Immigration from the Former Soviet Union to Hungary: Economic Mobility Rooted in Historical Links and Ethnic Ties

Abstract

In 2018, according to official statistics, more than 15% of the foreign-born population in Hungary was born in the post-Soviet region, primarily in Ukraine and, to a lesser extent, in Russia. Beyond economic motivations, there are also specific factors that determine migration flows from both countries. In the case of Ukraine, these are related to the ethnic and historical ties between sending and receiving areas, while for the Russians family-related motivations and already existing personal relationships are decisive. The aim of this chapter is to review migration trends from the post-Soviet region towards Hungary after the collapse of the Soviet Union, focusing primarily on these two countries. In the analysis, immigration flows are discussed by citizenship, while the stocks both by citizenship and country of birth. The demographic composition, territorial distribution and some peculiarities of migration flows are briefly reviewed, then—based on census data—the most important characteristics (country of origin, year of arrival, ethnicity, mother tongue and spoken language), the labour market situation and the factors affecting the employment status and the probabilities of acquiring citizenship are examined in details. In the case of Ukraine, the macro contexts and individual motivations determining migration behaviour are also briefly described.