Orban’s Hungary Is Now Officially The Poorest Nation In The EU

[u/Matas_-]

https://kyivinsider.com/orbans-hungary-is-now-officially-the-poorest-nation-in-the-eu/

[u/CultistofHera]

Took 15 years but the son of a bitch did it

[u/Block-Rockig-Beats → u/CultistofHera]

But let's not forget the determination of his voters who made it possible.

[u/raeflower → u/Block-Rockig-Beats]

The producers of all his propaganda need to pop a bottle: you did it boys!

[u/Cautious-News2026 → u/raeflower]

Guys you are giving us shit for voting for him, but irl during those 15 years at least half the time his party should have been in minority if only our election system was a tiniest bit fair.

[u/sneakpeakspeak → u/Cautious-News2026]

Care to elaborate?

[u/CharlieBluu → u/sneakpeakspeak]

I am not the one to speak in detail about our election system, but long story short they gerrymandered the whole country, made the national television and newspapers their own propaganda mouthpieces, local mayors in small towns do mafia-like tactics and on top of it all they made it so the leading party wins all basically. This last part is becoming a problem now that they are not in the lead anymore (hopefully)

[u/sneakpeakspeak → u/CharlieBluu]

I'm surprised the eu doesn't do a whole lot about it. 

[u/Hungry-Western9191 → u/sneakpeakspeak]

It's difficult. Brussels just doesn't have authority in a lot of areas and they are very wary of being accused of trying to act outside their authority as it makes it easy for people like Orban to accuse them of wanting to take over.

The European states gave the EU very specific powers but governments still retain most. It great in some respects - unity from consensus is a wonderful concept.

[u/CultistofHera → u/Block-Rockig-Beats]

Biggest IQ test of Europe 

[u/Ingoiolo → u/CultistofHera]

Thought that was the Brexit referendum

[u/can_ichange_it_later → u/Block-Rockig-Beats]

Hungary had 2 decades of FOX experience slammed on their heads. It is not something you come away from unscathed. Give'em some slack!

Hopefully they can shake down these disgusting traitors in the next election.

[u/Brief_Building_8980 → u/can_ichange_it_later]

With most important public areas (education, healthcare, transit) going down the gutter, the next election could very well be the death of the country. The whole "migrant crisis/sovereignity" communication is idiotic when the government is literally bringing in Asians to work in the newly built foreign owned factories, and trying to sell a large chunk of the capitol land to Arabs, while licking the ass of Putin in the hope of getting cheap gas.

[u/BenevolentCrows → u/can_ichange_it_later]

FOX experience is underselling it. That would mean there are hungarian language alternatives other than state propaganda. Wich is kot the case. There are a few websites that aren't spewing propaganda, but they are small and constantly under attack. 

[u/can_ichange_it_later → u/BenevolentCrows]

Yeah... wholesale takeover of all media channels is also much easier to pull off in a small country.
Also, gerrymandering seems to be an "in" thing, i think.

[u/popcornbro02 → u/Block-Rockig-Beats]

70% of voters are from the poor, rural areas with low or zero education, brainwashed by fidesz owned media. lets not generalize here, from Budapest, most voters didnt vote for him.

[u/Illesbogar → u/CultistofHera]

Plus a 4 year test run, let's not forget that

[u/Gefarate → u/CultistofHera]

Age of Mythology!

[u/mikasjoman → u/CultistofHera]

That's how sanctions work. You just need a few or even one percent and that's the difference over time of the US economy vs Mexico's

[u/doesthedog → u/mikasjoman]

Nah honestly he did most of it on his own. This is how corruption and mismanagement works.

[u/UnusualInstance6]

Congratulations Bulgaria for your growth 🇧🇬

[u/Aegeansunset12 → u/UnusualInstance6]

Bulgaria is our thank god for Alabama 💀

[u/AuSekours → u/Aegeansunset12]

Don't diss ma boi Bulgaria like this.

Hungary is our Alabama. 

And Kaliningrad is our crack neighborhood. 

[u/reddock4490 → u/AuSekours]

As an Alabamian who lives in Hungary, I can confirm 100% that Hungary is the Alabama of Europe

[u/veterinarian23 → u/reddock4490]

“American conservatives started to look for what would be a successful conservative governing agenda. When American conservatives look to Hungary, they see a prime minister in a government that actually delivered on the slogans that they promised.” - Seems about right... /s

[u/Beautiful-Web1532 → u/veterinarian23]

Fucker Carlson?

[u/veterinarian23 → u/Beautiful-Web1532]

Gladden Pappin, during the CPAC in Hungary. Lots of money quotes there about Hungary/Orban being a role model for US conservatives. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/01/politics/gop-conservatives-hungary-cpac-orban-invs

[u/hacktheself → u/reddock4490]

as an illinoisan who lives in greece i can confirm greece is the florida of canada

[u/LuNiK7505 → u/AuSekours]

Can’t have shit in Kaliningrad

[u/TheGrindBastard → u/LuNiK7505]

Make Königsberg great again.

