The first columns in the table below testify to the shock that the transition of the regime meant for Hungarian society. As late as a decade after the regime change, in 2000, attendance figures remained much below those of the end of the communist era. By the late 2010s all performance indicators showed signs of robust consolidation. The very high theatre and concert attendance figures also reflect a redefinition of these cultural manifestations which statistics – earlier used to communicate mostly or only the institutionalised high culture instances – are trying to follow. However, much of this momentum has been halted by the Covid pandemic.
Table 9: Cinema, theatre, and concert statistics, 1990-2019
| Year | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| *Theatre (No.) | 43 | 52 | 143 | 169 | 207 | 220 |
| *Theatre (1000 performances) | 12 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 36 | 36 |
| *Theatre (No. of visits per 1000 persons) | 482 | 393 | 458 | 856 | 873 | 814 |
| Concerts (No.) | 1723 | 1281 | 3654 | 6401 | 7341 | 6653 |
| Concerts (1000 visits) | 749 | 426 | 994 | 2378 | 2662 | 2126 |
| Concerts (No. of visits per 1 000 persons) | 72 | 42 | 99 | 243 | 272 | 218 |
| Museums (No.) | 754 | 812 | 647 | 699 | 689 | 700 |
| Museum visits (millions) | 14.0 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 11.6 |
| Museum (No. of visits per 1 000 persons) | 1349 | 987 | 946 | 923 | 1121 | 1183 |
| Cinema halls (No.) | 1960 | 564 | 411 | 417 | 421 | 428 |
| Cinema projections (1 000) | 416 | 372 | 478 | 472 | 479 | 478 |
| Cinema (No. of visits per 1 000 persons) | 3495 | 1426 | 1111 | 1496 | 1584 | 1547 |
Source: Central Statistical Office.
Note: * From 2008, statistics include independent / alternative theatres, too. Only classical music is included under concerts; from 2008, statistics cover a fuller range than previously.
Library lending shows a regular trend over more than a decade, with a monotonous downward slope that reflects the weakening of the position of printed books.
Table 10: Library statistics, 1980-2019
| Year | Number of public libraries | Units lent in public libraries (million) |
| 1980 | 4 915 | 40.7 |
| 1990 | 4 179 | 35.9 |
| 2000 | 3 132 | 34.5 |
| 2010 | 3 474 | 26.5 |
| 2017 | 3 450 | 21.0 |
| 2018 | 3 499 | 19.8 |
| 2019 | 3 350 | 19.8 |
Source: Central Statistical Office.
Table 11: People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months, in Hungary (in % of the population)*
| Activities heavily subsidised by the state | 2012 |
| Theatre | 20% |
| Opera, ballet or dance | 10% |
| Concerts of classical music | 26% |
| Libraries | 19% |
| Museums or galleries | 28% |
| Historical monuments or sites | 33% |
| Activities without large public subsidies | 2012 |
| Cinemas | 33% |
| To read books not related to a profession or studies | 60% |
| Cultural programmes on TV or on the radio | 57% |
Source: Special Eurobarometer 399.
* Nationally representative and broadly available survey results were last produced in 2009 and the last national survey of time use of the population by the Central Statistical Office dates from 2010. The latest report about the cultural behaviour of Hungarians dates from 2012, produced by Eurobarometer.
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