More and more German pensioners are moving to Hungary, where even a tenth of older people are German immigrants
More than 11,000 people over the age of 60 born in Germany live in Hungary. A significant number of them live in Somogy and Zala counties near Lake Balaton. In this region, there are a number of localities where more than 10% of the over-60s born in Germany live. This is according to a study by Bálint Koós, Patrik Tátrai and Dóra Gábriel.
The study shows that in 2011, there were only 22,000 German-speaking foreign citizens over the age of 60 living in Hungary, by 2022 there were already 38,000.
In the meantime, their composition has also changed, as previously most people (including the elderly) immigrated to Hungary from Hungarian communities across the border, but now the proportion of people of non-Hungarian ethnicity, typically from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, is increasing.
According to the researchers, the figures confirm that Hungary has become a destination country for international migration, especially for older people, and that this process could accelerate or intensify in the future.
In their opinion, the choice of place of residence is typically influenced by the fact that Western Europeans want to live in quiet, safe locations close to nature at a lower price compared to the prices in their country of origin.
The majority of older immigrants are Germans who, according to the researchers, move to rural, inner, safe peripheral areas. The largest concentration is in Somogy and Zala counties, with a quarter of German-speaking immigrants living around Lake Balaton.
