{"id":15391,"date":"2025-01-14T12:56:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T12:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/?p=15391"},"modified":"2025-09-24T10:49:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T09:49:59","slug":"hungary-demography-is-destiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/news\/2025\/01\/hungary-demography-is-destiny\/","title":{"rendered":"Hungary: Demography is destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull curved-bottom\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1714\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-15392\" alt=\"Budapest, Hungary\" src=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" style=\"object-position:55% 55%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"55% 55%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-1536x1028.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dan-novac-8TibqBJzWIY-unsplash-2048x1371.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#7f7f81\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\"><h1 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-post-title\">Hungary: Demography is destiny<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2025-01-14T12:56:30+00:00\">14 January 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"lead\">We&#8217;re launching a new series revisiting our <em>Welcome to Gilead<\/em> campaign, exploring global restrictions on women&#8217;s reproductive rights. In this instalment, we revisit the chapter on Hungary&#8217;s demography from our 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/resources\/welcome-to-gilead-report\/\">Welcome to Gilead report<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Europe, our common homeland, [is] losing out in the population competition between great civilizations\u2026 In the struggle for the future of Europe, stopping illegal migration is imperative\u2026This struggle \u2026 is only worthwhile if we are able to combine it with a family policy that restores natural reproduction on the continent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite><strong>Hungarian Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/balkaninsight.com\/2018\/11\/21\/new-world-order-the-natural-family-franchise-goes-global-11-05-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Great Replacement Theory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hungarian government exemplifies one of the most sinister motivations behind pronatalism: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isdglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/The-Great-Replacement-The-Violent-Consequences-of-Mainstreamed-Extremism-by-ISD.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Great Replacement\u2019<\/a> conspiracy theory. In short, the theory accuses shadowy forces of intentionally decimating white Christian populations by encouraging low birth rates and allowing other groups \u2013 namely Muslims, migrants, and people of colour \u2013 to gain power through immigration and higher birth rates. Those who propagate it frequently blame women for enabling population decline by choosing careers over motherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n openly endorses the Great Replacement theory. He and other far-right Hungarian politicians state that population decline is one of the biggest problems facing Hungary, while at the same time stoking panic about high birth rates among the Roma and refugees, who Orb\u00e1n calls <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isdglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/The-Great-Replacement-The-Violent-Consequences-of-Mainstreamed-Extremism-by-ISD.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cMuslim Invaders\u201d<\/a>. He also incites antisemitism by accusing Jewish Hungarian billionaire George Soros of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isdglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/The-Great-Replacement-The-Violent-Consequences-of-Mainstreamed-Extremism-by-ISD.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promoting migration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Far-right power couple<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsurprisingly, there are few women in Hungary\u2019s halls of power. But the country does have a real-life <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparknotes.com\/lit\/handmaid\/character\/serena-joy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Serena Joy<\/a>, of a kind: politician D\u00f3ra D\u00far\u00f3, who has held positions of power in various far-right parties. D\u00far\u00f3 has stated that patriotic Hungarians must have at least four children, and she\u2019s no hypocrite: the thirty-four-year-old already has four of her own children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Parents and child, mountain road\" class=\"wp-image-15396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/alberto-casetta-REKXJ7JhwiI-unsplash-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>She opposes legalisation of medical abortion because it would expand the national \u201cdisaster\u201d already caused by surgical abortions. Her laptop sticker reminds colleagues that \u201cThe nation lives in the womb\u201d. And like Serena, D\u00far\u00f3 is one half of a far-right power couple: her husband, politician El\u0151d Nov\u00e1k, is known for his vitriolic attacks on Hungary\u2019s Roma, Jewish, and LGBTQ communities. Unfortunately, D\u00far\u00f3 doesn\u2019t seem to recognise that women are another major target for the politics of her husband and party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Migration is surrender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hungary\u2019s government has channelled its nationalist agenda into some ostensibly positive pronatalist policies. For example, married couples can apply for a loan of about \u00a325,000, which they don\u2019t have to repay if they have at least three children. And women under 40 are entitled to free fertility treatments. However, a look under the surface reveals that these policies, too, are regressive. Couples who get divorced have just four months to repay their loan, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/mar\/04\/baby-bonuses-fit-the-nationalist-agenda-but-do-they-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lesbian women are excluded from government-provided fertility treatments<\/a>. The government wants people to procreate \u2013 but only if they\u2019re Hungarian, heterosexual and married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Orb\u00e1n\u2019s pronatalism comes with an expensive price tag: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/mar\/04\/baby-bonuses-fit-the-nationalist-agenda-but-do-they-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hungary spends 5% of its GDP on trying to increase the birth rate<\/a>, which could be better spent on building a safety net for a broader section of society. But Orb\u00e1n is proud of his \u2018investment\u2019: \u201cInstead of just numbers, we want Hungarian children. Migration for us is surrender\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Hungarian Parliament Building\" class=\"wp-image-15397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/nina-tabata-OG5cZHYMa-Y-unsplash-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/balkaninsight.com\/2020\/11\/19\/activists-fear-abortion-at-risk-in-hungary-from-orbans-family-first-crusade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one Hungarian minister declared<\/a> that its population would be double if abortion had not been legal. And indeed, the government has attempted to force \u2013 rather than encourage \u2013 women to have more children by restricting and banning abortion. These efforts failed to materialise into legislation, however, because of public backlash. So instead, the government is inching towards an abortion ban with smaller measures. Hungary amended its constitution to specify that the right to life begins at conception. Women now have to attend not one but two counselling sessions, at least three days apart, before they can obtain an abortion. During those sessions, doctors try to dissuade women from terminating their pregnancies, sometimes telling patients that they\u2019re crazy for not pursuing the government\u2019s \u201cgenerous\u201d loan programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A creeping ban<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Emergency contraception requires a prescription, and medical abortion is illegal. A government-sponsored propaganda campaign stigmatises any form of abortion. However, many Hungarians still reject the government\u2019s nationalist pronatalism. One young woman, who had to travel to Austria for an abortion, questioned: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>why are you forcing women to have babies they don\u2019t want when there are all these refugees who want to come here?