The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the
National Assembly for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Free Democrats or SZDSZ [Gabor DEMSZKY]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Gyorgy GICZY, president]; Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party or FYD-HCP [Laszlo KOVER]; note - used to be Hungarian Civic Party or FIDESZ; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Justice and Life Party or MIEP [Istvan CSURKA, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP [Laszlo KOVACS, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman]; Independent Smallholders or FKGP [Jozsef TORGYAN, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, Australia Group,
BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Geza JESZENSZKY
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 362–6730
FAX: [1] (202) 966–8135
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Peter F. TUFO
embassy: Szabadsag Ter 12, H.-1054 Budapest
mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521–5270
telephone: [36] (1) 475–4400, 475–4703 (after hours)
FAX: [36] (1) 475–4764
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green
Hungary Economy
Economy - overview: Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and to work toward accession to the European Union. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms is widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling $23 billion by 2000. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation - a top economic concern in 2000 - is still high at almost 10%, pushed upward by higher world oil and gas and domestic food prices. Economic reform measures such as health care reform, tax reform, and local government financing have not yet been addressed by the ORBAN government.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $113.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 35%
services: 60% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 8.6% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 24.8% (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.8% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: services 65%, industry 27%, agriculture 8% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $13 billion
expenditures: $14.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles
Industrial production growth rate: 18% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 36.75 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 61.09%
hydro: 0.51%
nuclear: 38.4%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 35.234 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 2.35 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 3.406 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products
Exports: $25.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment 59.5%, other manufactures 29.4%, food products 6.9%, raw materials 2.4%, fuels and electricity 1.8% (2000)
Exports - partners: Germany 37%, Austria 9%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5% (2000)
Imports: $27.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 51.1%, other manufactures 35.9%, fuels and electricity 8.1%, food products 2.8%, raw materials 2.1% (2000)
Imports - partners: Germany 25%, Russia 8%, Austria 7%, Italy 7% (2000)
Debt - external: $29.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $122.7 million (1995)
Currency: forint (HUF)
Currency code: HUF
Exchange rates: forints per US dollar - 282.240 (January 2001), 282.179 (2000), 237.146 (1999), 214.402 (1998), 186.789 (1997), 152.647 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Hungary Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.095 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.269 million (July 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 7.01 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 4.42 million (1997)
Internet country code: .hu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 650,000 (2000)
Hungary Transportation
Railways: total: 7,606 km
broad gauge: 36