February 14th, 2017
A pro-government commentator praises efforts by parliament and the executive to help families with children and welcomes initiatives such as the “Marriage Week” which are aimed at halting Hungary’s demographic decline.
Magyar Hírlap ’s Sándor Faggyas agrees with the government’s view that subsidies to families are a better way of solving demographic problems than the wholesale import of manpower. The government now spends a record 4 per cent of the GDP on allowances to families with children. The decline in birth rates has been reversed as a result, he believes, and have been increasing since 2014. Death rates are still higher, however, so the population decline continues. Birth rates (the number of births compared to the number of women of reproductive age) of 1.6 are still well below the level of 2, needed to maintain the population, but Faggyas is confident that family centred policies are a better solution than the massive import of manpower pursued by west European countries. Last year the number of newly-weds increased by 11 per cent compared to 2015. The commentator remarks that married couples have on average twice as many children as unmarried ones. This is why he welcomes “Marriage week” a series of events organised to promote the institution of marriage, held each year in mid-February.
Tags: demography
