That dollar amount results from a 19.7% increase from $141.2 billion in 2021.
Year over year, the total value of Hungarian exports flatlined to a 0.7% gain compared to $167.7 billion for 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Hungarian forint appreciated by 13.8% against the US dollar since 2021 but diluted by -3.9% from 2024 to 2025. Hungary’s stronger local currency since 2021 makes its exports paid for in weaker US dollars relatively more expensive for international buyers starting from American currency.
Hungary’s Most Valuable Export Customers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 70.5% of products exported from Hungary was bought by importers in: Germany (24.7% of the Hungarian total), Romania (5.7%), Poland (4.9%), Italy (4.8%), Slovakia (4.7%), Czech Republic (4.2%), Austria (4.1%), United States of America (3.9%), France (3.8%), Netherlands (3.7%), United Kingdom (3.4%) and Spain (2.8%).
From a continental perspective, 85.9% of Hungary’s exports by value was delivered to fellow European countries while 7.2% was sold to importers in Asia. Hungary shipped another 5.1% worth of goods to customers in North America.
Hungary joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. Fellow EU member states were customers for 74.1% of total Hungarian export sales. That percentage lags the 75.8% for the prior year.
Tinier percentages went to buyers in Africa (0.8%), Oceania (0.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then Latin America (0.48%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Given Hungary’s population of 9.6 million people, its total US$168.9 billion in 2025 exported goods translates to roughly $17,700 for every resident in the landlocked European country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $17,500 per capita one year earlier during 2024.
Hungary’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Hungarian global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Hungary.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$41.7 billion (24.7% of total exports)
- Machinery including computers: $29.3 billion (17.3%)
- Vehicles: $25.8 billion (15.3%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $11.7 billion (6.9%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $6.9 billion (4.1%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $5.5 billion (3.2%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $4.4 billion (2.6%)
- Rubber, rubber articles: $3.3 billion (1.9%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $1.92 billion (1.1%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $1.9 billion (1.1%)
Hungary’s top 10 exports generated over three-quarters (78.3%) of the overall value of Hungarian shipments.
Mineral fuels including oil represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 23.4% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was machinery including computers via a 12.3% advance.
Hungary’s shipments of pharmaceuticals posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 6.5%.
The leading decliner among Hungary’s top 10 export categories were vehicles thanks to a -9% year-over-year drop.
The above data is presented at the two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level.
Drilling down to the more detailed four-digit HTS code level, Hungary’s most valuable export product is cars (7.5% of the European country’s total). Following that are computers including optical readers (5.5%), automotive parts or accessories (also 5.5%), medication mixes in dosage (3.6%), electric storage batteries (3.5%), insulated wire or cable (2.6%), blood fractions including antisera (2.4%), phone devices including smartphones (2.2%), piston engines (2%), then electrical or optical circuit boards and panels (1.9%).
Hungary’s Largest Trade Surpluses by Major Products
Hungary recorded an overall US$16.1 billion trade surplus in 2025, growing its trade deficit by 75.1% from -$9.2 billion one year earlier for 2024.
The following types of Hungarian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports reflect the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$9.2 billion (Up by 6.5% since 2024)
- Vehicles: $8.1 billion (Down by -37%)
- Machinery including computers: $3.1 billion (Down by -19.7%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $2.7 billion (Down by -7.6%)
- Rubber, rubber articles: $1 billion (Down by -11.5%)
- Cereals: $974.6 million (Down by -45.2%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $965.7 million (Down by -24.4%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $901.9 million (Up by 8.9%)
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $707.4 million (Down by -11.5%)
- Meat: $697.2 million (Up by 24.5%)
Hungary has highly positive net exports notably in the international trade of electrical machinery and equipment as well as vehicles. In turn, these cashflows indicate Hungary’s strong competitive advantages under the related product categories.
Hungary’s Worst Trade Deficits by Major Products
Below are exports from Hungary that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Hungary’s goods trail Hungarian importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$7.3 billion (Down by -7% since 2024)
- Iron, steel: -$1.6 billion (Down by -2.4%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$1.3 billion (Down by -10.4%)
- Other chemical goods: -$1.1 billion (Down by -50.5%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: -$991.8 million (Reversing a $2.3 million surplus)
- Aluminum: -$944 million (Down by -0.03%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$858.8 million (Down by -30.5%)
- Copper: -$828.4 million (Down by -7.7%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$583.9 million (Up by 22.1%)
- Fruits, nuts: -$430.7 million (Up by 15.1%)
Historically, Hungary has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for mineral fuels-related products, notably crude oil and petroleum gas.
Hungarian Export Companies
Two Hungarian corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. They are listed below.
- MOL Hungarian Oil (oil, gas)
- OTP Bank (regional financial institution)
Wikipedia also lists exporters from Hungary. Selected examples are shown below.
- Borsod Brewery (beverages)
- BorsodChem (chemicals)
- Ganz Works (automobiles)
- Lehel (household goods)
- Rába (automobiles)
- Richter Gedeon Co. (pharmaceuticals)
In macroeconomic terms, Hungary’s total exported goods represent 36.4% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($464.4 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 36.4% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 compares to 37.6% for 2024. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Hungary’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Note that these metrics also include a significant amount of re-exporting activity.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Hungary’s unemployment rate averaged 4.6% for 2025, up from an average 4.475% one year earlier in 2024 according to International Monetary Fund statistics.
Hungary’s capital city is Budapest.
See also Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Italy’s Top Trading Partners, Romania’s Top Trading Partners, Slovakia’s Top Trading Partners and Austria’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Europe: Hungary. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 24, 2026
International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (National Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on April 24, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on April 24, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Wikipedia, Hungary. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Hungary. Accessed on April 24, 2026
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on April 24, 2026