Economy, jobs and prices in Zala (Nyugat-Dunántúl, Hungary): official figures
GDP per person was 20,600 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 52% of the EU average (76% for Hungary); 13th highest of 20 counties in Hungary.
How big is the economy of Zala?
The local economy produced €3.8 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Zala?
About 100,620 people worked in Zala in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Zala County?
Full-time employees of employers based in Zala County earned an average of 525,752 forints a month before tax in 2024, 5th lowest of 20 counties and 81% of the national average of 646,635 forints.
Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copyWhat is the average net salary in Zala County?
The average net monthly wage in Zala County rose from 127,085 forints in 2015 to 363,860 forints in 2024, an increase of 186%; the Hungarian average was 444,938 forints.
Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copyHow many unemployed people are there in Zala County?
In December 2024, 6,080 people were registered as jobseekers in Zala County, or 4.8 for every 100 economically active residents (10th lowest of 20 counties; national figure 4.5).
Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Zala?
The largest part of the economy of Zala in 2024 was public administration, education, health and other services, at 25.2% of gross value added, followed by trade, transport, hospitality and communications (21.0%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Zala?
Industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) made up 20.9% of output in 2024, against 21.7% for Hungary.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Zala growing?
Gross value added rose from €2.2 billion in 2015 to €3.3 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 50% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Zala?
Of the 100,620 jobs located in Zala in 2024, 25% in public services, education, health and other services, 23% in industry and 5.6% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Zala?
The number of people working in Zala fell by 4.2% between 2015 and 2024, to 100,620.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Gross earnings in Zala County grew 13.6% between 2023 and 2024, compared with 13.2% nationally. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
- By sector, the best-paid full-time jobs in Zala County in 2024 were in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply at 833,172 forints gross a month, and the lowest-paid in accommodation and food service activities at 401,612 forints. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
- Manual workers in Zala County earned an average of 429,037 forints gross a month in 2024, against 656,411 forints for white-collar (intellectual) staff. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
- Employers based in Zala County had an average of 76,129 employees in 2024 (63,851 of them full-time), up 20.6% on 2015. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
- 33% of registered jobseekers in Zala County had been looking for work for more than a year in December 2024, and 34% had at most a primary-school education. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
- Employers in Zala County reported 509 unfilled job vacancies on average in 2024, about 6.7 per 1,000 employees. Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) · saved copy
How Zala compares with other counties in Hungary
Average monthly gross earnings of full-time employees (HUF) (2024)
Zala ranks 16 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Average monthly gross earnings of full-time employees (HUF) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Baranya | 551,211 forints |
| 14 | Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok | 529,208 forints |
| 15 | Somogy | 526,223 forints |
| 16 | Zala | 525,752 forints |
| 17 | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | 523,386 forints |
| 18 | Nógrád | 504,309 forints |
| 19 | Békés | 489,365 forints |
Growth in average gross earnings, 2015 to 2024 (2024)
Zala ranks 7 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Growth in average gross earnings, 2015 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Nógrád | 176.2% |
| 5 | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | 174.4% |
| 6 | Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok | 171.1% |
| 7 | Zala | 171.0% |
| 8 | Bács-Kiskun | 170.5% |
| 9 | Békés | 169.9% |
| 10 | Veszprém | 167.9% |
Registered jobseekers per 100 economically active people, December 2024 (2024)
Zala ranks 11 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Registered jobseekers per 100 economically active people, December 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Hajdú-Bihar | 6.1 |
| 9 | Baranya | 5.8 |
| 10 | Tolna | 5.8 |
| 11 | Zala | 4.8 |
| 12 | Bács-Kiskun | 4.1 |
| 13 | Veszprém | 3.7 |
| 14 | Fejér | 3.2 |
Job vacancies per 1,000 employees (2024)
Zala ranks 15 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Job vacancies per 1,000 employees |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Bács-Kiskun | 7.3 |
| 13 | Heves | 7.2 |
| 14 | Csongrád-Csanád | 7.1 |
| 15 | Zala | 6.7 |
| 16 | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | 5.9 |
| 17 | Baranya | 5.5 |
| 18 | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | 5.2 |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Zala ranks 14 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Pest | 24.0% |
| 12 | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | 23.9% |
| 13 | Nógrád | 23.4% |
| 14 | Zala | 20.9% |
| 15 | Baranya | 20.4% |
| 16 | Hajdú-Bihar | 19.5% |
| 17 | Békés | 19.4% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Zala ranks 9 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Baranya | 21.5% |
| 7 | Győr-Moson-Sopron | 20.7% |
| 8 | Fejér | 20.3% |
| 9 | Zala | 20.2% |
| 10 | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | 19.3% |
| 11 | Somogy | 19.3% |
| 12 | Vas | 18.9% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Zala ranks 7 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | 27.8% |
| 5 | Somogy | 27.8% |
| 6 | Csongrád-Csanád | 26.9% |
| 7 | Zala | 25.2% |
| 8 | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | 24.9% |
| 9 | Hajdú-Bihar | 24.1% |
| 10 | Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok | 23.9% |
More on Zala: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Nyugat-Dunántúl · Hungary
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH): Regional Statistical Yearbook of Hungary, 2024: chapter 3.1 Labour (tables by county, capital and region), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d973255c0375…)
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