Canada-Hungary relations
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Bilateral relations
Canada’s bilateral relations with Hungary, a NATO ally and member of the European Union, have a strong historical foundation. Canada resettled nearly 38,000 Hungarian refugees who fled the Soviet invasion of their country following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. In 2010, Canada designated the arrival of these refugees as a National Historic Event, largely for the way in which it helped to shape Canadian society and immigration policy. There is a significant Hungarian diaspora in Canada, with over 320,000 Canadians of ethnic or cultural Hungarian descent. Canada was the first NATO Member State to ratify Hungary’s NATO accession in 1999.
Canada is represented in Hungary by the Embassy of Canada in Budapest. Hungary is represented in Canada by an Embassy in Ottawa. Hungary maintains Consulates General in Toronto and Montreal, and a Vice Consulate in Vancouver.
Trade relations
Canada enjoys preferential market access to Hungary through the provisional application of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which Hungary has yet to ratify. As of 2025, the provisional application of CETA resulted in Canada-Hungary merchandise trade increasing by 111% since its pre-CETA level in 2016.
In 2025 two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Hungary totaled $1.4 billion. Canadian merchandise exports to Hungary reached $142.6 million, up 26.0% from 2024, while Canadian merchandise imports from Hungary amounted to $1.3 billion, an increase of 7% from the previous year.
Hungary continues to be an important destination for Canadian Direct Investment Abroad. The stock of Canadian direct investments in Hungary was worth $5.3 billion at the end of 2025, up 20.7% from 2024, while Hungary’s direct investment position in Canada was $2.4 billion. Canadian investments are primarily concentrated in the sectors of animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, information technology, chemicals, metallurgy, machinery, electrical goods and tourism. Primary industrial sectors for Hungarian investments in Canada are motor vehicles and parts, machinery, electrical and electronic machinery and equipment, pharmaceutical products, scientific and precision instruments, as well as impregnated and coated textile fabrics.
See all trade and investment agreements with Hungary.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Hungary work closely through multilateral fora, such as:
- Community of Democracies
- European Union (EU)
- La Francophonie
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
- The Pacific Alliance
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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