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 Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule after World War II. In 1956, Moscow responded to a Hungarian revolt and announcement of its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact with a massive military intervention. 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.
Area: 93,028 km2
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land
Groups: Hungarian 84.3%, Romani 2.1%, German 1%, other 1.2%, unspecified 13.7% (2022 est.)note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic group; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5–10% of Hungary's population
Languages: Hungarian (official) 98.8%, English 25.3%, German 12.6%, Russian 2.1%, French 1.5%, Romanian 1.4%, other 5.1% (2022 est.)major-language sample(s): A World Factbook nélkülözhetetlen forrása az alapvető információnak. (Hungarian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one spoken language
Religions: Catholic 30.1% (Roman Catholic 27.5%, Greek Catholic 1.7%, other Catholic 0.9%), Calvinist 9.8%, Lutheran 1.8%, other Christian (includes Orthodox) 1.6%, other 0.4%, none 16.1%, no answer 40.1% (2022 est.)
Capital: Budapest
Government type: parliamentary republic
Chief of state: President Tamas SULYOK (since 5 March 2024)
Head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the presidentelections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly with two-thirds majority vote in first round or simple majority vote in second round for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 February 2024 (next to be held in spring 2029); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held on 3 April 2022 (next to be held in April or May 2027)election results: 2024: Tamas SULYOK elected president; National Assembly vote - 134 to 52022: Katalin NOVAK (Fidesz) elected president; National Assembly vote - 137 to 51
Description: legislature name: National Assembly (Országgyülés)legislative structure: unicameralchamber name: National Assembly (Orszaggyules)number of seats: 199 (all directly elected)electoral system: mixed systemscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 4/3/2022parties elected and seats per party: Hungarian Civic Union-Christian Democratic People's Party (FIDESZ-KDNP) (135); Democratic Coalition (DK) (15); Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) (10); Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) (10); Momentum (10); Other (19)percentage of women in chamber: 15.2%expected date of next election: April 2026
Information derived by "The World Factbook 2021. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/"