Hungary's general government deficit reached HUF 5,261.9 billion at the end of September, widening by HUF 92.8 billion in September alone, a preliminary release of data by the Finance Ministry on Monday shows.
The ministry noted that pre-financing in August related to funding from the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) had added HUF 2,186.9 billion to the gap. Excluding that pre-financing, the deficit would come to HUF 3,075.0 billion, HUF 253.7 billion less than the gap in the same period a year earlier, it added.
Budget revenue rose 3.4% to HUF 30,218.1 billion in January-September. Expenditures climbed 9.0% to HUF 35,480.0 billion. The spending included HUF 2,375.2 billion of interest expenditures, down 23.4% from the base period.
Finance Minister András Kármán warned on social media that a single month should not be taken as the definitive measure, as monthly figures always include one-time effects. He called it encouraging that spending discipline is becoming a permanent feature of the figures and that interest expenses fell by HUF 726 billion in the first nine months of the year compared to last year.
The budget situation remains difficult and there is still plenty of work to be done, but we are moving in the right direction, and the results are beginning to show, he added.
He also noted that while the cumulative nine-month deficit appears high at first glance, the majority of it is due to a one-time item previously mentioned: the HUF 2,187 billion pre-financing related to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in August. This is a technical expenditure linked to EU funds, which precedes the corresponding revenue.
Top 5 Articles
What Awaits the Hungarian Economy in 2026 and 2027? April 24, 2026 - Cherishing Italian Cultural Presence in Hungary September 3, 2026
- Consolidating the Good Bilateral Relations May 10, 2026
- Two Vantage Points, One Direction August 22, 2026
- Business, Consumer Confidence at Two-Year High in April April 23, 2026
