World Factbook
Hungary
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green meaning: folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength, white for faithfulness, and green for hope; alternatively, the red can stand for the blood spilled in defense of the land, white for freedom, and green for pasturelands history: the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor of the French flag
Capital
name
Budapest
etymology
Buda on the western shore of the Danube and Pest on the eastern shore merged in 1873 to form Budapest; Buda's name may derive from the name of its founder or from a local word meaning "water;" Pest derives from a Slavic word meaning "furnace" or "oven"
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
geographic coordinates
47 30 N, 19 05 E
Suffrage
18 years of age, 16 if married and marriage is registered in Hungary; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Hungary
dual citizenship recognized
yes
residency requirement for naturalization
8 years
Constitution
history
previous 1949 (heavily amended in 1989 following the collapse of communism); latest approved 18 April 2011, signed 25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012
amendment process
proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by parliamentary committee, or by Parliament members; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament members and approval by the president
Country name
former
Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian Republic
etymology
the Byzantine Greeks referred to the tribes that arrived on the steppes of Eastern Europe in the 9th century as the "Oungroi," a name that later became "Hungari," which originally meant an "[alliance of] ten tribes;" the Hungarian name Magyarorszag means "Country of the Magyars," which may be derived from the name of the most prominent of the Hungarian tribes
local long form
none
local short form
Magyarorszag
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Hungary
Independence
16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established)
Legal system
civil system influenced by the German model
Government type
parliamentary republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Curia or Supreme Judicial Court (consists of the president, vice president, department heads, and has a maximum of 113 judges, and is organized into civil, criminal, and administrative-labor departments; Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president)
subordinate courts
5 regional courts of appeal; 19 regional or county courts (including Budapest Metropolitan Court); 20 administrative-labor courts; 111 district or local courts
judge selection and term of office
Curia president elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president of the republic; other Curia judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a separate 15-member administrative body; judge tenure based on interim evaluations until normal retirement at age 62; Constitutional Court judges, including the president of the court, elected by the National Assembly; court vice president elected by the court itself; members serve 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 62
Executive branch
cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the president
chief of state
President Tamas SULYOK (since 5 March 2024)
election results
2024: Tamas SULYOK elected president; National Assembly vote - 134 to 5 2022: Katalin NOVAK (Fidesz) elected president; National Assembly vote - 137 to 51
head of government
Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010)
most recent election date
president: 26 February 2024 prime minister: 3 April 2022
election/appointment process
president indirectly elected by the National Assembly with two-thirds majority vote in first round or simple majority vote in second round for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
expected date of next election
president: spring 2029 prime minister: April or May 2027
National holiday
Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August (1083)
note: commemorates the saint's canonization and the transfer of his remains to Buda (now Budapest) in 1083
National color(s)
red, white, green
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
8 (7 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, and Andrássy Avenue (c); Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings (c); Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (n); Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment (c); Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (c); Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) (c); Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (c); Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (c)
Political parties
Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP Democratic Coalition or DK Dialogue for Hungary or Párbeszéd Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP Jobbik - Conservatives or Jobbik LMP-Hungary's Green Party or LMP Mi Hazank (Our Homeland Movement) or MHM Momentum Movement or Momentum Movement for a Better Hungary or Jobbik National Self-Government of Germans in Hungary or MNOÖ On the People's Side or A Nép Pártján Our Homeland Movement or Mi Hazánk TISZA – Respect and Freedom Party or TISZA
Legislative branch
chamber name
National Assembly (Orszaggyules)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
199 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
legislature name
National Assembly (Országgyülés)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
4/3/2022
expected date of next election
April 2026
percentage of women in chamber
15.6%
parties elected and seats per party
Hungarian Civic Union-Christian Democratic People's Party (FIDESZ-KDNP) (135); Democratic Coalition (DK) (15); Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) (10); Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) (10); Momentum (10); Other (19)
National anthem(s)
title
"Himnusz" (Hymn)
history
adopted 1844
lyrics/music
Ferenc KOLCSEY/Ferenc ERKEL
National symbol(s)
Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen)
Administrative divisions
19 counties ( megyek , singular - megye ), 25 cities with county rights ( megyei jogu varosok , singular - megyei jogu varos ), and 1 capital city ( fovaros ) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad-Csanad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala cities with county rights: Baja, Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Esztergom, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 966-8135
chancery
1500 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005
telephone
[1] (202) 362-6730
consulate(s)
Houston, Miami
chief of mission
Ambassador Szabolcs Ferenc TAKÁCS (since 23 December 2020)
consulate(s) general
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
email address and website
info.was@mfa.gov.hu https://washington.mfa.gov.hu/eng
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[36] (1) 475-4248
embassy
Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest
telephone
[36] (1) 475-4400
mailing address
5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Caroline SAVAGE (since November 2025)
email address and website
acs.budapest@state.gov https://hu.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction