Hungarian Population Continues to Decrease

In March 2022, 6,970 children were born and 11,746 people died according to preliminary data published by the Central Statistical Office.

In the last twelve months, between April 2021 and March 2022, the number of births diminished by 2.2% and that of deaths by 0.9%, while the number of marriages increased by 5.2% compared to the period twelve months earlier.

In March 2022:

A total of 6,970 children were born, 11% less or 844 fewer than a year earlier.

11,746 people lost their lives, 35% less or 6,215 fewer than in March 2021. The reason for the significant decrease was the high base value of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year. This year’s value was 1.7% higher compared to March 2019, the corresponding month in the last year before the pandemic.

The natural decrease was 4,776 as opposed to 10,147 in March 2021.

4,541 couples got married, which was 12% less or 593 fewer than in March 2021.

Between April 2021 and March 2022:

90,371 children were born in the last twelve months, 2,027 fewer or 2.2% less than in the previous twelve months. Within this year, the number of births decreased by 12% in January–March compared to the same period of 2021.

The total fertility rate was estimated at 1.55 per female, compared with 1.57 in the previous twelve months.

There were 148,574 deaths, 0.9% less or 1,394 fewer than in the previous twelve months. The number of deaths was down by 4.8% in January and by 35% in March and grew by 3.8% in February this year compared to the corresponding months of 2021.

The number of births decreased more significantly than that of deaths, as a result of which the natural decrease was 58,203, which was a rise of 1.1% compared to the value of 57,570 in the previous twelve months.

70,292 couples got married, 5.2% or 3,459 more than in the previous twelve months. In the January–March period this year, 14% less marriages were registered than in the same months of 2021.

There were 9.3 live births and 15.3 deaths per thousand population. The rate of live births was 0.2 per mille point and that of deaths 0.1 per mille point lower than in April 2020–March 2021, as a result of which the rate of natural decrease was up by 0.1 per mille point to 6.0 per mille. The number of infant deaths was 3.4 per thousand live births, 0.2 per mille point larger than in the previous twelve months. The marriage rate was 7.2 per mille, 0.4 per mille point higher than in the period twelve months earlier.