In Hungary, generational change is a particularly relevant topic in business life, as many owners founded their businesses after the regime change and are now approaching or have reached retirement age. At the same time, the issue of generational change no longer affects only companies, but also the entire Hungarian economy. It is indeed necessary for the veteran generation to engage in the process of generational transformation, but the question should also be on the agenda of members of the baby boom generation. Currently, the largest group of social enterprise owners is Generation X, with their share approaching 50 percent of the total owner group.
Generation X gained the leading role in local business ownership early on. According to Optin data, by 2001, they reached an absolute majority, and a year later they took control of those eligible to register. It took 22 years to break this dominance, and in 2023, the share of Generation X owners fell to less than 50 percent. Although we have already reached a turning point – the number of people in the ownership circle has decreased by more than 13,000 people – they are still overrepresented, and their share has fallen to only 49 percent. Although their share of ownership has decreased, they still maintain an absolute majority among those entitled to register.
“I think there is reason for optimism regarding the future of the generational ownership structure in Hungary. Generation “This is a good time to start, so there's a good chance you won't run out of time.”
