Hungarians reported HUF 3,048bn of investment income on their tax returns in 2025, National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) data compiled by economic research institute GKI show. The investment income, including interest, dividends and capital gains, rose 7% from a year earlier. The data show 366,000 Hungarians – around 3.9% of the population – reported […]
A billionaire's tax the government plans to introduce from 2027 enjoys broad support among households, while a little over half of companies expects the measure to have no impact on business, surveys by economic research institute GKI show. The representative survey of 1,000 people conducted in September shows 85% of Hungarians back the rollout of […]
Business sentiment edged higher but consumer confidence deteriorated in Hungary in October, a monthly gauge by economic research institute GKI shows. GKI's business confidence index rose to -7.4 points in October from -8.3 in the previous month. Sentiment improved in the industrial and service sectors, but worsened in the construction and commerce sectors. The survey […]
In series of articles GKI Economic Research Co. presents the short- and long-term economic challenges facing the new Hungarian government. This time, they examine the macroeconomic effects of European Union funds.The state of the budget, including the inflow of European Union funds, is one of the new government’s key economic policy challenges. The budgetary situation […]
The most important domestic economic “story” of the coming years will be Hungary’s planned adoption of the euro; the economic and financial significance of adopting the common European currency is comparable to Hungary’s accession to the EU in 2004. The adoption of the euro is a strategic step that fundamentally determines the future framework of […]
The real question is whether it will be possible to create a sustainable rental housing sector with rental housing construction. Building apartments is a one-time investment, while creating a rental housing system is a decades-long housing policy task, according to a new research study by the GKI Economic Research Institute. In Hungary, the proportion of […]
Business and consumer sentiment in Hungary eased in August, a monthly gauge by economic research institute GKI shows. GKI's business confidence index fell to -9.1 points in August from -5.3 in the previous month. Sentiment worsened in the industrial, commerce and construction sectors, but edged up in the business services sector. The survey showed 7% […]
A gauge of sentiment in Hungary's tourism sector stood at -6 in June, on a scale of -100 to +100, improving during the month and reaching one point higher than a year before, economic research institute GKI, and the Hungarian Hospitality Employers' Association (VIMOSZ) said. Among the subindices, the accommodation index was up 2 points […]
When determining the sovereign ratings, the credit rating agencies also consider the World Bank’s World Governance Indicators (WGI), albeit with different weights. The WGI examines six institutional areas: freedom of speech and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and the development of corruption control. GKI Economic Research Institute examined how these […]
The domestic wage level and minimum wage in Hungary put the country at the bottom of the European Union rankings – yet another challenge facing the new government that is getting settled. A new study looks at how much of an increase would remain economically sustainable. Between 2010 and 2019, domestic wages were characterized by […]
A survey conducted by GKI Economic Research – with the support of the European Union – found that both consumers and businesses were more optimistic in September than in August. The GKI economic sentiment index, a summary measure of expectations, rose by just over two points, reaching an eleven-month high. Firms’ hiring intentions and expectations […]
In Hungary, private healthcare is gaining ground: more and more people are turning to medical services outside the state insurance system. A recent study by the Budapest-based economic research institute GKI examined how private healthcare spending has evolved in recent years. In 2022, Hungary’s per capita health spending, measured at purchasing-power parity, was the fourth-lowest […]
In July, the Budapest-based economic research institute GKI conducted a survey of 1,000 respondents, representative of the Hungarian population, on the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life. As its previous analysis showed, 36% of the population use AI at least with moderate frequency in their work, while the share is slightly higher (42%) […]
In the first half of 2025, tourist accommodation in Hungary hosted nearly 8.2 million guests, accounting for 18.9 million overnight stays. Guest numbers were 7.8% higher, and overnight stays 4.5% higher, than a year earlier. Hotels accounted for 57% of guests and 55% of overnight stays. Yet these impressive first-half figures should be viewed as […]
According to press reports, the Trump administration has expressed interest in reducing Hungary’s reliance on Russian energy sources, recommending the purchase of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nuclear technology instead. This aligns with a key pillar of sovereignty-focused economic policy: the pursuit of energy independence, the Hungarian Economic Reasearch Institute GKI says in its […]
