BUDAPEST, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Addressing the opening day of the 5th Budapest Demographic Summit here on Thursday, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Katalin Novak outlined the main demographic challenges facing the world today.
Orban pointed out that policies, such as the tax exemptions for people under 25 and for mothers with four children, or the special subsidies to families with three children who intend to buy a new home or a car, have led to the birth of 154,000 more children than would have been born without them.
Hungary's population decreased to 9.6 million this year from 10.7 million in 1980, according to the country's Central Statistical Office (KSH).
Novak discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by the demographic changes, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the battle for family support and growth.
The Budapest Demographic Summit was first organized in 2015 and has since become a biannual platform for discussing vital issues related to demography and family policies.
This year, between Sept. 14 and Sept. 16, it is attended by 60 heads of state and government, opinion leaders, media personalities and non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders from various continents.