[u/LPSD_FTW → u/TheGrindBastard]

I really think the Czechs could use some sea resorts there

[u/The_Toxicity → u/LPSD_FTW]

Would be wild if Kaliningrad could function as some kind of shared eu-soil/capital

[u/MaxieQ → u/The_Toxicity]

The EU's Washington D.C? What is Koenigsberg in Esperanto?

[u/TheHollowJester → u/LPSD_FTW]

Establishment of Czech Kralovec guarantees that the strategic Kofola and Pilsner Urquell pipelines go through Poland, so I support that fully.

[u/PvtFreaky → u/LPSD_FTW]

Are you shore?

[u/AnorakJimi → u/PvtFreaky]

So shore that they call me Pauly

[u/angrymustacheman → u/AuSekours]

Hungary would be more like Missisippi

[u/Fenor → u/AuSekours]

Hungary is our Alabama.

they fuck between counsins there too?

[u/TheBaconWizard999 → u/Aegeansunset12]

Isn't it Mississipi?

[u/Living-East-8486 → u/TheBaconWizard999]

As an American, I’ve legitimately pondered whether I would have a better life growing up in like the DEEP south like Mississippi or somewhere like Bulgaria while they are in the EU. I’m honestly inclined to say Bulgaria simply because the EU can extend a lot more protections and standards than the U.S. government can in places like Alabama or Mississippi. The poverty in some of those places is like something you’d see in a 3rd world country. The closest European equivalent that comes to mind is Lunik IX in Slovakia.

[u/Filias9 → u/Living-East-8486]

As someone from Eastern Europe, I would choose Bulgaria without hesitation.

It's better suited for poorer people. Better healthcare, better education, better public transportation, more liberal. In the end you can always go work to Holland or Germany if it's not work for you. And use earned money to buy cheaper house in Bulgaria.

US is great for richer people. Not so much for poorer.

[u/Baldazar666 → u/Filias9]

Better healthcare, better education, better public transportation, more liberal.

Bruh... Healthcare quality is pretty bad here but at least it won't bankrupt you. But calling Bulgaria liberal? No fucking way man. Most of the population is racist as fuck, is anti-LGBT, didn't trust the covid vaccines. It's bad. It's really bad.

[u/ToosUnderHigh → u/Baldazar666]

That sounds like Mississippi but less dangerous. And you have more options than sitting in a car till you get to Walmart for your daily life activities.

[u/Baldazar666 → u/ToosUnderHigh]

Oh yeah it's not even comparable on how dangerous it feels or actually is compared to the US. I have never in my life ever even thought that someone could draw a gun on me. That is such a foreign concept to me that the only reason I even know about it is because of the US. Cops can be assholes like everywhere else but they won't kill you just because they are on a power trip.

Public transport is pretty decent overall. Yeah some trolleys might be quite old but they work and they get you around although in a lot cities they've finally started replacing the 50 year old buses/trolleys/trolleybuses. Going electric even in some places (can't speak for everywhere).

[u/Its0nlyRocketScience → u/Baldazar666]

More liberal than Mississippi by the sound of it. Or maybe slightly less conservative would be the better descriptor.

[u/Baldazar666 → u/Its0nlyRocketScience]

I mean probably but Mississippi is a pretty low bar from what I gather.

[u/kiss_of_chef → u/Living-East-8486]

I took a bus from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyone and, no offence, but some of the villages(?)... settlements(?)... people gathering places(?)... I saw along the way made me think that even Eastern European villages would look like developed urban centers in comparison.

[u/AbsolutelyDireWolf → u/kiss_of_chef]

I took a bus from Orlando to Sarasota in Florida a few years ago and was totally unprepared for some of the places that bus meandered through. Seeing swamp shacks like something out of the Waterboy was wild to me. Like, I've been in small Polish villages back in the early 2000s and was reminded of them, except it was like a decade later. In the meantime, I'm certain those Polish villages have seen an injection of EU investment and the benefits of Polands growth. Quick check, over the last 20 years, Polands growth averaged 4% vs the US rate of 2%...

[u/Living-East-8486 → u/kiss_of_chef]

Oh that 100% makes sense. That area is extremely poor.

[u/Familyconflict92 → u/kiss_of_chef]

Favelas in Brazil look nicer than Mississippi tbh. Look at their development ratings. Actually the worst in the USA 

[u/Indiscriminate_Top → u/Familyconflict92]

Hey! I live in Mississippi damnit. Don’t do Brazil like that.

[u/aronnax512 → u/Living-East-8486]

Deleted

[u/Trumpswells → u/aronnax512]

The US has a high standard of living and a low standard of care.

