The country s achievements, boasting the biggest growth in childbirth indicators in the past ten years, are significant even in European comparison.

Since the Family Protection Action Plan was announced in Hungary last year, the number of births has shown a steady rise. Speaking to Hungary s public media on Friday, the president of the Kopp Maria Institute for Population and Families (KINCS) also touched on this issue.

According to data provided by Hungary s Central Statistical Office (KSH), the birth rate increased by 4.7 per cent in the first ten months of 2020. 3,500 more children were born this year than in the same period last year.

These results are also reflected in the fertility rate, KINCS President Tunde Furesz pointed out. In the first ten months of the year, this figure was 1.57 per one woman, compared to 1.49 in the period between January and October of last year.

Furesz added that this is still not enough for the population to become self-sustaining, but if we look at the last ten years data in Europe, it is visible that childbearing indicators have increased the most in Hungary.

In addition to the number of births, the number of marriages also increased in Hungary, Tunde Furesz added. That number rose by 4.4 per cent in the first ten months of the year compared to the same period last year, which means that 2,500 more weddings have been held in that period this year.

The number of marriages doubled in the first quarter of this year, but then fell by a few percentage points due to the coronavirus in the May-August period, a popular time for weddings. October, however, saw a 14 per cent increase over the same period last year, the president of the institute said.