Hungarian Population: Moderated Natural Decrease

In the first five months of 2020, the number of births (36,527) was 4.8% more and that of deaths (54,656) 5.8% less in Hungary than in the corresponding period of 2019 according to preliminary data by the country’s Central Statistical Office.

As a result, the natural decrease declined by 22% or 5,042 compared to January–May 2019. The fewer deaths may have been due to the flu epidemic peaking at a lower level this year compared to last year. 15% less people died in January and 9.9% less in February, 1.7% more in March–April and 3.9% less in May compared to a year earlier.

In May, 2020 the number of live births increased by 1.9% and that of deaths went down by 3.9% compared to the same month of the previous year. The natural decrease of 2,331 in May was 18% lower than a year earlier.

In January–May 2020, the total fertility rate was estimated at 1.48 per female, compared with 1.40 for the first five months of 2019. As a result of the decline in the number of deaths and the rise in the number of births, the natural decrease was 18,129 as opposed to 23,171 in January–May 2019, which was a decline of 22%.

Over these five months, 20,885 couples got married, which was 28% or 4,522 more marriages. 101% more marriages were registered in January–March and 8.8% more in April, while 30% less in May than in the corresponding months of 2019. The lower growth in April and the decrease in May may have been owing to restrictive measures on group events, introduced because of the Covid-19 epidemic.