Hungary’s population decline slowed in the first two months of the year as the number of births increased by 8.8 percent and the number of deaths decreased by 13 percent compared with the same period last year, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) reported on Friday.

Preliminary figures show that there were 15,148 births in January-February, up 1,230 from the same period a year earlier. According to leap day-adjusted data, the number of births for the period was up 7.1 percent compared with 2019.

The number of deaths was 22,818, down 3,431 from last year, KSH said. According to leap day-adjusted data, the number of deaths was down 15 percent.

The rise in births and the drop in the death rate means that the rate of natural population decline was down 38 percent compared with the same period last year, or 39 percent, according to leap day-adjusted data.

The number of marriages went up by an annual 121 percent to 7,381.

Featured photo by Tamás Sóki/MTI