Nógrád County

This article is about the current administrative entity. For the historical county, see Nógrád County (historical county).
Nógrád County
Nógrád vármegye
County
Descending, from top: hills near Hollókő, Castle of Drégely, view of Hollókő
Flag
Coat of arms
Nógrád County within Hungary
Country Hungary
RegionNorthern Hungary
County seatSalgótarján
Districts
6 districts
Government
 • President of the General AssemblyNándor Skuczi (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total
2,545.48 km2 (982.82 sq mi)
 • Rank18th in Hungary
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
182,459[1]
 • Rank19th in Hungary
 • Density71.6796/km2 (185.649/sq mi)
GDP
[2]
 • TotalHUF 303 billion
€0.972 billion (2016)
Postal code
2175 – 2179, 2610, 2611, 2616 – 2619, 264x – 269x, 304x – 31xx
Area code(s)(+36) 32, 35
ISO 3166 codeHU-NO
Websitewww.nograd.hu

Nógrád (Hungarian: Nógrád vármegye, pronounced [ˈnoːɡraːd]; Slovak: Novohradská župa) is a county (Hungarian: vármegye) of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia.

Description

Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares borders with Slovakia and the Hungarian counties Pest, Heves and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén. The capital of Nógrád county is Salgótarján. Its area is 2,544 km². It is the smallest county by population and the second smallest by area (after Komárom-Esztergom).

Nógrád is famous for its historic architecture of ancient Gothic churches and stone castles dated to the 13th century. Some historic landmarks includes the Salgó Castle and several baroque buildings constructed in the 18th century and the Vay, Teleki. Much of the northern border of the county is formed by the river Ipoly. The mountain ranges Börzsöny, Cserhát and Mátra lie partly in the county.

Due to the mountains, the county is characterised by small villages nestled in the valleys. The two largest settlements are Balassagyarmat, the former county seat, and Salgótarján, which has become a center of industry in the early 20th century due to coal mines nearby.

History

Main article: Nógrád County (former)

Nógrád (Latin: comitatus Neogradiensis, German: Neuburg or Neograd, Slovak: Novohrad) was also the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The name stems from the former Nógrád castle (Slovak: Novohrad - this name is still used in Slovakia as well as the informal designation of the corresponding territory, now located in southern Slovakia and in northern Hungary). In turn, Novohrad means "new castle" in Slovak.

Demographics

See also: Demographics of Hungary

The population of Nógrád County was 182,459 as of the 2022 Census, with a population density of 72 individuals per square kilometer (72/km2). The number of households was 75,526 and the number of families was 49,077. Since the 2011 Census, the population decreased by 19,968 (-9.9%).[1]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1870 125,522—    
1880 123,261−1.8%
1890 141,314+14.6%
1900 159,266+12.7%
1910 174,155+9.3%
1920 185,217+6.4%
1930 200,438+8.2%
1941 211,253+5.4%
1949 214,757+1.7%
1960 235,675+9.7%
1970 234,430−0.5%
1980 240,251+2.5%
1990 227,137−5.5%
2001 220,261−3.0%
2011 202,427−8.1%
2022 182,459−9.9%
Source: [3][1]

Ethnicity

In the 2022 Census, the vast majority (86.3%) of the population identified as Hungarian. A minority of 7.8% identified as belonging to another ethnic group and 11.3% of the population did not respond. The ethnic groups most identified with were Romani (5.8%), Slovakian (1.2%), and German (0.4%). Small numbers identified as other domestic ethnic groups (390) or other groups (421).[1][a]

In the 2011 Census, 85.4% of the population identified as Hungarian. Nearly a tenth (9.6%) of the population identified as belonging to another ethnic group and 13.0% did not respond. Romani made up 7.5% of the population, Slovakian 1.3%, and German (0.5%). Small numbers identified as other domestic ethnic groups (407) or other groups (308).[3][a]

Religion

See also: Religion in Hungary
Religion in Nógrád County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (63.6%))
  1. Roman Catholic (66.8%)
  2. Lutheran (5.20%)
  3. Calvinistic (3.00%)
  4. Faith Church (1.40%)
  5. Other Christian denomination (4.10%)
  6. Other religion (0.30%)
  7. Not religious (19.2%)

In the 2022 Census, just over half of the population (51.4%) were religious adherents. The largest religious community was Roman Catholic (42.5%). Other communities included Lutheran (3.4%), Calvinist (2.0%), Greek Catholic (0.3%), Other Christian denomination (2.1%), and other religious affiliations (0.2%). Small numbers (less than 100) were affiliated with Judaism and Orthodox Christianity. The non-religious made up 12.2% of the population. More than a third (36.4%) of the population did not respond.

In the 2011 Census, 63.4% of the population were religious adherents. The largest religious community was Roman Catholic (55.4%). Others included Lutheran (3.9%), Calvinist (2.1%), Greek Catholic (0.2%), Other Christian denomination (1.6%), and other religious affiliations (0.2%). Small numbers (less than 100) were affiliated with Judaism and Orthodox Christianity. Atheists made up (0.9%) of the population and other non-religious made up 12.2%. Nearly a quarter (23.5%) of the population did not respond.[1]

In 1930, the population was 85.6% Roman Catholic, 9.4% Lutheran, 2.8% Jewish, 1.9% Calvinist, and others (0.3%).[3]

Regional structure

№ English and
Hungarian names 		Area
(km²) 		Population
(2022) 		Density
(pop./km²) 		Seat № of
municipalities
1 Balassagyarmat District
Balassagyarmati járás 		532.94 36,606 69 Balassagyarmat 29
2 Bátonyterenye District
Bátonyterenyei járás 		215.45 18,878 88 Bátonyterenye 8
3 Pásztó District
Pásztói járás 		551.56 29,415 53 Pásztó 26
4 Rétság District
Rétsági járás 		435.03 24,222 56 Rétság 25
5 Salgótarján District
Salgótarjáni járás 		525.23 55,769 106 Salgótarján 29
6 Szécsény District
Szécsényi járás 		285.26 17,569 62 Szécsény 14
Nógrád County 2,545.48 182,459 72 Salgótarján 131

Politics

Main article: Nógrád County Assembly

The Nógrád County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections,[4] is made up of 15 counselors,[5] with the following party composition:

Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 10                    
  Our Homeland Movement 3                    
  Democratic Coalition 1                    
  Momentum Movement 1                    

Presidents of the General Assembly

List of presidents since 1990[6][7]
Ferenc Korill (SZDSZ) 1990–1994
Sándor Smitnya (SZDSZ) 1994–1998
Zsolt Becsó (Fidesz) 1998–2002
Ottó Dóra (MSZP) 2002–2006
Zsolt Becsó (Fidesz-KDNP) 2006–2014
Nándor Skuczi (Fides-KDNP) 2014–

Municipalities

Nógrád County has 1 urban county, 5 towns and 125 villages.

City with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

Towns
Villages

Notes

  1. ^ a b Individuals were able to identify with multiple ethnic groups, so the percentages may not add up to 100%.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nógrád County.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Nógrád County.
  1. ^ a b c d e "Census database". Census database. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  2. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Regional data – Nógrád county". Population Census 2011. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  4. ^ "Nemzeti Választási Iroda - Helyi önkormányzati választások". vtr.valasztas.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  5. ^ "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Nógrád megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  6. ^ Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  7. ^ General Assembly website

48°00′N 19°34′E / 48.00°N 19.57°E / 48.00; 19.57

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