights out – its PLAY time” – I’m tired I want to SLEEP or I have a headache ///
The Orban “breeding barns” just hasn’t HAPPENED.
Orban – has just SMASHED the brand name Hungary, that immigration, the “producing” of “little ones” – the RISING costs of living in Hungary to those immigrants arriving or thinking of migrating to Hungary, especially from the LOW socio-economic background – could be FRAUGHT with Danger.
We know Medically what the BLUE pill does for Men.
OPPORTUNITY for Medical Research in Hungary to DEVELOPE a tabaletta or of liquid form, that just is know as a BABY Boomer, that “fires up” the Males part in the producing of “little ones.”
Sperm intensifier – turbo change that results have an extremely HIGH success rate.
Enough of the Frivolity, but yes, its a PROBLEM we FACE deaths over new born, but ATTRACTIVENESS and Incentives part of a PLAN that needs URGENT addressing – remembering that DEMOCRACY is Dialogue – or we could, in time as a race of people – DISAPPEAR.