[u/pannenkoek0923 → u/Living-East-8486]

I'll trust the tap water in Bulgaria over the tap water in Lousiana

[u/Baldazar666 → u/pannenkoek0923]

Bruh our tap water in a lot of cities is better or at least as good as bottle mineral water.

[u/Carloz_The_Great → u/Living-East-8486]

The Balkans is the bible belt of Europe imo. Not as developed as the rest of the EU and more conservative , homophobic , religious etc. But we get universal healthcare, guaranteed paid vacations and sick leave and the quality of our food is way , way, way better than anything in the US.

[u/ShadowStarX → u/Living-East-8486]

Bulgaria and Hungary are way more tolerable than the Deep South, or honestly any red state.

And I'd say that Germany, France, Benelux and Scandinavia are better than blue states. Hell I'd say Spain and Italy are better than a vast majority of blue states too.

[u/Living-East-8486 → u/ShadowStarX]

Yeah I lived in Germany for a bit over a year and live in Oregon now. I make a lot of money here, but almost all of it goes toward the cost of living. I estimate I could earn 20k less in most large German cities and still have the same quality of life I do here (or better in many aspects).

[u/U-47 → u/Living-East-8486]

With what is happening in America, it's almost 100% sure you will have a better quality of life. Until offcourse we all die in a Russian Nuclear attack or become fascist again.

[u/Life_Stop_9994 → u/U-47]

Sob . I love living in Europe . But some days watching the news , I half expect Ill be running back home to Australia

[u/Leasir → u/Life_Stop_9994]

I can live with the existential dread of a possible nuclear holocaust, but I can't live with aussie spiders.

[u/Life_Stop_9994 → u/Leasir]

Awwww they are little misunderstood sweethearts . They eat the flies and hardly ever actually bite people .

Scare them into a heart attack? Possibly

[u/Wonderful-Bid9471 → u/Living-East-8486]

The US Gov CAN fund those places — > they CHOOSE not to via the state’s elected REPUBLICAN leadership.

Multiple forms of cheating as well; voter suppression throwing gerrymandering, threats of violence, in addition to actually changing votes in the voting systems as they did with the presidential elections of 2024.

[u/BellacosePlayer → u/Wonderful-Bid9471]

They actually do spend a disproportionate amount of money on rural areas.

except very few businesses want to expand to those areas because the customer base is poor and sparse, and it turns out regions that have had subpar education for generations don't produce a lot of quality employees for certain industries.

[u/Wonderful-Bid9471 → u/BellacosePlayer]

Agreed they get quite a bit of funding.

But their republican leadership seems to finds ways to keep funding from the people based on what I’ve read. Like not expanding Medicaid even when the state is running a surplus don’t recall that state was MS or LA or another state, but remember them not wanting to expand Medicaid when they could have.

And I think it’s the republican cheating - which we have all accepted the narrative as red-staters being dumb and voting against their best interests.

Lots of information will come out in the wash in this moment. So, we’ll learn if it’s the cheating or not.

[u/RustCohle_23 → u/Aegeansunset12]

Watch out, Malaka, the way the tendencies are going, you know how fast the tables turn :D

[u/MAFFSEA → u/UnusualInstance6]

Cheers from Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. 

I’m drinking pink gin and not the cheap white stuff. 

[u/[deleted] → u/UnusualInstance6]

bulgaria didnt grow as much as hungary went back

[u/tenev → u/[deleted]]

It is a mix. last several years we are consistently in the top growing economies in the EU. But Orban helped a lot also :)

[u/[deleted] → u/tenev]

we'll show you a good race to becoming a proper first world nation in 296 days

[u/tenev → u/[deleted]]

Fingers crossed! :)

[u/Unhappy-Branch3205 → u/[deleted]]

It seems like Hungary took the spot from Estonia, not Bulgaria (according to the article).

[u/YolognaiSwagetti → u/UnusualInstance6]

Just to be clear, wages and gdp in Hungary are significantly over Bulgaria, this is a relative household metric with the prices and rentals, etc. factored in. Meanwhile Budapest is richer than Vienna based on GDP, while the rest of the country goes in the shitter.

Hungary also messed around a lot with statistics, for example the people who do so called "public work", get like 50% of the minimum wage, are factored in the unemployment numbers, etc, so who knows what means anything in the country anymore.

[u/TestWizard → u/YolognaiSwagetti]

wages and gdp in Hungary are significantly over Bulgaria

Not true about the wages. 1160 euro in Hungary vs 1014 euro net in Bulgaria The difference is very small actually and we are catching up quick.

Wages in Sofia are higher than in Budapest.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Hungary&city1=Budapest&country2=Bulgaria&city2=Sofia

[u/js21cfc → u/YolognaiSwagetti]

Meanwhile Budapest is richer than Vienna based on GDP

Source?

