Elderly care and statistics in Hungary

In Hungary, elderly care – especially caring for old people – is becoming an increasingly important social issue, as the proportion of elderly people (over 65 years old) in the population is constantly increasing. In 2025, approximately 2 million people over 65 years old were registered in Hungary, which accounts for approximately 21% of the population. This puts significant demographic pressure on both the healthcare and social care systems.

Number of elderly care users in Hungary

The number of users of formal (state/municipal) basic social services – such as home help – has fluctuated significantly in recent years: between 2010 and 2020, the number of users of several social services decreased. According to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), the number of people receiving home care services increased from 75,054 to 92,846 between 2010 and 2020, but there were also periods of decline, and other services, such as home care services with a signaling system, also show a decline.

According to other sources, due to the shortcomings of the Hungarian social care system, relatively few elderly people still receive formal care: for example, an analysis for 2024 draws attention to the fact that if we assume about 1.9 million potentially affected (elderly) people, the number of people actually using home care services is only about 91,000, which indicates a significant underuse in proportion to the real needs.

The role of informal caregivers

In addition to official statistics, informal care, which is primarily provided by family members, plays a very important role in Hungarian society. According to one estimate, about the number of family caregivers in Hungary may be 400,000–500,000, who mainly care for their relatives on an unpaid basis.

What is the caregiver-in care person ratio?

International and domestic data indicate that the ratio of formal caregivers to the elderly in Hungary is relatively low. According to OECD sources, in 2021, there were approximately 1.8 long-term caregivers per 100 elderly people (65+) in Hungary, which is a significantly lower ratio than in most developed OECD countries. This means that there are fewer professionals as formal caregivers for the elderly population than in Scandinavia or Western Europe, for example.

According to more direct domestic statistical data, a previous study by the Central Statistical Office between 2014 and 2020 also found that in the case of home help, there were an average of approximately 7.7–8.9 recipients per caregiver in the given years. This value varies, but it illustrates that the burden on caregivers is relatively high.

Summary

In Hungary, the number of people using formal services for the elderly – although it has increased in recent decades – still remains well below the number of elderly people involved. At the same time, informal care provided by family members is widespread, which is a hidden burden for families. In the formal care system, the ratio of caregivers to elderly residents is low, while demographic trends (increasing proportion of elderly people) pose further challenges for the system in the long term.