In my study I would like to introduce the developmental trajectory of the adult education system in the past 30 years, and what processes provided a basis for the development of the current system, how the political and economic environment in Hungary changed, as a result of which the adult education system took its present form. I divided the time period between 1989 and 2019 into three analytical phases (before 2001, between 2001 and 2013, after 2013) according to the main tendencies during this period. Based on statistical data, I present the evolution of participation in adult education and the major trends in the funding of adult education. Another focus of the study is the analysis of the situation and training system of adult learning professionals in Hungary. Despite the fact that the qualities of adult learning professionals basically determine the effectiveness of adult learning, the Hungarian government does not consider the training of adult learning professionals as a key issue. While we can see the valorisation of adult learning by the Hungarian government at the rhetorical level, in reality – based on political decisions – training adult learning professionals at a higher educational level (andragogy BSc, teachers of andragogy) was terminated by the Government in 2016, along with the financial and professional promotion of andragogical research.