1990 POPULATION CENSUS Detailed data based on a 2 per cent representative sample (1992)

C/ Housing, the housing conditions of the population

Analising the facilities of the dwellings by size categories according to the number of rpoms it becomes visible that the quality of larger dwellings is much better, i.e. the higher the number of rooms is, the better are the facilities of the dwelling. Besides the facilities, the quality of the dwellings and the comfort of the inhabitants, the way of heating, and in the case of heating separate rooms, the fuel used are alsó important. In 1990, over 1.5 millión dwellings had central heating which is almost 2.5 times as high as in 19B0. Among these dwellings the proportion of those with individual central heating-system is the highest, probably because this way of heating is very extensively used alsó in rural areas. The proportion of district heating is nearly one third in Budapest and one quarter in the other úrban areas. The share of heating separate or individual rooms is over 70 per cent in the rural areas, 50 per cent in the other úrban areas and even lower (48 per cent) in the capital. Of the sources of energy used for the heating of separate rooms only the shares of electricity and, respectively, gas have increased significantly, that of the latter more than the doubled. The proportion of oil heating decreased much because of the increase in prices and of the limiting measures — at present, it is already only the third of the respective value in 1980 The traditional coal- and wood-heating has scarcely changed, a minimai decrease can be observed in the case of both fuels. The characteristic raw materials for heating separate rooms are gas in Budapest (67 per cent), and gas (44 per cent) and coal (35 per cent) in the other úrban areas, while in rural areas, beside the majority of coal (57 per cent), alsó wood-heating should be mentioned (23 per cent). 50. Heating of occupied dwellings by types of locality (percentage) Heating, combustible Totál Budapest Úrban areas Rural areas Oistrict heating 16.9 Central heating for one building 2.9 Central heating for one dwelling 22.8 Central heating together 42 6 31.6 5.0 14.3 51.7 24.1 3.4 21.9 49.5 0 4 0.7 28 7 29.8 Individual heating of the places 57.4 48.3 50.5 70.2 Main combustibles for the separate heating of the places gas 31.5 oil 7.9 coal 40 8 wood 13-7 67.1 5.6 11.2 2 2 44.4 8.7 34 5 7.1 7.2 8 2 57 4 23.4 In 1990, the number of dwellings with all modern comforts was already near to 1.5 millión (which is almost a 40 per cent proportion), and the pace of the increase has more than doubled The number of dwellings with somé modern comforts has fallen by 17 000 since 1980, and their share does not reach 30 per cent- In the categories of lower comfort levels a similar change can be observed, too Namely: the number of dwellings with half of the modern comforts considered as better quality dwellings, has increased by 21 per cent (by 55 000), while the number of lower quality dwellings, without modern comforts has decreased by 48 per cent (by 616 000). These favourable changes in the housing conditions can be attributed partly to the building of new dwellings and partly to the modernization of, and to the introduction of public utilities into, existing dwellings and to other construction-installation activities aiming at quality improvements. By locality types: modern comfort conditions are much better in the capital and in the other úrban areas but the joint proportion of dwellings with all modern comforts and with somé modern comforts is already over 50 per cent in the rural areas, too The proportion of dwellings without comforts is — in spite of its great decrease — still nearly one third in the rural areas, 13 per cent in provinciai towns and under 8 per cent in Budapest 43