the Transparency Company published a detailed and comprehensive analysis On the number of Hungarians living abroad. This shows that the number of Hungarians living abroad has been gradually increasing for years and is unlikely to decrease.
Based on data from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, more than 700,000 Hungarians lived outside Hungary in 2020. Most of them, 220,000, live in Germany. In recent years, the desire to emigrate has increased again, which is to some extent offset by the migration of Hungarians born across the border into our country. The vast majority of foreigners living in Hungary, numbering around 600,000, are actually Hungarians born abroad, most of whom came to our country from Romania.
In 1990, approximately 400,000 Hungarians lived abroad, and 336,000 foreigners lived in Hungary. Both numbers gradually inflated by 2020, as the number of Hungarians living abroad, who live in 64 countries in the world, already reached 714,000, and the number of foreigners living in Hungary, who came from 186 countries in the world, reached 584,000.
Central Statistical Office (KSH) Data According to 19,322 people moved out of the country in 2020, 21,730 in 2021, and already 28,825 in 2022, which is almost the same as in 2016. The number of Hungarian immigrants could moderate this trend somewhat: the number of people moving home has remained stable at between 23,000 for years. What makes the migration trend quite positive is the number of foreign-born Hungarian immigrants.
Germany is the main destination country, followed by the United Kingdom, and Austria is attractive for Hungarians not only to settle, but also to work due to its proximity. According to 2023 data, approximately 100 thousand Hungarians live in Austria (including Vienna). There are more than 126,000 Hungarians living on the border and moving between the two countries for work, according to Szabad Europe. Compilation.
Hungary’s immigration rate of 7.3 percent is below average compared to the EU, but this does not change the fact that immigration is already leading to a further reduction in immigration. Downward trend Residents of Hungary.
Regarding immigration, in 2020, Hungary had 584,000 residents who were not born here. While immigration was mostly in the western direction, immigrants came to our country mainly from the east, mostly from Romania. Aaron Kinesis 2019 From his studies It turns out that in 2017, 88% of people arriving from Romania (182,000 people) were actually Hungarians born in Romania. A similar percentage also applies to foreign immigrants as a whole: In 2017, 71% of the 521,000 foreign-born people living in our country, i.e. 370,000 people, were actually foreign-born Hungarians.
Based on data from KSH, approximately 10,000 foreign-born Hungarians arrive in Hungary every year, and because of their arrival, the migration balance has been tilted in a positive direction since 2016.