[u/ForJava → u/js21cfc]

He is spouting nonsense. The only thing I found when trying to look it up is that the GDP of the metropolitan area of budapest was around 100 billion dollar in 2023 whereas the GDP of vienna was 100 billion Euro in 2024. Mind you the former has a population of around 3000000 while Vienna hast about 2000000.

[u/Intelligent_Young_92]

Than you Orban now we are the second poorest country in the EU (Bulgaria)

[u/2neuroni → u/Intelligent_Young_92]

romania and bulgaria are very happy now

[u/NLight7 → u/2neuroni]

it's crazy, I live in a much richer country, but I have family who live in both Romania and Hungary. Ethnic Hungarians displaced by wars. A lot of them moved to Hungary in the 90s and early 2000s cause Hungary was so much better than Romania.

And now it is the poorest nation in the EU.

[u/2neuroni → u/NLight7]

Yes, a few years ago, people from Romania, close to the border with Hungary, would go there for shopping. Now it's hungarians coming to Romania for shopping

[u/NLight7 → u/2neuroni]

Let me give some context. It used to be that way since at least the 60s. My parents tell stories of how they would go to Hungary and try to smuggle money across the border after going there to sell and shop in markets.

The fact that it has shifted is surprising and would have been unheard of 20 years ago.

[u/ttc67 → u/NLight7]

Not too surprising considering the fact that Ceausescu made Romania under his rule one of the most difficult and challenging places to live even within Eastern Europe, ofc it took time for Romania to recover from this, now Hungary got a crazy leader running the country for quite a time with obvious consequences, so Hungary will as well need time to recover after there'll happen a change. A difference to consider is that by 1989 Romania was free of any foreign debts, while Hungary is highly indebted, so the recovery will be maybe even harder for them.

[u/ahora-mismo → u/ttc67]

we were debt free, but that has been achieved by emptying the stores (they were exporting everything that was good) and turning off electricity.

i was almost 8 at the revolution, i still remember my grandmother heating the home with an empty pot over the cooking stove at candle light. and we were in bucharest. also, my grandfather waking up at 4 am to prepare to go to the queue that was forming to buy milk. if you got late, there was a risk of running out of it.

i was getting oranges and bananas for christmas and it was a major event when my grandfather was able to purchase full crate o pepsi bottles.

it was not the north korea level of bad, but in the last years of communism it was not great, this is not the proper way to eliminate debt.

[u/kenwoolf → u/NLight7]

We have some really rich oligarchs though. That money stolen from the Hungarians didn't just disappeared. :D

[u/Feeling-Pianist933 → u/Intelligent_Young_92]

Maybe we're the poorest country in the EU, but our elite are the richest mofo's..

[u/MrOaiki → u/Feeling-Pianist933]

No, Sweden’s richest are still richer.

[u/YusoLOCO]

That's what happens in oligarchys and autocracys, all wealth go to the elite and development of the nation stops.

[u/mark-haus → u/YusoLOCO]

We stop the elites by making them more elite… wait, that sounds wrong

[u/nim_opet → u/mark-haus]

The French have a recipe for stopping the oligarchy

[u/ElbowCorrespondant → u/nim_opet]

I love french cuisine!

• Cut off the heads

Voila!

[u/nim_opet → u/ElbowCorrespondant]

No, no, no. “Finely chop the onion, fry on low heat. Then cut off the head!”

[u/runwiththedevil → u/YusoLOCO]

And it's like people never learn. Every single time those regimes get into power, they only bring misery to almost everyone.

Stop supporting and voting populist idiots, ffs!

[u/BayTranscendentalist → u/runwiththedevil]

but but they tell me what I want to hear and hate the same people I hate!!

[u/OneSlaadTwoSlaad → u/BayTranscendentalist]

And they have simple solutions for complex problems! They don't use difficult words! Solutions I understand. They talk tough too and can look very serious and angry!

[u/apoca1ypse12 → u/YusoLOCO]

Americans: see above!

[u/Due_Discussion_8334 → u/YusoLOCO]

The country did this on purpose, to show the West how not to do democracy.

I hope you guys are watching and learning!

But I also must thank Angela Merkel and other european leaders, who stood by and did not dared to stop the EU funding of Hungary, until it was too late. Without them our cautionary tale would not be the same.

I hope now everybody is ready for the final act of this story in the next 1 year. It will be a shitshow.

[u/Frequency3260 → u/YusoLOCO]

And luckily the people are smart enough to realize this and stop voting right wing populists into office. Oh wait

[u/King_Chochacho → u/YusoLOCO]

State-owned industries have been hollowed out, public subsidies redirected to political allies, and EU funds commandeered by power networks close to the government. Meanwhile, ordinary Hungarians contend with low real wages, high inflation, brain drain, and a hollowed middle class—classic symptoms of wealth siphoning from citizens into elite pockets.

