Opposition accused of distorting emigration data

A pro-government columnist accuses the opposition parties of falsifying emigration statistics in order to criticize the government.

In Magyar Idők, Gergely Kiss contends that emigration data does not substantiate the opposition parties’ claims that Hungarians are leaving the country en masse. The pro-government columnist recalls that both Jobbik and the left-wing opposition parties have suggested that Hungarians are leaving the country as a result of the government’s mistaken policies. Contrary to this, all the available data (see BudaPost June 29) suggests that Hungarians are less likely to emigrate than nationals of other Central European countries, Kiss claims. He adds that since 2015, the number of emigrants from Hungary has decreased as a result of fast economic growth, increasing wages and low unemployment. Kiss attributes all this to the government’s policies. In an aside, he suggests that if Hungarians were so dissatisfied with prospects in Hungary, Fidesz could not have won three consecutive elections with a two-thirds majority.

Tags: economy, emigration