As Hungary is a landlocked country, the Blue Economy is not a main contributor to its economy as a whole. It represents approx. 0.5% of national GVA and 0.4% of national employment. All in all, the established Blue Economy sectors in Hungary directly employ nearly 20 thousand people and generate approx. €665 million in GVA (2021).
The relative size and share of employment in the Hungarian Blue Economy has been gradually increasing since 2010 with only two exceptions: in the year 2014 (-15%) and 2019 (-7%). Employment in the Hungarian Blue Economy was not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In terms of GVA, the Blue Economy contribution to national GVA reached its highest level in 2018 in nominal terms, with €670 million (representing about 0.6% of total GVA of the national economy).
The largest Blue Economy sector in Hungary is Shipbuilding and repair, contributing 47.5% to the country’s Blue Economy GVA and 37% to its workforce (employed mainly in the manufacturing of instruments for navigation). It is followed by Port activities, with a contribution of more than 33% to the Blue Economy GVA and 39% to its workforce (mainly in warehousing and storage, cargo handling, and construction of water projects). The third largest sector is Marine living resources, accounting for 16% of the country’s Blue Economy GVA and more than 28% of its workforce. Hungary has a long tradition of fish farming. Since it stopped commercial fishing in inland waters in 2016, the bulk of the domestic fish supply comes from freshwater aquaculture.
The Port of Hamburg, the Germany's largest seaport, plays a significant part as a transhipment, storage and distribution centre for Hungary’s seaborne foreign trade. The excellent connections in hinterland traffic and the well-established logistics chains make the Port of Hamburg in Hungary an attractive market partner. Over 85 % of the goods handled in Hamburg are transported by rail, the proportion of containerized cargo is almost 100 %. In addition to the Budapest terminals, other important terminals are Dunajska Streda and Kosice in Slovakia.
Other national sources of complementary information on the Hungarian Blue Economy are:
For more national level data, please visit the Dashboards section within the EU Blue Economy Observatory, where you can also find information about Educational and Employment opportunities in the Blue Economy sectors.
