Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary
Hungary: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 24.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary, 2005–2020
Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Hungary recorded 24.7% for public sector employment as a share of total employment in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary peaked at 39.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2008.
Hungary ranks 20th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 39.4% | — |
| 2006 | 27.8% | -29.4% |
| 2007 | 28.6% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 21.3% | -25.7% |
| 2009 | 22.6% | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 22.9% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 23.1% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 24.2% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 26.0% | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 25.9% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 26.5% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 26.1% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 25.6% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.9% | 21.3% | 39.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 25.0% | 22.9% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.7% | 24.7% | 24.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Hungary
More work & labour data for Hungary
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2145 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1929 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.237 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.21 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1776 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,774 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,505 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,653 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,807 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 7,461 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary?
- Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Hungary was 24.7% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Hungary?
- The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 2005.
- What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Hungary?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2008.
- How does Hungary rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
- Hungary ranks 20th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
- Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Hungary?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hungary data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.