Population decline slows in H1 2020

The natural decrease slowed by 23% or 6,024 compared to the first half of 2019. In June 2020, the number of live births increased by 8.2% and that of deaths went down by 6.8% compared to the same month of the previous year. The natural decrease of 1,645 in June was 43% lower than a year earlier.

In June 2020, 7,679 children were born, 583 or 8.2% more than in June 2019. On the other hand, 9,324 people lost their lives, which was 677 fewer or 6.8 % less than a year earlier. Due to the decline in the number of deaths and the rise in the number of births, the natural decrease over the month was 1,645 as opposed to 2,905 in June 2019, a decrease of 43%. The number of marriages went down; 5,906 couples got married, 24% less or 1,819 fewer than in June 2019.

Population shrinks by 20,052 in H1

Over the first six months of the year, some 44,250 children were born, 2,291 or 5.5% more than in January–June 2019. Within this, the number of live births was 8.8% more in January–February and 2.3% more in March-May, and 8.2% more in June compared to the corresponding months of 2019. The total fertility rate was estimated at 1.5 per female, up from 1.41 during the same period of last year.

There were 64,302 deaths, 5.5% less or 3,733 fewer than one year earlier. In January–February, 13% fewer, and in March–April, 1.8% more people died than a year earlier. Thereafter, the number of deaths fell again by 1% in May and by 6.8% in June. As a result of the decline in the number of deaths and the rise in the number of births, the natural decrease was 20,052 as opposed to 26,076 in January–June 2019, a decline of 23%.

Some 26,792 couples got married in H1 2020, corresponding to 11% or 2,704 more marriages than in H1 2019. 101% more marriages were registered in January–March and 8.9% more in April, while 26% less in May–June than in the corresponding months of 2019. The slower growth in April and the decrease in May–June may have been owing to restrictive measures on group events, introduced because of the coronavirus epidemic.

There were 9.1 live births and 13.2 deaths per 1,000 population. The former was 0.4 per mille point higher and the latter 0.8 per mille point lower compared to the period of January–June 2019. As a result of all this, the 4.1 per mille rate of natural decrease was 1.3 per mille points lower than one year earlier. The number of infant deaths was 3.8 per 1,000 live births in January–June 2020, which was a decrease of 0.1 per mille point compared to January–June of the previous year. The marriage rate was 5.5 per mille, 0.5 per mille points more compared to the same period of 2019.

Births up, deaths down in all regions

The number of births went up in all regions compared to H1 2019, the most in Northern Hungary and Northern Great Plain (by 12% and 9.6%, respectively) and the least in Budapest and Central Transdanubia (by 0.6% and 1.2%, respectively).

The number of deaths decreased in all regions, at the highest rate in Northern Hungary and Southern Transdanubia (by 9.0% and 7.8%, respectively) and at the lowest rate in Budapest and Western Transdanubia (by 0.3% and 3.4%, respectively).

The rate of natural decrease lessened in all regions. The largest decreases were registered for the regions of Pest, Northern Great Plain, and Northern Hungary (46%, 39% and 38%, respectively).

The number of marriages rose in all regions except Budapest: the most in Southern Great Plain and Northern Great Plain (by 29% and 23%, respectively). In Budapest, 9.7% fewer couples got married than a year earlier.