Hungarian pensioners abroad

Sandor Illes, HCSO Demographic Research Institute

Elderly migration is a new and accelerating migratory phenomenon of the last decades in developed countries. International dispersal of pensioners has rarely been investigated by demographers and migration researchers except for studies in United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Germany. The paper analyses the process of international elderly emigration related to Hungary from the point of view of sending country. The source of macro data is the Statistical Department of Hungarian State Pension Fund. The register contains data on state pensions drawn in foreign country as well as the personal characteristics of beneficiaries. Times series are available 1998 onwards. As the main method, the standard mathematical-statistical time series analysis is combined with cartographic presentation. The volume has been growing since 1998. It will exceed 20 thousand people in the near future. The Hungarian pensioners abroad represent a particular mass of elderly emigrants. It must be noted, that this group of people is only one slice of the totality of later life emigrant population with Hungarian background. Hungarian pension is paid to the persons who left the county after having spent 10 or more years in legal work. Their age structure and geographical distribution are very heterogeneous. The average monthly sum of the pensions is low, which is the direct consequence of the short service time. The financial allowances provided for the Hungarian emigrants living abroad do not represent any major burden for the Hungarian state. The total amount of these payment remains below 0.5% of overall pensions.