Lyla Lindsey
Austrians are the citizens and nationals of Austria, a landlocked country in Central Europe. The term 'Austrians' was first used in the 17th or 18th century to refer to the population of Habsburg Austria. The Austrian people have a complex history, with the country having been inhabited by various groups, including the Celts, Romans, and Germanic tribes. The Austrian identity has evolved over time, with Austrians historically identifying as Germans due to their shared history within the Holy Roman Empire and German Confederation. However, after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, Austria was expelled from the German Confederation, and the Austrian identity began to diverge from the German one. Today, Austria is a semi-presidential representative democracy with a diverse population, including native Austrians and various ethnic minorities, such as Turks, Serbs, Slovenes, Croats, and Hungarians.
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What You'll Learn
Austria's historical racial identity
The area of today's Austria has been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic period. Around 400 BC, it was inhabited by the Celts and then annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC. During the Migration Period (c. 6th century), these territories were settled by the Bavarians and other Germanic groups in the west (Alemanni in Vorarlberg, Lombards in Tyrol), and by Slavic groups (principality Carantania), Huns and Avars in the east. In the 8th century, the former territories of Raetia and Noricum fell under Carolingian rule, and were divided into the duchies of Swabia, Bavaria and principality Carantania.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the ruling dynasty, the Habsburgs, began to accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria. The term 'Austrians' was used to refer to the population of Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, it referred to the citizens of the Empire of Austria (1804–1867), and from 1867 until 1918 to the citizens of Cisleithania. The Austrian lands (including Bohemia) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 which resulted in Prussia expelling the Austrian Empire from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it.
Historically, Austrians were regarded as Germans and viewed themselves as such. However, this national identity was challenged by Austrian nationalism in the decades after the end of World War I and even more so after World War II. The Austrian resistance to Nazi rule started with the Anschluss in 1938, and historians estimate that there were about 100,000 members of the resistance facing 700,000 NSDAP members in Austria. The end of World War II in 1945 saw the re-establishment of an independent Austria, although the Allied Powers remained in occupation until 1955. Immediately after 1945, the majority of Austrians still saw themselves as Germans, as a broader Austrian national identity took time to develop. In a 1956 survey, 46% of Austrians still considered themselves to be Germans. Another survey carried out in 1964 revealed that only 15% of Austrians still considered themselves to be Germans. By 1987, only 6% of Austrians identified themselves as Germans.
Today, the vast majority of Austrians do not identify as German. Austrians have since developed their culture and identity and no longer consider themselves Germans. Austrians are now more of a nationality than an ethnic group. They express pride in having Celtic heritage and Austria possesses one of the largest collections of Celtic artifacts in Europe.
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Foreign-born residents in Austria
Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of around 9 million. The country does not collect data on the ethnicity or race of its citizens but does collect data on the nationality of its residents. In 2006, 814,800 foreigners legally resided in Austria, representing 9.8% of the total population, one of the highest rates in Europe. Of these foreign residents, 305,100 came from the former Yugoslavia, and 110,800 from Turkey. Between 1985 and 2003, 330,000 people were naturalized, with 200,000 of these new citizens coming from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. In 2005, at least 18% of the population was either foreign or of foreign origin, with this figure rising above 30% in Vienna.
In 2011, official estimates showed that 19% of residents, or 1.6 million inhabitants, had at least one parent of immigrant background. There were more than 415,000 descendants of foreign-born immigrants residing in Austria, the majority of whom have been naturalized. According to Eurostat, there were 1.27 million foreign-born residents in Austria in 2010, corresponding to 15.2% of the total population. Of these, 764,000 (9.1%) were born outside the EU, and 512,000 (6.1%) were born in another EU member state. In 2018, the percentage of foreign-born people was around 19% of the total population, the second-highest of all EU countries after Luxembourg.
In 2023, the most common groups of foreign residents in Austria were German (88.8%), with 94% speaking Austrian German, and 6% speaking Alemannic. Other significant foreign nationalities in Austria include Syrians, Romanians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Turks, who make up the biggest single ethnic minority at around 3% of the total population. In 2023, 32% of all newborns had mothers with a foreign (non-Austrian) nationality, and 34.7% had foreign-born mothers. Almost three-quarters of those born abroad feel a sense of belonging to Austria, with 55.8% of immigrants rating the coexistence between Austrians and migrants as "very good" or "rather good".
Historically, Austrians were regarded as Germans and viewed themselves as such. The Austrian lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, which resulted in Prussia expelling the Austrian Empire from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it. The Austrian resistance to Nazi rule started in 1938, and in 1945, an independent Austria was re-established. In the aftermath of World War II, the majority of Austrians still saw themselves as Germans, but over time, a broader Austrian national identity developed. In a 1956 survey, 46% of Austrians still considered themselves Germans, but by 1964, only 15% did so.
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The Austrian resistance
Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country has a rich history, with the area being inhabited since the Paleolithic period and having been annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC. The population of Austria today is around 9 million people, with the official language being German and the native language being Österreichisches, which is derived from Old High German.
One notable resistance group was led by priest Heinrich Maier, who sought to reestablish a Habsburg monarchy after the war. The Maier group played a crucial role in providing intelligence to the Allies about the production sites of V-1 and V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft. They also utilized contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz to report on the mass murder of Jews, and their information contributed to key Allied operations. Another important resistance group was the Austrian Freedom Front, a partisan group led by Communist leader Franz Honner and supported by the USSR. They established close cooperation with Tito's partisans, and two Austrian battalions fought alongside them.
The Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance was established to preserve the history of the Austrian resistance and inform younger generations about the crimes of National Socialism. The centre manages valuable oral history collections, including interviews with victims of Nazism, and compiles teaching materials for schools to ensure that the stories of resistance and the horrors of the regime are not forgotten.
Sport also played a significant role in developing national consciousness and boosting self-confidence in the early years of the Second Republic after World War II. Events such as the Tour of Austria cycle race and the national football team's success in the 1954 World Cup contributed to a sense of national pride and unity.
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Austrian ethnic minorities
Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, with a population of around 9 million. The country does not collect data on the ethnicity or race of its citizens but does collect data on the nationality of residents.
In 2006, 814,800 foreigners legally lived in Austria, representing 9.8% of the total population, one of the highest rates in Europe. Of these foreign residents, 305,100 came from the former Yugoslavia and 110,800 from Turkey. As of 2023, the most common groups of foreign residents in Austria were German (official nationwide) 88.8% (94% Austrian German, 6% Alemannic).
According to the 2001 population census, 88.6% are native German speakers (96% Austro-Bavarian language and 4% Alemannic language) while the remaining 11.4% speak several minority languages. The non-German speakers of Austria can be divided into two groups: traditional minorities, who are related to territories formerly part of the Habsburg monarchy, and new minorities, resulting from recent immigration.
There are three numerically significant traditional minority groups: 14,000 Carinthian Slovenes in Austrian Carinthia (south central Austria) and about 25,000 Croats and 20,000 Hungarians in Burgenland (on the Hungarian border). The Slovenes (also called 'Windische') form a closely knit community, and their rights, as well as those of the Croats, are protected by law and generally respected in practice.
In addition, 350,000 ethnic Turks (including a minority of Turkish Kurds) currently live in Austria, making up about 3% of the total population and the biggest single ethnic minority in the country. The number of Muslims has doubled in 15 years to 700,000 in 2016.
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Austrians as a Germanic ethnic group
Austrians were historically considered a Germanic ethnic group, and they identified strongly as German-speaking. The English term "Austrians" was applied to the population of Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. The Austrian lands (including Bohemia) were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, which resulted in Prussia expelling the Austrian Empire from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it. The establishment of a German Empire in 1871, headed by Prussia and pointedly excluding any Austrian lands, led the state to turn away from Germany and develop a sense of a distinctively Austrian identity.
The term "Austrians" was used to identify subjects of the Domus Austriae, the House of Austria, regardless of their ethnic ancestry. The various populations of these territories were not unified under the single name of "Austrians" before the early modern period. The history of this ethnic group dates back to the 16th century during the Habsburg rule. After the Second World War, Austrians regained their sovereignty and began to develop their identity. Austrian identity took time to develop as they had long considered themselves Germans. By 1987, only 6% of Austrians viewed themselves as Germans.
The common German identity of lands such as Carinthia, Styria, or Tyrol, and the ruling dynasty made it easier for these lands to accept the central government set up in Vienna in the mid-18th century. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire created ethnic conflict between the German Austrians and the other ethnic groups of the empire. Austrians are now more of a nationality than an ethnic group, and the country is divided into several ethnic groups. The largest immigrant group in Austria is Turks, with an estimated total of 350,000 ethnic Turks living in Austria in 2010, making up the biggest single ethnic minority.
The native language spoken by Austrians is Austrian German, a West Germanic language classified alongside English and Dutch. The vast majority of Austrians are able to speak Austrian Standard German in addition to their native dialect, as it is taught in all modern-day schools. The Austro-Bavarian dialects are considered to belong either to the Central Austro-Bavarian or Southern Austro-Bavarian subgroups, with the latter encompassing the languages of the Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria and the former including the dialects of Vienna, Burgenland, Upper Austria, and Lower Austria.
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Frequently asked questions
Austria does not collect data on the race or ethnicity of its citizens. However, it is estimated that there are over 70.8 million people in contemporary Austria who identify as ethnic Austrians. Austrians are considered a Germanic ethnic group and were historically considered Germans due to their shared history as part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation.
The main ethnic minority groups in Austria include Turks, Kurds, Serbs, Slovenes, Croats, and Hungarians. In 2018, the percentage of foreign-born people was around 19% of the total population, the second-highest of any EU country.
The predominant religion among ethnic Austrians is Roman Catholicism, with 74% of the population registered as Roman Catholic in 2001. However, the number of Catholics has decreased in recent years, with an increasing number of Muslims and Protestants in the country.
