Budapest, with almost two million inhabitants, is by far the most densely populated city, not only in the country, but also in Central Europe.
Following the political and economic changes of the 1990s Budapest tried to identify a field in which it could become an influental regional center.
Budapest cultural and economic strength is mainly due to the central role it plays as the capital of the most dinamically growing country of the region. Every fifth Hungarian citizen lives in Budapest. Over half of the nation’s GDP is produced in the capital and all the bankquarters are located here.
In the case of certain professions – especially intellectual occupations – more than 50% of the professionals work in Budapest. Every second university student studies in the capital, and the majority of university professors teach there. The proportion of researchers working in Budapest is even higher.