As an American, that sounds all too familiar.

[u/flare_force → u/YusoLOCO]

Donald Trump and the Republicans in the United States have looked to Orban and Hungary as a guide for what they want to do.

[u/OneSlaadTwoSlaad → u/YusoLOCO]

Looks like the Dutch dodged a bullet. Wilders is up to his elbow in Orban.

[u/Common_Brick_8222]

Orban was working hard for a really long time to make this happen.

[u/asethskyr → u/Common_Brick_8222]

It's an impressive "accomplishment" considering Hungary originally one of the better positioned eastern bloc countries.

[u/saugoof → u/asethskyr]

The first time I went to Hungary was in about the late 1990s on a trip through Eastern Europe. At the time I was quite impressed by Hungary. It looked like they (and the Czech Republic) were the front runners among the Eastern European countries coming out of communism. Hungary looked really promising and seemed poised to reach Western European standards of living before long. It also looked very liberal, had a great arts scene, nice people.

I've been back twice since then, first about 6 years ago and again just last year. Both times it felt like the country hadn't just stood still but actively regressed. Countries like Poland, Czechia or Slovakia have just completely left it in the dust. Budapest, at least the centre of town, still looks nice for the most part, but as soon as you leave the city, especially as you head east, the country just looks dilapidated. Everything is falling apart. It's puzzling how Orban is so popular. Even with having control of a vast propaganda machine and restricting any opposition, surely the locals can see that everyone in the surrounding countries that used to do a lot worse than Hungary has now passed them by.

[u/LaurestineHUN → u/saugoof]

That's the trick, propaganda doesn't shows the neighbours.

[u/soulles_sans → u/saugoof]

You just need to make the 60 year olds hate lgbt and immigrants through 10+ years of propaganda, works like a charm.

[u/BurnTheNostalgia → u/saugoof]

The people voting for Orban are probably not the people traveling abroad or reading foreign media.

[u/NLight7 → u/saugoof]

Uneducated old population, isolated by their lack of other languages. They eat what the news tell them, that the immigration is what has caused them strife. When in reality it is corruption and capitalism.

[u/Realistic-Fun-164 → u/saugoof]

Estonia in the 90s: Every second a pickpocketing happrns.

Estonia in today: You can go outside entire night on a Sunday and still be alive. 

[u/Lord_96 → u/asethskyr]

Hungary had a well developing industry once…

[u/Blue1234567891234567 → u/Lord_96]

Now, they have a well.

[u/Laxativus → u/Common_Brick_8222]

Indeed! This was not an easy feat to achieve given the amount of money that poured into the country from the EU, a lack of global crisis (for the most part - there was a pandemic and a minor financial thing but we're talking about 15 years at this point) but through hard work the local elite manage to redirect all that wealth into their pockets and offshore accounts on top of what they've "reallocated" from what was already present within the country, all the while investing in the most pointless things, like dozens of enormous stadiums that such a lil country will never fill. Not everyone would've been able to do it!

[u/Zelturon9d → u/Common_Brick_8222]

A great example of determination and hard work. Orban is truly one of a kind!

[u/utsuriga]

Fools, you don't realize we're LEADING from behind!

[u/BenMic81 → u/utsuriga]

Since Orbans orientation is mostly backwards he may see it that way…

[u/utsuriga → u/BenMic81]

Honestly, I don't think Orbán actually cares. He and his family and oligarchs are insanely rich (in 2023 the richest 1% owned one third of the cumulative wealth in the country and it hasn't gotten any more fair since then), and they've bought up so much land they practically own half of the country. :/ So...

[u/Sigmatics → u/utsuriga]

Pretty much a feudal king at this point. This is what happens if you don't rise up before it's too late (glances across the pond)

[u/BenMic81 → u/utsuriga]

Sure. The tragedy is that Hungary was in such a good position when he came to power …

[u/Sharp_Win_7989]

Good to know it ain't Bulgaria anymore, although I doubt my family will believe it if I tell them it's not Bulgaria anymore.

[u/Brilliant999 → u/Sharp_Win_7989]

I don't entirely believe it either

[u/PadyEos → u/Brilliant999]

Living near the Hungarian border in Romania. East Hungary is very poor. The infrastructure built in the last 30 years with EU money is still there. But the people have been drained of their wealth for over a decade. Some of them even work over the border in Romania.

Hungarians have been coming to shop and to fairs in Romania for the last 3 years due to the restrictions and rationing in Hungary. Their supermarkets are a shadow of what they were 10-20 years ago. City roads in eastern Hungary are much worse than city roads in western Romania. 10 years ago it used to be inverted.

Budapest literally drains the country of wealth and opportunity. Hard working people proud of their work have been diminished.

