Hungarian Countryside Becomes the new Favorite of Foreigners Looking to Settle

A demographic crisis has hit Lake Balaton, as it is suffering from an ageing population well above the national average.Wealthy, elderly people flock to the resort area, while many of the local young people settle elsewhere, Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, has stressed on several occasions.

According to the Somogy County Newsportal, there are a good number of young people among the newcomers, while the ageing settlement structure is affected by the presence of foreigners, German, English and Dutch families, because they are typically older and therefore do not improve the age structure of the settlements.

I have recently looked at our statistics and they show that the over 60s make up 38 percent of the population,

noted László Nándor Farkas, mayor of Balatonszentgyörgy (southern shore of Lake Balaton).

The problem is not a new one, because the ageing of the Balaton population has been going on for decades, but we are only now noticing it, stressed Gábor Lombár, President of the Balaton Association.

As reported by Mandiner, an increasing number of Germans are feeling uncomfortable with the political situation in their own country, which has changed radically in recent years. This is the conclusion of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), investigating why more and more German citizens are moving to Hungary.

Last year, a TV crew filmed in Keszthely (western shore of Lake Balaton) and Marcali (western Hungary). They found that Germans settling in Hungary have already organized local groups in twenty settlements in the Balaton region. A real German-speaking infrastructure with German service providers has already been established in some parts of the Transdanubian region.

According to an article in Nius.de, Hungary is the new destination that Germans are longing for. The cost of living is 46 percent lower than in Berlin, for example, and there are also fewer taxes to pay. What is more, Germans are welcome in Hungary.

Not only Lake Balaton but also the capital is becoming increasingly popular with foreigners.

A letter from a woman, who moved to Budapest from Berlin was published by Nius.de. She explained her reasons: “For the first time in years we traveled here by public transport without any fear. We are not the only ones who enjoy living without fear, a lot of people come here from all over Europe.”

According to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), the number of Germans settling in Hungary increased by 34.9 percent between 2019 and 2023.

Via Sonline, Mandiner; Featured image via Facebook/BalaPort Balatonfüred