Hungary flag Hungary: Buying and Selling

Advertising and marketing in Hungary

Marketing opportunities

Consumer Profile
With a population of 9.7 million in 2022 Hungary has a fairly high population density of 108 inhabitants/km2. The birth rate is 8.65 per thousand and the fertility rate is 1.48 children per woman. The population is relatively ageing with a median age for women of 45.5 years and 41.5 years for men. The 65-plus age group represents 20.7%, the 55-64 age group 12.17%, 42.17% between 25-54 years and 24.9% between 0 and 24 (CIA, latest data available).

In Hungary, 86% of 25-64 year olds have a high school or equivalent degree, higher than the OECD average of 79%. About 87% of men have such a degree, compared to 84% of women. In terms of employment, about 70% of 15-64 year olds are in paid work, a level above the OECD 66% average employment rate. According to surveys, most young people work in law, business management and engineering.
Purchasing Power
Hungary’s GDP per capita was USD 33,075 in 2020 (PPP - World Bank). Real wage growth has remained uninterrupted over the past  years. The richest areas are heavily concentrated around the capital and the Austrian border.

The per capita purchasing power of the inhabitants of Budapest is 127% of the Hungarian average, while that of the population of north-eastern Hungary is only 78% - in a study carried out by Gfk market research in 2021. The average purchasing power in Hungary is around 51% of the EU average. The Gini index, which measures inequality in countries, rose to 30 in 2019, according to the latest available data from the World Bank. According to the OECD, the average per capita net adjusted disposable income of households is USD 21,026 per year, less than the OECD average of USD 30,490.

With regards to the 2021 gender equality index, Hungary scored 53.4 out of 100, about 14.6 points below the EU-27 average. Hungary is ranked 26th out of the 27 member states. Hungary’s scores are lower than the average of the 27 EU member states in all areas.
Consumer Behaviour
With the increase in the urban population, Hungarian consumers are expressing a growing interest in high quality convenience foods. This initially stimulated a demand for fast and processed food products, but awareness of health issues also created an interest in health and organic foods. The number of single-person households is increasing, as is the ageing population, which in turn should stimulate demand for non-essential products and smaller portions.
According to the Digital 2022 report, Hungary has a social media usage penetration rate of 75.6% in 2022, with 94% of these users accessing via mobile phones. The share of total advertising audience on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger is higher for users between 25-34 years old, followed by those between 35-44. Furthermore, Hungarian consumers are tending to increasingly favour online shopping. This sector had a turnover of USD 2 billion in 2021, a 23% increase compared to the previous year (ecommerceDB). Fashion is the largest segment and accounts for 37% of the e-commerce revenue in Hungary. It is followed by electronics and media, food and personal care, toys, hobby and DIY, and furniture and appliances (ecommerceDB). In 2021, 46% of the Hungarian population had bought at least one product online (ecommerceDB). Online shoppers in Hungary are not restricting their purchases to domestic online stores, and foreign online stores continue to attract an increasing number of visitors, as Hungarian consumers tend to prefer foreign brands.
There is a significant contrast between consumers living in large cities (mainly Budapest) and rural areas, as the concentration of shopping malls and major brands in urban centres influences consumers.
New carpooling and collaborative platforms such as Blablacar, Uber and Autosztunk have recently been developed in Hungary and are often used by young people.
Consumers Associations
Association of Conscious Consumers
Federation of the Consumer Protection Associations
Main Advertising Agencies
Advanced Communication Group
EuroPages list of advertising and digital strategy companies

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Latest Update: March 2024