1980 HUNGARIAN CENSUS OF POPULATION Summary data (1984)

IV. THE CHANGE IN THE POPULATION'S DEMOGRAPHIC AND EDUCATIONAL CHARAC-TERISTICS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION At the time of the 1920 census only 5 percent of the 7 years old and older population completed the 8 grades of primary education, 2.9 percent completed secondary school, and only 1 percent graduated in higher education. After the liberation, as a result of the great expansion of chances for education and the population's growing need for higher education, the number and rate of the population with medium or higher level education grew at a fast pace. At the same time there was a decrease in the proportion of those who completed less than the 8 grades of primary education, and today most of these people are recruited from those who were educated in the school system before 194 5. In 1970 that proportion of the 7 years old and older population who completed less than the 8 grades of primary education was well above 50 percent, by 1980 this proportion hardly exceeded 40 percent. The proportion of those with medium level education

3-' rose from 14 percent to 24 percent between 1970 and 1980, the proportion of those who graduated in higher education rose from 3 percent to 5 percent. The 7 years old and older population by highest education and sex (percentage) 0 1-5 6-7 8 Completed Year Total grades of primary education vocational school grammar school higher education 1960 100. 0 4. , 0 27. 4 39. 9 21.4 5. 3 2. 0 1970 100. 0 2. ,4 20. 2 31. 6 28. 2 4. 8 9. 6 3. 2 1980 100. 0 1. ,7 16. 3 23. 0 29. 7 9.7 14. 5 5. 1 Men 1960 100. 0 3. . 5 27. 4 39. 2 20. 5 6. 2 3. 2 1970 100. 0 2. , 1 20. 0 29. , 3 26. 6 7. 5 9. 9 4. 6 1980 100. 0 1, ,4 16. 0 19. , 8 28. 0 14. 6 13. 8 6. 4 Women 1960 100. 0 4. ,4 27. 3 40. 6 22.4 4. 4 0. 9 1970 100. 0 2. ,7 20. 3 33. 7 29. 6 2.3 9. 5 1. 9 1980 100. 0 2. 0 16. 6 26. 0 31.2 5. 2 15. 1 3. 9 While in 1960 only one third of the 15 years old and older population had completed primary level education, in 1970 this proportion was 50 percent, in 1980 it was two thirds. The prolongation of compulsory education played principle role in this. It is due to this, that 94-95 percent of those younger than 35 completed at least the primary school. In this field there is no significant difference between men and women. Among the elderlies - despite the dying out of age groups with low education - the proportion of the uneducated is still high. More or less two thirds of those over 50 completed less than the 8 grades of primary education. This can be explained also by the fact, that among the elderlies the proportion of women is higher, so the lower education of women determines the proportion of uneducated in the old age group. The development of the proportion of medium and high level education - besides the high growth rate - is characterized by the more intensive rise of the education of women, though their proportion are still under that of the men. This difference is minimal at the medium educational level, but the proportion of higher educated men - among the 2 5 years old and older population - is still two times greater than that of the women. a) Those who completed vocational school after 1961 and those who completed the last grade of grammar school are considered educated at the medium level. 78