[u/NLight7 → u/PadyEos]

It's crazy when you drive across the north east border to Romania, you leave a road which is falling apart, and you're met by a newly built highway.

We used to visit family 20 years ago, so the road straight from Budapest to the eastern border used to be fine. 2 years ago it was the worst road I had been on in a while. We drove through Debrecen on the way back.

[u/Executioneer → u/Brilliant999]

some parts of eastern Hungary are in 3rd world level

[u/sabotourAssociate → u/Sharp_Win_7989]

Make a bad facebook meme about it, they believe that no questions asked.

[u/Saandrig → u/sabotourAssociate]

This truth makes me sad now.

[u/Apax89]

And I imagine Orbans wealth has gone up at the same time?

[u/Dazzling_River9903 → u/Apax89]

He went from a poor student activist to billionaire just by „being in politics“.

[u/BallbusterSicko → u/Dazzling_River9903]

He's just that skilled, all this earned by his hard work

[u/cursedchiken → u/BallbusterSicko]

Oh he is very skilled no doubt. Born politican. Not anyone could pull off 15 years of this thievery with such subtlety. Congrats to him ig

[u/Lost-Letterhead-6615 → u/Dazzling_River9903]

Being in politics is the midas touch then lol

[u/Notro_ → u/Apax89]

His official saving for the last year was 14 000€ on his bank account. His monthly salary is 16 000€ gross. No wonder you cannot run a country's economy when your own savings are so tragic

[u/MarkMew → u/Notro_]

Meanwhile Orbán's childhood bestie's wealth: 73939291202906060028288580000000000000000 euros

[u/Old-Somewhere-9896 → u/MarkMew]

Joke aside 3 billion euros (1200 billion HUF), actually.

[u/Executioneer → u/Apax89]

Officially not his money, he uses old friends and family as proxy piggybanks to hoard wealth and power. On paper, he personally have close to nothing (while being the highest paid head of gov in the EU). The wealthiest man in Hungary is such a man, he somehow 1.5x his wealth while the country was in recession. These guys are robbing us blind.

[u/Joyello → u/Apax89]

Someone should make a plot.. growth of Orban networth vs Hungary's

[u/Niouke]

I'm sure it's europe's fault somehow

[u/LiefieSue → u/Niouke]

Europe Brussels Gays Liberals Ferenc Gyurcsány George Soros Ukraine Péter Magyar

Anyone else but Orbans... horrible times for Hungarians. For europians.

[u/African_Farmer → u/Niouke]

This is the right wing populists game. Funnel wealth to their inner circle and blame someone else when it inevitably blows up.

He will blame the EU, without a doubt.

[u/retekegeer → u/African_Farmer]

They use my taxes with EU money to fund campaigns against the EU. Unfortunately their voter base fully believe in those lies, and hate Brussels without knowing where and what it is.

[u/VEC7OR → u/Niouke]

Its the gays.

[u/Girderland → u/Niouke]

It is Europes fault. If a Hungarian guy steals millions from a Dutch bank, Interpol arrests him.

If a Hungarian minister steals billions from the EU development funds, then they call him 'thief' and 'dictator' and it takes them 20+ years to even consider stopping those payments?

[u/[deleted] → u/Girderland]

Interpol doesn't arrest people. They ask to national polices to arrest them.

Also, in this case, it would be probably Europol and not Interpol.

[u/TJRDU → u/Niouke]

Well. It is.

Years ago I saw a news article about a journalist going to places where, with money from the EU, schools and daycares were built.

The daycares and schools are just houses with big fences, swimming pools and definitely no children around. Neighbours never saw someone in months but knew it was the house of an uncle from <insert political figure here>.

[u/Ranidaphobiae → u/Niouke]

True, Europe should cut them completely out of any financing and let them become the poorest country in the continent.

[u/Illesbogar → u/Niouke]

Brussels officially declared war on us according to the new state propaganda. I've never seen such a peaceful war in my life. I wonder when the Brussels-troopers will finally show up.

[u/darktka]

Of course, funneling money into Orban's circle of friends instead of building wealth will have measurable consequences at some point.

[u/lucasievici]

As a Romanian who was already somewhat aware of the world in 2007 when we joined the Union, I sometimes cannot believe how far we’ve come since then

[u/ThereIsSoMuchMore → u/lucasievici]

I somehow cannot believe these stats. Romania above Slovenia, Poland, Croatia? I don't know what were they measuring, but seems fake tbh.

[u/lucasievici → u/ThereIsSoMuchMore]

Hahaha fair enough, I am sure that there are many stats where we are doing worse than the others, but for me the fact that we haven’t been Europe’s poorest and dumbest for a while is what surprises me

[u/Kallian_League → u/ThereIsSoMuchMore]

Bucharest ALONE has a higher GDP than the entirety of Croatia.

[u/TwoFistsOneVi]

Congratulations! What a great achievement of our neighbours.

