It is well-known that family configurations have become more and more diverse over the last decades. Single-parent families, cohabiting families of the opposite or same sex, and intergenerational households are only examples of the current diversity. In Europe, family structures still vary substantially among countries. For instance, in 2011 the number of live births outside marriage ranged from 7.4% in Greece to 65% in Iceland. However, trends over time have substantially increased everywhere.

Recently published by the Demographic Research Institute of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (Eds. Péter Őri & Zsolt Spéder), this comprehensive book describes Hungary’s demographic situation and interprets the trends in a European context. The publication aims to reach out to a broad audience by explaining demographic topics in a way that can be easily understood by experts and the general public alike. It updates the previous 2009 issue and additionally introduces two major new approaches: The first one is the emphasis on regional differences within the country.