&#8230; At this rate the only thing Hungarian women are going to be allowed to do is sit in a dark room and keep giving birth to babies they don\u2019t want\u2014while Syrian women desperately try to find homes for the children they do want.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Orb\u00e1n has increasingly aimed to export his agenda, and his nationalist pronatalism is inspiring other politicians. In 2019, Hungary hosted an international \u2018demography\u2019 conference in which Orb\u00e1n and other heads of state peddled the Great Replacement theory. That same year, the Hungarian embassy in Washington, D.C., held a conference called \u201cMake Families Great Again\u201d, in which the government encouraged the US to adopt similar pronatalist policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three American Members of Congress spoke <a href=\"https:\/\/rewirenewsgroup.com\/2019\/03\/25\/trump-officials-attend-hungarian-conference-to-promote-women-having-more-babies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at the event<\/a>. Shannon Kowalski of the International Women\u2019s Health Coalition cautioned that the \u201cconference demonstrates the insidious connections between authoritarian governments, far-right nationalists, and anti-choice movements who conspire to strip women and gender-diverse people of their rights\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In September 2021, a new iteration of the event, the Budapest Demographic Summit attracted a swathe of international politicians and others for whom demography, family values and national destiny are unambiguously intertwined. The governments of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic joined Hungary in endorsing the associated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hungary-leaders-slam-migration-lgbtq-at-family-values-summit\/a-59283286\">declaration that<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Increasing the number of European children is essential to preserving Europe\u2019s Christian culture and other religious traditions for future generations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-popmat-share\"><a class=\"fb-share\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpopulationmatters.org%2Fnews%2F2025%2F01%2Fhungary-demography-is-destiny%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><div><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 32H48A48 48 0 0 0 0 80v352a48 48 0 0 0 48 48h137.25V327.69h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.27c-30.81 0-40.42 19.12-40.42 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V480H400a48 48 0 0 0 48-48V80a48 48 0 0 0-48-48z\"><\/path><\/svg> Share<\/div><\/a><a class=\"tw-share\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpopulationmatters.org%2Fnews%2F2025%2F01%2Fhungary-demography-is-destiny%2F&amp;text=Hungary%3A%20Demography%20is%20destiny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><div><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M459.37 151.716c.325 4.548.325 9.097.325 13.645 0 138.72-105.583 298.558-298.558 298.558-59.452 0-114.68-17.219-161.137-47.106 8.447.974 16.568 1.299 25.34 1.299 49.055 0 94.213-16.568 130.274-44.832-46.132-.975-84.792-31.188-98.112-72.772 6.498.974 12.995 1.624 19.818 1.624 9.421 0 18.843-1.3 27.614-3.573-48.081-9.747-84.143-51.98-84.143-102.985v-1.299c13.969 7.797 30.214 12.67 47.431 13.319-28.264-18.843-46.781-51.005-46.781-87.391 0-19.492 5.197-37.36 14.294-52.954 51.655 63.675 129.3 105.258 216.365 109.807-1.624-7.797-2.599-15.918-2.599-24.04 0-57.828 46.782-104.934 104.934-104.934 30.213 0 57.502 12.67 76.67 33.137 23.715-4.548 46.456-13.32 66.599-25.34-7.798 24.366-24.366 44.833-46.132 57.827 21.117-2.273 41.584-8.122 60.426-16.243-14.292 20.791-32.161 39.308-52.628 54.253z\"><\/path><\/svg> Tweet<\/div><\/a><a class=\"li-share\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpopulationmatters.org%2Fnews%2F2025%2F01%2Fhungary-demography-is-destiny%2F&amp;text=Hungary%3A%20Demography%20is%20destiny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><div><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg> Post<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-light-blue-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-popmat-grid grid grid-3\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-popmat-post-teaser\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/resources\/welcome-to-gilead-report\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3>Welcome to Gilead Report<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-768x240.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-2410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-768x240.jpg 768w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-300x94.jpg 300w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-1024x320.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-1536x480.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Gilead-logo-banner_0-2048x640.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/img>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Fully referenced 2021 report examining how pronatal policies are threatening reproductive rights across the world.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-popmat-post-teaser\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/gilead-watch-protect-womens-rights-from-pronatal-politicians\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3>Gilead Watch: Protect women&#8217;s rights from pronatal politicians<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gilead-Watch-logo_no-text.png\" class=\"wp-image-525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gilead-Watch-logo_no-text.png 768w, https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gilead-Watch-logo_no-text-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/img>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Politicians and others across the world want to limit people&#8217;s rights in order to boost the birth rate. Our campaign shines a light on the threat.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We&#8217;re launching a new series revisiting our Welcome to Gilead campaign, exploring global restrictions on women&#8217;s reproductive rights. In this instalment, we revisit the chapter on Hungary&#8217;s demography from our 2021 Welcome to Gilead report. ","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":15392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-15391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-womens-rights"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hungary: Demography is destiny - Population Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hungary&#039;s demography policies reveal far-right pronatalism tied to the Great Replacement theory, nationalism and restricted rights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/populationmatters.org\/news\/2025\/01\/hungary-demography-is-destiny\/\" \/>\n<meta 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