Hungary: Health System Overview - World Health Systems Facts

Life expectancy at birth (years), 2021: 74.4
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births), 2023: 12
Under-five mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 3.8
Neonatal mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 2.1
Tuberculosis incidence (per 100,000 population), 2023: 5.9
Probability of dying from any of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease between age 30 and exact age 70 (%), 2021: 21.7%
Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population), 2021: 16.5
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 15-19 years), 2015-2024: 16.7
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 10-14 years), 2015-2024: 0.2
Universal Health Coverage: Service coverage index, 2021: 79
Population with household expenditures on health > 10% of total household expenditure or income (%), 2015-2021: 12.31%
Population with household expenditures on health > 25% of total household expenditure or income (%), 2015-2021: 0.91%
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds (%), 2023: 99%
Measles-containing-vaccine second-dose (MCV2) immunization coverage by the locally recommended age (%), 2023: 99%
Pneumococcal conjugate 3rd dose (PCV3) immunization coverage among 1-year olds (%), 2023: 99%
Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization coverage estimates among 15 year-old girls (%), 2023: 75%
Density of medical doctors (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 34.56
Density of nursing and midwifery personnel (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 56.65
Density of dentists (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 7.43
Density of pharmacists (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 8.4
Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of general government expenditure (GGE) (%), 2022: 9.91%
Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15-49 years (%), 2023: 24.1%

Source: World health statistics 2025: monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. Tables of health statistics by country and area, WHO region and globally. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Health expenditure per capita, USD PPP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: $2,055
– Voluntary/Out-of-pocket: $785
– Total: $2,840
Health expenditure as a share of GDP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: 4.9%
– Voluntary/out-of-pocket: 1.9%
Health expenditure by type of financing, 2021
– Government schemes: 15%
– Compulsory health insurance: 58%
– Voluntary health insurance: 2%
– Out-of-pocket: 25%
– Other: 1%
Out-of-pocket spending on health as share of final household consumption, 2021: 3.9%
Price levels in the healthcare sector, 2021 (OECD average = 100): 31
Population reporting unmet needs for medical care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 1.5%
– Highest quintile: 0.7%
– Total: 1.2%
Main reason for reporting unmet needs for medical care, 2021
– Waiting list: 0.9%
– Too expensive: 0.2%
– Too far to travel: 0.1%
Population reporting unmet needs for dental care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 1.5%
– Highest quintile: 0.4%
– Total: 0.8%
Population coverage for a core set of services, 2021
– Total public coverage: 95%
– Primary private health coverage: 0%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as bad or very bad, 2021: 8.2%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as good or very good, by income quintile, 2021
– Highest quintile: 77.6%
– Lowest quintile: 52.1%
– Total: 64.7%
Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 74.3 years
Infant mortality, deaths per 1,000 live births, 2021: 3.3
Maternal mortality rate, deaths per 100,000 live births, 2020: 15.1
Congestive heart failure hospital admission in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2011: 501
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2011: 476
Hospital workforce per 1,000 population, 2021
– Physicians: 1.59
– Nurses and midwives: 3.18
– Healthcare assistants: 1.24
– Other health service providers: 1.37
– Other staff: 2.01
Practicing doctors per 1,000 population, 2021: 3.3
Share of different categories of doctors, 2021
– General practitioners: 12.1%
– Specialists: 79.5%
– Other doctors: 8.4%
Share of foreign-trained doctors, 2021: 8.2%
Medical graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 16.2
Practicing nurses per 1,000 population, 2021: 5.3
Share of foreign-trained nurses, 2021: 1.6%
Nursing graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 36.2
Ratio of nurses to doctors, 2021: 1.6
Practicing pharmacists per 100,000 population, 2021: 81
Community pharmacies per 100,000 population, 2021: 24
Remuneration of doctors, ratio to average wage, 2021
– General Practitioners
– Salaried: 3.5
– Specialists
– Salaried: 4.7
Remuneration of hospital nurses, ratio to average wage, 2021: 1.4
Remuneration of hospital nurses, USD PPP, 2021: $34,000
Hospital beds per 1,000 population, 2021: 6.8
Average length of stay in hospital, 2021: 9.7 days
Average number of in-person doctor consultations per person, 2021: 9.5
CT scanners per million population, 2021: 10
CT exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 204
MRI units per million population, 2021: 5
MRI exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 50
PET scanners per million population, 2021: 1
PET exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 3
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals per capita, USD PPP, 2021
– Prescription medicines: $596
– Total: $596
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals by type of financing, 2021:
– Government/compulsory schemes: 45%
– Voluntary health insurance schemes: 3%
– Out-of-pocket spending: 52%
– Other: 0%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 20.4%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 27.8%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 4.6%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 8.6%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 29%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 31%
– Highest quintile: 13%
– Total: 21%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2021
– Some Limitations: 36%
– Severe Limitations: 14%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 10.9%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 17.7
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 26.9
Total long-term care spending as a share of GDP, 2021: 0.7%
Long-term care workers per 100 people aged 65 and over, 2021: 1.8
Share of informal carers among the population aged 50 and over, 2019
– Daily carers: 8%
– Weekly carers: 2%
– Total:
Share of long-term care workers who work part time or on fixed contracts, 2021
– Part-time: 1.4%
– Fixed-term contract: 5.4%
Average hourly wages of personal care workers, as a share of economy-wide average wage, 2018
– Residential (facility-based) care: 65%
– Home-based care: 63%
Long-term care beds in institutions and hospitals per 1,000 population aged 65 years and over, 2021
– Institutions: 42.6
– Hospitals: 5.3
Long-term care recipients aged 65 and over receiving care at home, 2021: 74%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

Population, 2021: 9,710,000
Annual Population Growth Rate, 2020-2030 (%): -0.1%
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2021: 75
Share of Urban Population, 2021: 72%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population, 2020-2030 (%): 0.3%
Neonatal Mortality Rate, 2021: 2
Infant Mortality Rate, 2021: 3
Under-5 Mortality Rate, 2021: 4
Maternal Mortality Ratio, 2020: 15
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Current USD) (2010-2019): $16,730
Share of Household Income (2010-2019):
Bottom 40%: 22%; Top 20%: 38%; Bottom 20%: 8%
Gini Coefficient (2010-2019): 28
Palma Index of Income Inequality (2010-2019): 1.0

Note: “Under-5 mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Infant mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 1 year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Neonatal mortality rate – Probability of dying during the first 28 days of life, expressed per 1,000 live births.”
“Maternal mortality ratio – Number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births during the same time period (modelled estimates).”
Gini coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, April 2023.

Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$, 2022: $1,224.43

Source: Global Health Observatory. Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$, 2022: $297.17

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 24.27%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 27.66%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $338.72

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 72.34%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%), 2022: 4.84%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $885.72

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Annual household out-of-pocket payment in current USD per capita, 2020: $297

Source: Global Health Expenditure Database. Health expenditure series. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed May 13, 2023.

Total Health Spending, USD PPP Per Capita (2021): $2,748.63

(Note: “Health spending measures the final consumption of health care goods and services (i.e. current health expenditure) including personal health care (curative care, rehabilitative care, long-term care, ancillary services and medical goods) and collective services (prevention and public health services as well as health administration), but excluding spending on investments. Health care is financed through a mix of financing arrangements including government spending and compulsory health insurance (“Government/compulsory”) as well as voluntary health insurance and private funds such as households’ out-of-pocket payments, NGOs and private corporations (“Voluntary”). This indicator is presented as a total and by type of financing (“Government/compulsory”, “Voluntary”, “Out-of-pocket”) and is measured as a share of GDP, as a share of total health spending and in USD per capita (using economy-wide PPPs).”

Source: OECD (2023), Health spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8643de7e-en (Accessed on 29 October 2023).

Population, Midyear 2022: 9,967,308
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 110.10
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 74.96
Infant Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 3.31
Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 4.02
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 9,642,912
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 20.01%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 20.96%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 27.51%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

“Life expectancy in Hungary increased fairly steadily before the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it remains almost five years below the EU average. Between 2019 and 2020, life expectancy fell temporarily by nearly 10 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a reduction similar to the EU average. To maintain care continuity throughout the pandemic, new regulations on telehealth were introduced; nevertheless, levels of unmet medical needs rose. In response to persistent workforce shortages, in 2020, the government announced a new public sector employment contract, including a 120% pay increase for doctors by 2023.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), Hungary: Country Health Profile 2021, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

“A single health insurance fund provides health care coverage for nearly all residents. The fund is administered by the National Institute of Health Insurance Fund Management (NEAK), which has operated under the direct control of the Ministry of Human Capacities since 2017. The Ministry has exclusive power for setting strategic direction, controlling financing, determining the benefits package and issuing and enforcing regulations. In addition to health, the Ministry is responsible for overseeing culture, education, social affairs and sport.

“Until the end of 2020, the Ministry of Human Capacities administered the health care system through the National Healthcare Service Centre. Late in 2020, the Centre was absorbed by the newly established National Directorate-General for Hospitals under the Ministry of the Interior. Its responsibilities include monitoring the public health care system, implementing strategic government decisions, monitoring hospital operations and contributing to the development of a new national health management system. As part of this change, local county hospitals are responsible for planning and managing inpatient care at the county level, under the supervision of National Directorate-General for Hospitals.”

“In recent years, Hungary has seen an increase in the rate of health expenditure growth: in 2013-19, the average annual growth rate in health spending per capita was 2.9 % compared to negative growth of -0.5 % in 2008-13.

“Despite this recent growth, health expenditure per capita is less than half the EU average after adjusting for differences in purchasing power (Figure 8). Health spending as a proportion of GDP is also relatively low, at 6.4 % compared to 9.9 % across the EU as a whole. This result may, however, be explained in part by Hungary’s relatively high rate of GDP growth in recent years.

“Government transfers and compulsory contributions from employers and employees account for 68.3 % of all health spending in Hungary, which is lower than the EU average of 79.8 %. Contributions from employers are part of a larger social contribution tax, which also covers the pension fund. The increasing share of direct government transfers into the health insurance fund allowed the government to set its priorities freely and exert greater control over expenditure. This did not resolve the inherit instability of health care system funding, which was characterised by long periods of austerity and short periods of overspending, usually in election years (Szigeti et al., 2019). On the other hand, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this system enabled the government to inject additional funds into the health care system. On 4 April 2020, the government announced a Pandemic Protection Fund of HUF 663 billion (EUR 1.8 billion) to support the health care system. Financing for this fund largely came from budget reallocations from other ministries. The fund covered COVID-19-related costs, including a one-time bonus for health care workers of HUF 500 000 (EUR 1 362).”

“The Hungarian constitution states that all Hungarian citizens have the right to access care. Citizens and foreigners working in the country are required to join the national social health insurance (SHI) system: opting out is not permitted. SHI coverage is therefore high but not universal: around 5 % of the population have unclarified SHI status, which includes citizens working abroad and people without a permanent address.

“The benefits package covered by the health insurance fund is decided at the central level through a positive list for pharmaceuticals and a negative list for medical procedures. While most hospital spending is publicly funded, public coverage for outpatient (ambulatory) medical care, outpatient pharmaceuticals, medical devices and dental care is much narrower. This partly explains relatively high levels of out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure for these items (see Section 5.2).”

Hungary: Health System Overview - National Policies - World Health Systems Facts

World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated July 9, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.