Western Europe Should Follow Hungary’s Pro-Family Policy, Spanish Expert Says

Ricardo Ruiz de la Serna, a visiting researcher at the Madrid office of the Center for Fundamental Rights (CFR), believes that Western Europe, including Spain, should follow Hungary’s family policy, which has successfully addressed the demographic crisis through tax benefits.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivering his annual State of the Nation address at the Varkert Bazaar in Budapest on February 22, 2025 (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Vivien Cher Benko)

Through a combination of tax exemptions, benefits, loans, subsidies, and the creation of a supportive social environment, Hungary has managed to reverse the demographic crisis,

Ricardo Ruiz de la Serna wrote.

Ricardo Ruiz de la Serna, visiting researcher at the Center for Fundamental Rights (CFR) Madrid office

The expert highlighted that Hungary's current family policy has led to clear improvements in demographic indicators.

He noted that Hungary’s population has decreased by one million since 1981, and the birth rate hit a low point in 2011 at 1.23 children per woman. However, since then, the trend has reversed, and in just 14 years, Hungary has climbed from having the lowest birth rate in the region to ranking top sixth in the EU.

According to De la Serna, this progress is largely due to successive family support programs introduced by the Hungarian government since 2011.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently announced a new measure allowing mothers who have at least two children to be exempt from paying personal income tax for the rest of their lives.

Hungría: un paraíso fiscal para las familias https://t.co/DMIFdvZMQc

— Periodista Digital (@periodistadigit) March 6, 2025

This policy complements existing home purchase subsidies, preferential loans for married couples, and tax benefits that have long been available to mothers with four or more children.

According to De la Serna, Hungary’s pro-family and demographic policy is often summarized as  

More children, lower taxes,

but he emphasized that it is about much more than that.

In Hungary, having children is considered a value that is to be rewarded,

he stated.

The expert added that Hungary’s tangible results could serve as a model for Western European countries, including Spain, which are struggling with demographic crises.

Spain’s Worsening Demographic Data

Recent data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) paints a bleak picture. In 2023, only 320,656 children were born—far below, in deed less than half of the 600,000–650,000 annual births recorded between 1950 and 1970.

Given Spain's population of 48 million, De la Serna described these numbers as “alarming.”

The average number of children per woman has dropped to 1.12, and the number of marriages also declined by 3.7% compared to 2022. At the same time, the number of abortions has increased significantly. In 2023, over 103,000 abortions were performed—nearly 5,000 more than the previous year.

According to De la Serna, factors contributing to these declining trends include job market instability, rising tax burdens on the middle class, stigmatization of parenthood, and other economic, social, and cultural issues that have pushed Spanish families into a vicious cycle.

For years, Spanish society was reassured that immigration would compensate for the declining native population. However, it has since become evident that this assumption is flawed and carries negative consequences.

National unity and social cohesion have weakened, while the economic burden of illegal immigration is placing increasing strain on already underfunded public services,

the expert said. De la Serna stressed that the time has come for Spain and other nations in a similar situation to seek alternative solutions. Instead of promoting immigration, he argued, these countries should follow Hungary’s lead and focus on supporting their own nation's families.

Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivering his annual State of the Nation address at the Varkert Bazaar in Budapest on February 22, 2025 (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Vivien Cher Benko)