The number of Trianon refugees
The number of Trianon refugees

Summary/Abstract: This study summarises the knowledge on the number of Trianon refugees. The study argues that we do not and will not have the opportunity to determine the number of refugees with approximate accuracy. The figure of 350,000 people published by the National Office for Refugees is only a partial result and the situation is complicated by the fact that it cannot be verified due to the disappearance of official documents. The reliability of the data has already been criticised by prominent statisticians of the Interwar Period and there have been several attempts to calculate using census data. However, not only were these materials unsuitable for establishing the exact number due to their staticity, but the data recordings for 1930 are no longer available in the archives. The study also summarises the experience of the county archives. Excavation of the source in the Esztergom branch archives of the Hungarian National Archives revealed the names of refugees who were not included in the previously compiled refugee database, but those whose names appeared in newspapers as refugees could not be found in the archives. The literature and archives conclude that an uncertain calculation of 450,000 to 500,000 is the best we can do when discussing this issue. The study also reflects on the administrative burden of Hungary’s administrative offices in the country in 1919–1920.

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