Retail sales in Hungary increased by 2.4% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from a 4.9% rise in July. This was the weakest expansion since May 2025, reflecting a broad-based moderation in consumer demand.
Food retail growth decelerated sharply, with overall food sales up just 0.5% (vs 2.2% in July). Within this segment, sales in non-specialized food and beverage stores grew more slowly (1.9% vs 3.6%), while sales of food, beverages and tobacco continued to contract, and at a faster pace (-4.8% vs -2.2%).
Non-food retail sales also lost momentum, rising 5.0% year-on-year compared with 6.5% previously. Weaker growth was observed across most non-food categories, including:
- Manufactured goods in non-specialized shops: 4.2% (vs 5.1%)
- Textiles, clothing and footwear: 2.7% (vs 5.4%)
- Furniture and electrical goods: 1.0% (vs 5.2%)
- Books, computer equipment and other goods: 0.6% (vs 5.9%)
- Pharmaceutical and medical goods and cosmetic articles: 5.4% (vs 9.2%)
Sales of automotive fuel also grew at a more moderate rate, rising 3.1% year-on-year after an 8.1% increase in July.
On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail trade fell by 0.7% in August, reversing the 1.0% increase recorded in the previous month.
