Hungary
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Debt peaked at 83.9% GDP in 1995 — now 74.6%.
Government debt
74.6% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
47.1% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
4.7% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
17.1% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
965k
2024
Tax rates
What Hungary takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
33.5% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
15%
2024
Corporate tax rate
9%
2024
Standard VAT rate
27%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Hungary is 29.1% cheaper than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 70.9 | -29.1% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 94.8 | -5.2% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 61.1 | -38.9% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 71.8 | -28.2% |
| Transport | 80.8 | -19.2% |
| Health | 43.9 | -56.1% |
| Education | 69.9 | -30.1% |
| Clothing & footwear | 86.6 | -13.4% |
| Recreation & culture | 72.0 | -28.0% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 85.7 | -14.3% |
| Household furnishings | 87.1 | -12.9% |
| Communication | 97.3 | -2.7% |
| Miscellaneous | 63.6 | -36.4% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 80.5 | — |
| 2012 | 78.4 | -2.1 |
| 2013 | 77.2 | -1.2 |
| 2014 | 76.5 | -0.7 |
| 2015 | 75.7 | -0.8 |
| 2016 | 74.6 | -1.1 |
| 2017 | 72 | -2.6 |
| 2018 | 68.8 | -3.2 |
| 2019 | 65 | -3.8 |
| 2020 | 78.7 | +13.7 |
| 2021 | 76.2 | -2.5 |
| 2022 | 74.1 | -2.1 |
| 2023 | 73.3 | -0.8 |
| 2024 | 73.5 | +0.2 |
| 2025 | 74.6 | +1.1 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |