Leslie Massey
Austria is a country with a rich religious history and diversity. While it is known for its historical association with Catholicism, the country has legally protected freedom of religion, with a variety of faiths coexisting and influencing Austrian culture and society. The religious landscape of Austria has evolved over time, with a decline in Catholicism and the rise of other faiths, reflecting the country's changing demographics and immigration patterns.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Main Religion | Christianity |
| Percentage of Christians | 68.2% |
| Percentage of Catholics | 55.2% (2021), 50.6% (2023) |
| Percentage of Protestants | 3.8% |
| Percentage of Orthodox Christians | 4.9% |
| Percentage of Evangelical Christians | 3.8% |
| Other Religions | |
| Percentage of Muslims | 8.3% |
| Percentage of Jews | 0.1% |
| Percentage of Buddhists | 0.3% |
| Percentage of Hindus | 0.1% |
| No Religion | 22.4% |
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What You'll Learn
Religious freedom and tolerance in Austria
Austria's religious landscape has changed significantly over the last century. While the country's predominant religion is Christianity, with a focus on Roman Catholicism, the number of Austrians identifying as Catholic has been steadily declining. In 2021, 55.2% of the population identified as Roman Catholic, down from 73.8% in 2001.
This shift has made way for the proliferation of other religions, most notably Islam, which has grown from 0.2% to 8.3% between 1971 and 2021. The number of Austrians who do not affiliate with any religion has also increased, rising from 4.3% in 1971 to 22.4% in 2021.
Despite the changes, freedom of religion is a statutorily guaranteed right in Austria, with a legal foundation created over a period of about two centuries. The country's constitutional documents provide for freedom of religious belief and affiliation and prohibit religious discrimination. Article 14 of the Basic Law on the General Rights of Nationals of 1867 guarantees every resident in Austria the right to join or leave any church or religious community or to abstain from belonging to any of them. This right is further enhanced by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950.
Austria's history of religious tolerance can be traced back to the era of Austrian enlightenment, when Emperor Joseph II issued a Patent of Tolerance in 1781, allowing other confessions a limited freedom of worship. In 1867, religious freedom was declared a constitutional right in Cisleithania, recognising the diverse religious landscape of the monarchy, which included Greek, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians, Calvinist and Lutheran Protestants, and Jews.
Today, Austria continues to promote religious tolerance and combat discrimination through various initiatives. Compulsory school curricula include anti-bias and tolerance education, and the Ministry of Education conducts training projects with the Anti-Defamation League. The country also has an interreligious platform for tolerance, "Christians and Muslims," which seeks to promote tolerance and respect by encouraging adherents of both faiths to learn about each other's beliefs. The platform also includes Jewish representatives. Additionally, the Austrian government engages with religious youth groups, such as the Muslim Youth of Austria, the Catholic Youth of Austria, the Jewish Students' Association, and the Protestant Youth of Vienna, to discuss issues like antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.
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Catholicism in Austria
Historically, Austria was a strongly Catholic country, having been the centre of the Habsburg monarchy from 1273 to 1918, which championed Roman Catholicism. In the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation, a significant part of the Austrian population converted to Protestantism, with almost half endorsing Lutheranism and a minority, Calvinism. In response, the Habsburgs enacted measures of Counter-Reformation as early as 1527, harshly repressing Austrian Protestantism. Their campaign proved successful, and by 1545, Austria was recatholicized.
In modern times, Catholicism continues to be the predominant religion in Austria, with the Catholic Church being the largest Christian confession in the country. Many Austrians continue to practise Catholic traditions that mark seminal life events, such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, and funerals. However, it is common for younger Austrians to withdraw their membership from the Catholic Church when they become adults due to the 'Kirchensteuer' (church contribution/tax), which takes out about 1% of one's total annual salary.
The Austrian Catholic Church is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and is in full communion with the Pope in Rome. The governing body of the Austrian Catholic Church is the Austrian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes the hierarchy of the two archbishops of Vienna and Salzburg, the bishops, and the abbot of the territorial abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau.
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Islam in Austria
Islam has a long history in Austria, dating back to 1525 when the Ottoman sultans tried to invade the Austrian Empire. Although these attempts failed, Islam influenced Austrian culture significantly, and numerous Austrians converted to Islam. In 1867, a law was passed guaranteeing respect for all religions throughout the empire, giving Muslims the right to establish mosques and practice their religion. The first mosque was built in Vienna in 1887 with the government's assistance to service Muslims enlisted in the Austrian army.
In 1904, Bosnian Muslim students in Vienna established the first Muslim association in Austria, the Islamite Academic Association "Zvijezda". In 1912, Austria recognised Muslims ("of the hanafite rite") as a religious society and regulated their religious freedoms with the so-called Islamgesetz (Islam Law). This law provided the basis for the recognition of Islam as a corporation of public law in 1979, and the proclamation of a Constitution of the Islamic Religious Body, to which all Muslims in Austria belong.
Substantive Muslim immigration to Austria began in the 1960s when Gastarbeiter from Yugoslavia and Turkey moved to the country. Many Muslim refugees of the Yugoslav Wars also moved to Austria during the 1990s. In recent years, there has been a rise in conversions to Islam in Austria, particularly among those of Iranian origin. The biggest ethnic group of Muslims in Austria is of Turkish descent, followed by Bosnians, with Arabs also constituting a significant portion of the Muslim population.
In recent years, there has been a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in Austrian politics, particularly from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) and the Austrian People's Party (OVP). This has resulted in increased surveillance and criminalisation of Muslim associations, as well as policies that target the Muslim community, such as the Islam Act of 2015, which put Muslims under scrutiny and imposed discriminatory practices. The Austrian state has also been criticised for its involvement in Operation Luxor in 2020, a large-scale police operation targeting Muslim civil society organisations and individuals.
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Judaism in Austria
Austria's main religion is Christianity, with 68.2% of the country's population identifying as Christian in a 2021 national survey. Within this, the majority are Roman Catholics (55.2%), followed by Orthodox Christians (7.2%) and Protestants (5.6%).
Judaism has a long history in Austria, with the first Jews immigrating to the region following the Roman legions after the Roman occupation of Israel in the 3rd century CE. The existence of a Jewish community in the area is known for certain from the 12th century, when two synagogues were in use. In 1204, the first documented synagogue in Austria was constructed, and a group of families headed by notable rabbis settled in Vienna, establishing a prominent school of Talmudic studies.
The status of Jews in Austria has fluctuated over the centuries. In the 13th century, under the Catholic House of Habsburg, the Jewish community suffered from a highly antisemitic atmosphere and was barred from many trades, leading them to engage primarily in commerce and money lending. The 15th century saw further persecution, with Jews expelled from Vienna and, in some cases, burned at the stake.
A period of relative tolerance began under Emperor Frederick III, who allowed Jews to settle in Styria and Carinthia and live relatively free from persecution. This tolerance continued under Emperor Joseph II, who issued a Patent of Tolerance in 1781, allowing other confessions a limited freedom of worship. The peak of religious tolerance for Jews came under Franz Joseph I of Austria, who was very popular among the Jewish population.
In the 20th century, the Jewish community in Austria was drastically reduced by the Holocaust, which saw 65,000 Jewish Austrians killed and 130,000 emigrating. The current Jewish population in Austria is around 10,300, with a total of 33,000 when including Austrians with at least one Jewish grandparent. The large majority of the current Jewish population are post-war immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Today, there are four Jewish kindergartens and four-day schools in Austria offering Jewish primary and high school education. The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation operates a Hebrew language and religious studies school on the Lauder Chabad campus. The Vienna University has an institute for Jewish studies, and there are also several museums, synagogues, and cultural organizations dedicated to Jewish history and culture in Austria.
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Religious law and tax in Austria
Austria's main religion is Christianity, with 68.2% of the population identifying as Christian in a 2021 national survey. Among Christians, 80.9% were Catholics, 7.2% were Orthodox Christians, 5.6% were Protestants, and the remaining 6.2% belonged to other Christian denominations or were not affiliated with any denomination.
Religious Law in Austria:
Freedom of religion is a constitutionally guaranteed right in Austria, with the legal foundation created over a period of about two centuries. The constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience and creed, laid down in Article 14 of the Basic Law on the General Rights of Nationals of 1867, ensures that every resident has the right to join or leave any church or religious community by free choice or to abstain from belonging to any of them. This right to freedom of religion is further enhanced by various laws and international agreements, such as the Law regarding Inter-confessional Relationships of 1868, Article 63 paragraph 2 of the State Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 1919, and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950.
The Austrian government generally respects this right in practice, but some religious groups that are not recognized as "religious societies" are considered second-class and face challenges in obtaining official status. The 1998 Law on the Status of Religious Confessional Communities, for example, has been criticized as discriminatory by organizations like the Jehovah's Witnesses, who have taken their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The government recognizes 16 religious societies, including the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish communities, and others. These recognized religious societies have benefits such as the right to public practice, participation in mandatory church contribution programs, and the ability to bring religious workers into the country.
Additionally, Austria has laws in place regarding religious education for children. Parents have the exclusive right to decide their child's religion until the age of ten. Between the ages of ten and fourteen, the child must be consulted, and after completing fourteen years of age, they are free to choose their religion. In state schools, children belonging to legally recognized churches or religious communities receive religious education in their own confession, with the expense borne by the state.
Religious Tax in Austria:
Austria is one of several Western European countries, including Finland, Germany, and Switzerland, that have a mandatory church tax system for registered church members. In Austria, Christians, particularly Catholics, are obliged to pay a mandatory membership fee, calculated as a percentage of their income (about 1%), called "Kirchenbeitrag" or "Ecclesiastical/Church contribution". While young adults are less likely to pay church taxes, higher-income individuals are more likely to do so.
Contributions to the charitable activities of recognized confessional communities are tax-deductible for individuals, and these communities receive the donations tax-free. However, these communities are not exempt from property taxes. The Austrian government also monitors the finances of mosques and Muslim cultural associations, focusing on financial flows from foreign state institutions.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria's main religion is Christianity, with 68.2% of the country's population identifying as Christian in a 2021 national survey. Within this, the majority are Roman Catholic (55.2% of the total population).
There are 14 or 16 legally recognised religions in Austria, depending on the source. These include Protestant, Greek Oriental, Serbian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Methodist, and Latter-Day Saints churches.
The second-largest religion in Austria is Islam, with 8.3% of the population identifying as Muslim in the 2021 census.
