Updated
Updated · dailynewshungary.com · Jun 18
Hungary Ties EU Last in 2025 Consumption at 73% of Average
Updated
Updated · dailynewshungary.com · Jun 18

Hungary Ties EU Last in 2025 Consumption at 73% of Average

3 articles · Updated · dailynewshungary.com · Jun 18

Summary

  • Eurostat’s preliminary 2025 data put Hungary joint-last in the EU on Actual Individual Consumption, with households consuming 73% of the bloc average, level with Latvia and just behind Estonia at 74%.
  • AIC tracks both private spending and publicly provided services such as healthcare and education, adjusted for purchasing power, making it a broader gauge of living standards than income alone.
  • Economists cited a high share of GDP going to investment, below-average household incomes and purchasing power, and relatively cautious borrowing and spending as key drags on Hungarian consumption.
  • Regional peers have pulled ahead: Poland reached 88% of the EU average, Lithuania 87% and Slovenia 86%, underscoring Hungary’s slippage within Central and Eastern Europe.
  • Hungary ranked only 23rd of 27 on GDP per capita at 76% of the EU average in 2025, with Romania and Croatia now ahead while Luxembourg led EU consumption at 145%.

Insights

Why has Hungary fallen to last place in EU living standards after once being a regional leader?
After 16 years of 'Orbánomics', can billions in EU funds truly fix Hungary's deep economic problems?