Hungary Gross Wage Growth at 3-Month Low

Hungary’s gross average wages rose 9.2% year-on-year to HUF 779,800 in March 2026, marking the slowest pace of growth since December 2025 and easing slightly from a 9.7% increase in the previous month. Wage growth in the public sector slowed to 11.8% from 13.4% in February, while earnings growth also moderated in the non-profit (10.1% vs 10.3%) and private sectors (8.4% vs 8.6%). Excluding one-off payments and bonuses, gross wages increased 9% from a year earlier to HUF 706,900 in March. In the first three months of 2026, average gross wages rose 14.9% year-on-year to HUF 781,900 compared to the same period of the previous year.

Hungary’s gross average wages rose by 9.7% year-on-year to HUF 725,500 in February 2026, slowing sharply from a nearly four-year high of 26.3% increase in the previous month, when a one-off boost from service allowances (so-called gun money) for national defense and law enforcement personnel significantly inflated earnings. Wage growth in the public sector eased markedly, rising 13.4% after surging 99% in January, while income in both the non-profit (10.3% vs 9.4%) and private sectors (8.6% vs 7.8%) increased at a faster pace. Excluding one-off payments and bonuses, February wages were 10% higher compared to the same period a year earlier, reaching HUF 691,300. Considering the first two months of the year, average gross wages grew 18% from the same period last year to HUF 783,000.

Hungary’s gross average wages soared by 26.3% year-on-year to HUF 840,600 in January 2026, accelerating sharply from an 8.5% increase in the previous month. This marked the fastest pace of growth since February 2022, largely driven by robust gains in the public sector, where wages surged 99.0%, following a 7.3% rise in December. Meanwhile, wage growth remained comparatively subdued in the non-profit and private sectors, rising by 9.4% and 7.8%, respectively, easing from 9.8% and 8.7% in the previous month. Excluding one-off payments and bonuses, January wages were 9.4% higher than in the same period a year earlier, reaching HUF 694,700.