Fertility and Family Planning in Hungary

Hungary's birth rate has been declining fairly steadily since World War II, and Hungarian population policy is aimed at increasing fertility to at least replacement level through social, health, and economic benefits to encourage childbearing. Figures for the mid-1970s indicate that birth rates have been rising. Whether these recorded increases may be permanent is examined through analyses of data on Hungarian fertility since 1900 and through retrospective and prospective surveys of family planning attitudes and practice. Both fertility statistics and surveys of family-size desires document a trend toward the two-child family and a birth rate too low to achieve the desired net reproduction rate of more than one. The surveys also show that family planning has become more prevalent in recent decades, and previously heavy reliance on abortion and traditional contraception is increasingly giving way to use of modern contraceptives.