Good to know
Good to Know
- Budapest hosts nearly half of all foreign nationals living in Hungary, making it significantly more internationally diverse than other Hungarian cities.
- The five districts with highest foreign concentration (5, 6, 8, 13, and 14) are where most expat and digital nomad communities cluster; official government data likely undercounts unregistered digital nomads and short-term visa residents.
- UK-origin digital nomads form a notable and visible part of the tech and professional communities, with documented influx following the introduction of the Hungarian White Card.
- While Chinese and Vietnamese communities are largest by headcount, the city's foreign population is highly ethnically diverse—the two largest diaspora groups comprise only about 30% of all foreign residents.
- Growing Asian presence: as of 2025, 39% of Hungary's foreign population is from Asia (up from 23% in 2013), with China and Vietnam leading but substantial Filipino, Indian, and other communities also establishing roots.
- Budapest's startup ecosystem has momentum particularly in fintech, AI/ML, and deep tech; government policy explicitly favors innovation sector development with simplified visa pathways for founders and competitive tax structures.
Notable Nationalities
Chinese
- Percentage Of Foreign Population
- 15.2%
- Count
- 14953
- Note
- Largest diaspora; numbers doubled in recent decades
Ukrainian
- Percentage Of Foreign Population
- 14%
- Count
- 13791
- Note
- Four-fold increase since 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Vietnamese
- Percentage Of Foreign Population
- third largest
- Count
- estimated 3000-4000+
- Note
- Numbers have more than doubled since last census
Romanian
- Percentage Of Foreign Population
- 4.9%
- Count
- 4874
- Note
- Declined nearly one-third from 2011 census (partly due to Hungarian citizenship abroad programs)
Other EU Citizens (Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, France, Spain)
- Percentage Of Foreign Population
- significant minority
- Count
- combined several thousand
Other Nationalities
- Details
- Over 1,000 each: British, Italian, Indian, South Korean, Turkish; also present: Iranian, American, Mongolian, Norwegian
Tech And Business Presence
R And D Activity
- R And D Personnel Growth
- Nearly 90% growth over past decade
- Multinational R And D Spending
- Increased from approximately USD 880 million to USD 2.2 billion over past decade
- Gross Domestic Expenditure On Rd
- 1.4% (goal of significant increase by 2030)
- Government Innovation Investment 2025
- Approximately USD 900 million multi-year allocation for corporate R&D and innovation
Startup Ecosystem
- Status
- Rapidly growing, ranked as Europe's second fastest-growing urban economy
- Talent Base
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and Eötvös Loránd University produce top-tier engineers and data scientists; city ranks in top 20 European ecosystems for affordable technical talent
- Vc Investment 2026
- EUR 100 million in first two months of 2026; over 50% funded Deep Tech startups
- Ecosystem Value Growth
- Grew 41% between 2021 and 2023
Notable Sectors
- SaaS & Cloud
- Fintech (212 active companies; dedicated Fintech Week since 2024)
- AI & Big Data (AI startups raised EUR 300 million in 2024)
- Deep Tech (autonomous driving, biotech, vehicle-to-everything communication)
- Developer tools & DevOps
Most Funded Startups
Bitrise
- Sector
- Mobile DevOps
- Funding
- USD 83.5 million
AImotive
- Sector
- Autonomous driving
- Funding
- USD 67.6 million
Government Support
- Corporate Tax Rate
- 9% (EU's lowest)
- Startup Founder Visa
- Simplified residence permit for tech startup founders
- Additional Incentives
- Flexible convertible note regulation, attractive ESOP framework, tax-free IP contributions
- Digital Nomad White Card
- EUR 3,000/month minimum income requirement; simplified residence permit process
- Flat Personal Income Tax
- 15%
Multinational Tech Presence
- Major Employers
- IBM, Morgan Stanley, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, SAP, Microsoft
- Note
- Budapest is a major R&D hub for international tech companies
Other Notable Expat Areas
8
- Approximate Foreign Count
- 10000
13
- Approximate Foreign Count
- 10000
Highest Foreign Concentration
5 (Belváros-Lipótváros)
- Foreign Percentage
- 23.5%
6 (Terézváros)
- Foreign Percentage
- 24.8%
Foreign Born Percentage
- Born Outside Hungary 2011 Census
- 7.3%
Official Registered Population
- Figure
- 1733767
- Census Year
- 2022
- Source Note
- 2022 census, final data from Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH)
Note
Chinese and Vietnamese largely concentrated in Pest; Ukrainians tend toward Buda; Russians mainly in district 13; Germans in inner Pest districts
Estimated Total Foreign And Longterm Population
- Key Source Basis
- 2022 Census data published by Hungarian Central Statistical Office; Expat.com reporting active digital nomad/expat presence
- Broader Estimate Note
- Census counts only those residing 3+ months; additional unregistered digital nomads, tourist-visa residents, and short-term expats likely bring total foreign/longterm-resident population significantly higher. No comprehensive estimate available, but sources indicate thriving digital nomad and expat communities beyond official registration.
Registered Foreign Citizens
- Percentage Of City
- 5.8
- Count
- 98319
- Census Year
- 2022
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Budapest
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.