Austria's Population: Is It Sustainable?

Austria is a small, landlocked country in central Europe with a population of over 9 million people. The country's population growth rate is slow, at 0.52%, and it is expected to reach its peak of 9.37 million in 2037. The population density is 111 people per square km, and 58.6% of the population is urban. The capital, Vienna, is the largest city, with a population of over 1.8 million. The population of Austria is growing almost exclusively through immigration, with the number of people migrating to the country exceeding those emigrating. The fertility rate is low, at 1.53 births per woman, and the average age of the population is expected to increase significantly over the next few decades.

Population growth rate

Austria's population growth rate has been steadily increasing over the years. As of January 2025, the population of Austria is 9,117,083, with a population density of 111 people per square kilometre. This is a notable increase from the previous year, with the population of Austria in 2024 recorded as 8,977,139, a 0.2% increase from 2023.

The population growth rate in 2023 was 0.22%, up from 0.2% in 2022 and 0.16% in 2021. The population in 2022 was 8,939,617, and in 2021, it was 8,922,082. The population growth rate has been consistently positive over the past few years, indicating a steady increase in the number of people living in Austria.

Austria's population is projected to continue growing, with estimates for 2029 reaching 9.25 million people, which would be a new peak. This projection indicates an increase of 0.1 million people, or 1.1%, from 2024 to 2029. The population growth rate in Austria is expected to remain positive in the coming years, contributing to the country's overall population growth.

It is worth noting that Austria's population growth rate is relatively low compared to other countries. With a population of 9,117,083, Austria ranks 99th in the list of countries by population. The country's population is equivalent to only 0.11% of the total world population. However, despite the low population growth rate, Austria's population is still increasing, and it remains to be seen if the country will experience a higher growth rate in the future.

Immigration

Austria's population has been growing almost exclusively through immigration. The number of people in Austria with a migration background jumped by more than a third between 2015 and 2023, and now accounts for around 27% of the population. In 2023, an average of 2.4 million people with a migration background lived in Austria, which is 26.7% of the entire population. In 2024, this number rose to 2.45 million, or 27.2% of the total population.

Austria's population growth between January 1st, 2011, and January 1st, 2021 (+557,500 people) can be attributed to net migration gains (+539,905). In 2020, the net migration gain (+40,064) was similar to 2019 (+40,613). In contrast, the numbers of births and deaths are usually more balanced.

The foreign population in Austria has been steadily increasing since 2015. In 2024, Germans were the most common foreign nationality living in Austria, with 1.8 million people. This was followed by Romanians (153,400), Turks (122,200), and Serbians (114,289). The nationalities that have increased the most since 2015 are Syrians (+83,900), Romanians (+80,100), Ukrainians (+72,100), Germans (+62,300), and Hungarians (+52,300).

Austria has a history of immigration, and research shows that the country's population has become more diverse in recent years. According to the 2001 census, of Austria's roughly eight million inhabitants, more than 730,000 (or 9.1%) were foreign residents, with 62.8% coming from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. Between 1985 and 2001, over 254,000 foreigners were naturalized.

In the early 1990s, an increase in immigration led to a higher number and percentage of the population with foreign citizenship. By 1994, the number of foreigners totalled around 665,000 and represented 8.4% of the total population. Since 2001, this number and percentage have been increasing again.

In 2021, there were more than 1.53 million citizens of foreign countries living in Austria, accounting for 17.1% of the total population. This is a significant increase from 1985, when about 297,000 or 3.9% of the population were foreign citizens.

Austria's recent immigration policy has been characterized by ambivalence, with measures that both welcome and restrict immigration. On the one hand, traditional labour migration and family reunification programs have been curtailed in response to public discontent over high levels of immigration in the early 1990s. On the other hand, new integration measures have been introduced, and the country's accession to the European Union has resulted in more open borders.

Population density

Austria's population density is 111 people per square kilometre or 286 people per square mile. This figure is based on a total land area of 82,409 square kilometres (or 83,878 sq km according to another source) and a total population of 9,117,083 (or 9,159,993 according to another source).

Austria's population density can be compared with that of other countries. With 286 people per square mile, it is less densely populated than some of its neighbours, including Italy and the Czech Republic. However, it is more densely populated than Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The Austrian population is growing almost exclusively through immigration. In 2020, there were 136,343 immigrations and 96,279 emigrations, resulting in a net migration gain of 40,064. This was similar to the figure for 2019, which was 40,613. In contrast, the numbers of births and deaths are usually more balanced.

Urbanisation

Austria's population is growing, and this growth is almost exclusively due to urbanisation and immigration. In 2023, an average of 2.4 million people with a migration background lived in Austria, which is around 26.7% of the total population. The population is projected to reach 9.37 million by 2037, with the majority of this increase resulting from immigration.

Austria's population is ageing, and the birth rate is not high enough to replace the ageing population. The fertility rate is low at 1.53 births per woman, and this is expected to continue decreasing. The population is also ageing because people are living longer; the life expectancy of Austrians is 81.7 years overall, with women having a higher life expectancy than men. This has resulted in a population pyramid that shows a notable deficit of men in all age groups from 59 years and above.

The urban population of Austria is growing, with 58.3% of the population living in urban areas in 2018, and 58.6% in 2025. The capital city, Vienna, is the largest municipality in Austria, with 1.92 million residents at the beginning of 2021. This means that a fifth of Austria's population lives in the federal capital. The urban population is expected to continue growing, with an annual rate of change of 0.59% between 2015 and 2020.

The urban population of Austria is expected to continue growing, fuelled by immigration. The rights of traditional ethnic minorities in Austria, such as the Carinthian Slovenes, Croats, and Hungarians, are protected by law. However, bilingual signs in these areas, as mandated by law, have not always been used in practice, and this remains a significant political issue.

The Austrian population is concentrated in urban areas, with two-thirds of people living in or close to a city centre. The largest cities in Austria, apart from Vienna, include Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck, all of which have populations over 100,000.

Fertility rate

Austria's fertility rate has been steadily declining since the mid-19th century. In 1860, Austrian women had just over five children each on average, but this number fell gradually until the end of the 19th century. There were slight increases after both the First and Second World Wars, but these were followed by decreases. Since 1980, the fertility rate has been between 1.4 and 1.7 births per woman.

The current fertility rate in Austria is 1.584 births per woman as of 2025, a 0.44% increase from 2024. This continues the slow increase in fertility rate seen since 2021. The fertility rate in 2024 was 1.577 births per woman, a 0.38% increase from 2023. In 2023, the rate was 1.571 births per woman, a 0.51% increase from 2022. And in 2022, the rate was 1.563 births per woman, a 0.58% increase from 2021.

Austria's population is currently around 9.1 million people, with a population density of 111 people per square kilometre or 286 people per square mile. The median age in the country is 43.6 years, and 58.6% of the population lives in urban areas.

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