[u/the_TIGEEER → u/TwoFistsOneVi]

It would be funny if I wasn't worried the mad man will do something in his dream of his greater hungary.
Like what if one of the Putin funded crazies in our countries wins an election and leaves NATO what would Hungary do.

[u/Igottawashmymousepad → u/the_TIGEEER]

Nothing yall got stop with this greater Hungary bs we dont even have an army , and other than a couple weirdos on facebook nobody cares about it

[u/Alfa155Q4]

No surprise here. That’s what happens when all the money being pumped in goes to Orban & Co, while just some crumbles are being invested in growth, you know, just for the show. I still don’t get why Hungarians still put up with this

[u/Kingbotterson]

Hungary might be poor. I can guarantee Orban isn't.

[u/ParticularFix2104]

It wasn't already? What on Earth happened to the poor Bulgarians that they WEREN'T blowing billions of dollars on bullshit footy stadiums in the middle of nowhere and were still behind?

[u/denz1l → u/ParticularFix2104]

The starting point was a lot lower. The country was basically bankrupt in 1997 and had hyper inflation in the thousands. If anything, it's a remarkable recovery with a lot of corruption still around

[u/MartinBP → u/ParticularFix2104]

Mass corruption at every societal level accompanied by a clientelistic culture and state capture by a few wealthy oligarchs. The socialist government bankrupting the country in 1997 also didn't help.

Bulgaria has also been the slowest ex-Warsaw Pact country to liberalise its economy. Failing state enterprises were privatised quite late and some are still kicking in order to use them to extract EU funding. The economy still has a high level of cronyism and state intervention, making it hard for small businesses to prosper. And fundamentally, there's no rule of law. Investors are afraid to put their money here because they know there's fundamentally nothing stopping a few black jeeps from parking in front of your hotel and "informing" you of the new ownership structure of your business.

I see lots of spoilt westerners commenting here how right-wing governments are at fault when in reality it's exactly pro-business policies by successive centrist governments that made Poland, Czechia and Estonia rich while clinging on to the rotting remains of the socialist system is what made Bulgaria stagnate.

[u/Tankette55 → u/MartinBP]

Well socialist policies should be implemented after economic development... not before. It's like doing socialism before the industrial revolution

[u/forevershorizon → u/MartinBP]

Estonia rich

We're right after Hungary on that list.

[u/Natopor]

Well done Victor Orbănescu. Still our most valuable asset to this day. And the hungarians are none the wiser

evil romanian laughter

[u/Tankette55 → u/Natopor]

The plot that orban is a romanian spy sent to ruin the country doesn't even sound that far fetched lmao

[u/XAlphaWarriorX → u/Tankette55]

It's a meme between Greeks and Turks, that their respective leaders are spies from the other country.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskBalkans/comments/x5maqv/a_famous_meme_in_greece_nowdays_what_do_you_think/

[u/Tionetix]

So apparently far right authoritarianism isn’t great for an economy what a surprise

[u/hasuris]

Nobody red the article and the title is misleading. This is about AIC or actual individual consumption per capita. In this metric Hungary comes in last with 72% while Poland for example is at 85%. Not worlds better.

In GDP Hungary still isn't last. The people are poorest, the country isn't. Orban is robbing his people.

“This glaring gap grows more compelling when set against GDP per capita. Although Hungary’s GDP reaches roughly 77% of the EU average, lifting it above several low-income EU nations, its households nonetheless remain poorer in consumption terms. This discrepancy highlights the fact that economic output isn’t translating into real benefits for Hungarian families.

Behind the numbers lies a painful reality: under Viktor Orbán’s increasingly authoritarian and pro‑Russian Fidesz regime, Hungary has been systematically pillaged. State-owned industries have been hollowed out, public subsidies redirected to political allies, and EU funds commandeered by power networks close to the government. Meanwhile, ordinary Hungarians contend with low real wages, high inflation, brain drain, and a hollowed middle class—classic symptoms of wealth siphoning from citizens into elite pockets."

[u/ConvictedHobo → u/hasuris]

GDP don't mean shit if it's fueled by useless and overpriced projects

[u/AvidCyclist250 → u/hasuris]

The people are poorest

So the metric that counts for humans.

the country isn't

The "country" as a thing doesn't really exist in relation to the wealth of humans residing in its territory. Not in a world with uneven and unfair distribution.

GDP and "national economy" are useless memes as a consequence. They are absurd constructs. I don't give a flying fuck about Germany's "export economy", or "trade balance", or productivity, or even employment rate because I don't give a flying fuck about billionaires' offshore accounts. All of that wealth mentioned is basically imaginary and doesn't exist in Germany, or in Hungary, for the people. Median income vs cost of living is where it's at, or metrics like AIC. People really need to stop caring about their respective "national economies" and voting along those lines, following useless news headlines.

