According to KSH’s figures, there were 43,870 births and 69,062 deaths in the first six months of 2017. The natural population decline was 25,192 or 5,289 more than in the first six months of 2016.

The report added that 2016 was a leap year, so the period was a day shorter this year. The number of marriages went down by an annual 4.6 percent to 21,624, marking a sudden dip after an upward trend in the recent past.

According to the United Nations’ 2017 Revision of World Population Prospects report, a quarter of Central and East Europe’s population could vanish by the end of the century unless a big change happens.

That even though this is only an estimation, it’s quite shocking that only six million people are expected to live in Hungary by 2100.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.