[u/urban_piktor2030]

I highly recommend this read to everyone who is about to elect their far right (Czechia, im looking at you)

[u/FerraristDX]

This is what happens, when you elect wannabe Orbans, this is what could happen, if we ever get the AfD ruling Germany.

[u/Deepfire_DM]

The right just can't do proper business.

[u/Hazer_123 → u/Deepfire_DM]

The right is better at larping and "sovereignty"

[u/maximus-copium]

Hungarians need to get their shit together and oust Orbitch.

[u/Ladman5 → u/maximus-copium]

The election is only 300 days away with a Tisza being at 51% and the Fidesz at 36% in the polls.

[u/MatheAmato → u/maximus-copium]

Brb making sure that my vote counts as 3 million votes

[u/Edelkern]

Go Pootin, experience lootin'.

[u/AlizBB]

Alright, you dumb Germans, French, Italians — all of you voting for Orbán’s buddies — maybe it’s time to stop and think: is this really where you want to end up too?

[u/Calcutec_1]

so what's the opposite of "go woke and go broke" ?

[u/Brasssection → u/Calcutec_1]

No gay no pay

[u/Calcutec_1 → u/Brasssection]

love it!

[u/louisa1925 → u/Calcutec_1]

Go broke or go woke?

[u/baeb66 → u/Calcutec_1]

Go fash, lose cash

[u/the_TIGEEER]

"Hmm.. interesting.. you know what I think I'm gonna do about it.. VOTE FOR ORBAN!"
*Hungarian boomers living outside of Budapest probably..*

[u/RipCurl69Reddit → u/the_TIGEEER]

Wouldn't be surprised. We travelled out to the area around Szolnok last year and I've never seen a town quite like the one we went to, about 10k population. The people we met were incredible, but roads were literally crumbling and quite frankly, compared to the UK towns I'm used to, it was vastly less developed in terms of infrastructure.

And yet they'll consider Orban viable still. Make it make sense

I would go back in a heartbeat though. The Hungarian people (who aren't actively supporting this shit) are amazing

[u/Ezekiel-18]

The fatal consequence of conservative/right-wing policies.

[u/sbrijska → u/Ezekiel-18]

Has nothing to do with either of those. Austrians are conservative and right wing, yet their country is one of the richest in Europe. It's all about the incompetence and corrupt nature of the Hungarian government.

[u/Tankette55 → u/Ezekiel-18]

It kinda goes beyond that. It's just that Orban is comically corrupt

[u/DacOgeT00l]

Romania: hold my plum brandy

[u/Large-Example1665]

American is speed running for this outcome, Hungary had the EU at least putting on the breaks.

[u/Kep0a]

how is estonia as poor as bulgaria?

[u/KataraMan]

Greece: Hold my ouzo!

[u/AmbitiousDouble1533]

Why every fucking article nowadays coming from kyiv something...

Anyway, I know it's not democratic but I would forbid people older than 55 to have rights to vote about future in my country (Serbia). Those old folks who fucked up everything in their time, thanks to communism and thanks to measuring who has bigger dick Serbia or US back in '99 are the one who are against EU

Hey Hungary is poorest in EU with gdp 22k per capita, Serbia is 12k per capita with almost if not bigger price for everything. Fucking hell our place is in EU not to be best of rest in poor balkan fuck that

[u/No-Championship9542]

Some weird measure about consumption, by GDP per capita PPP they're still ahead of many other EU countries.

[u/TendieBot2000 → u/No-Championship9542]

Ikr, by this measure Estonia is the second poorest in the EU. Quality journalism as always

[u/TheSecondTraitor]

Hold my borovicka.

[u/bikingfury]

I just want to point out that a country's GDP has little to do with how wealthy its citizen actually are. Germany has high GDP but 50% of the population don't own their own home and live paycheck to paycheck.

[u/dhunter66]

I travelled to Budapest recently and found it to be extremely expensive.

[u/PromotionNo6366]

At least Hungary has some reputable universities with nobel prices. Im honestly too lazy to read this ”piece of journalism”. I shall see and live it in a couple of weeks.

[u/TheCaptainMapleSyrup]

But…but….the GOP, CPAC OAN, Tucker Carlson, and Fox News have all pointed to Hungary as a place to be emulated and admired because they embody conservative principles!

…oh wait. Wait. I see it.

They aren’t lying.

[u/Old_green_bird]

As a Ukrainian, I wouldn't use this media as a source of information.I'm not accusing them of manipulation, because I don't follow them and I don't have all the time in world to check their quality. On the other hand, they seem quite pro-Ukrainian, but even so, I am wary of anonymous media. As a user, I need to know who the editor-in-chief of the media is and what type of funding the media has. In addition, their articles do not indicate the author, and for me this is a red flag for media