2023 Edition

Background

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the EU in 1995 somewhat altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Area

land

82,445 sq km

total

83,871 sq km

water

1,426 sq km

Area - comparative

about the size of South Carolina; slightly more than two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania

Climate

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

highest point

Grossglockner 3,798 m

lowest point

Neusiedler See 115 m

mean elevation

910 m

Geographic coordinates

47 20 N, 13 20 E

Geography - note

note 1: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewherenote 2: the world's largest and longest ice cave system at 42 km (26 mi) is the Eisriesenwelt (Ice Giants World) inside the Hochkogel mountain near Werfen, about 40 km south of Salzburg; ice caves are bedrock caves that contain year-round ice formations; they differ from glacial caves, which are transient and are formed by melting ice and flowing water within and under glaciers

Irrigated land

382 sq km (2016)

Land boundaries

border countries

Czech Republic 402 km; Germany 801 km; Hungary 321 km; Italy 404 km; Liechtenstein 34 km; Slovakia 105 km; Slovenia 299 km; Switzerland 158 km

total

2,524 km

Land use

agricultural land

38.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 16.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)

forest

47.2% (2018 est.)

other

14.4% (2018 est.)

Location

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Constance (shared with Switzerland and Germany) - 540 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Donau (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Natural resources

oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Population distribution

the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas

Terrain

mostly mountains (Alps) in the west and south; mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern margins

Age structure

0-14 years

14.08% (male 645,660/female 613,399)

15-64 years

65.11% (male 2,914,056/female 2,907,233)

65 years and over

20.81% (2023 est.) (male 820,022/female 1,040,490)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

6.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

1.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

11.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

3.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

9.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

79% (2019)

note

note: percent of women aged 16-49

Current health expenditure

11.5% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

58.7% (2023 est.)

Death rate

9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

29.4

potential support ratio

3.4 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

51.1

youth dependency ratio

21.7

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

5.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

Austrian 80.8%, German 2.6%, Bosnian and Herzegovinian 1.9%, Turkish 1.8%, Serbian 1.6%, Romanian 1.3%, other 10% (2018 est.)

note

note: data represent population by country of birth

Gross reproduction rate

0.74 (2023 est.)

Hospital bed density

7.3 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male

3.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

Languages

German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in southern Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 est.)

major-language sample(s)

Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

85.2 years

male

79.9 years

total population

82.5 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Major urban areas - population

1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

female

46.2 years

male

43.5 years

total

44.8 years (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.7 years (2020 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Austrian

noun

Austrian(s)

Net migration rate

3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

20.1% (2016)

Physicians density

5.29 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

8,940,860 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas

Population growth rate

0.31% (2023 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 55.2%, Muslim 8.3%, Orthodox 4.9%, Evangelical Christian 3.8%, Jewish 0.1%, other 5.4%, none 22.4% (2021 est.)

note

note:  data on Muslim is a 2016 estimate; data on other/none/unspecified are from 2012-2018 estimates

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

16 years (2020)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.79 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

female

25% (2020 est.)

male

27.7% (2020 est.)

total

26.4% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

59.5% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology

the origin of the name is disputed but may derive from early Celtic settlements of the area; a plausible reconstructed Celtic name from several centuries B.C. is Vedunia (meaning "forest stream"), which in Old High German became uuenia (wenia), and later wien (its current German form) in New High German; another possibility is that the name stems from the Roman settlement Vindobona, established around 15 B.C., and its Celtic-derived name (likely from the Celtic windo, meaning "white, fair, or bright" and bona meaning "base, fortification, or settlement" to give a connotation of "white settlement" or "white fort"); archeological remains of the latter survive at many sites in the center of Vienna

geographic coordinates

48 12 N, 16 22 E

name

Vienna

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Austria

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

10 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed through laws designated "constitutional laws" or through the constitutional process if the amendment is part of another law; approval required by at least a two-thirds majority vote by the National Assembly and the presence of one-half of the members; a referendum is required only if requested by one-third of the National Council or Federal Council membership; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote; amended many times, last in 2020

history

several previous; latest adopted 1 October 1920, revised 1929, replaced May 1934, replaced by German Weimar constitution in 1938 following German annexation, reinstated 1 May 1945

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Austria

conventional short form

Austria

etymology

the name Oesterreich means "eastern realm" and dates to the 10th century; the designation refers to the fact that Austria was the easternmost extension of Bavaria, and, in fact, of all the Germans; the word Austria is a Latinization of the German name

local long form

Republik Oesterreich

local short form

Oesterreich

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Victoria Reggie KENNEDY (since 12 January 2022)

email address and website

ConsulateVienna@state.govhttps://at.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090, Vienna

FAX

[43] (1) 310-06-82

mailing address

9900 Vienna Place, Washington DC  20521-9900

telephone

[43] (1) 31339-0

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

chief of mission

Ambassador Petra SCHNEEBAUER (since 19 APRIL 2023)

consulate(s)

Chicago

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, New York, Washington

email address and website

washington-ob@bmeia.gv.athttps://www.austria.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 895-6750

telephone

[1] (202) 895-6700

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the chancellor and appointed by the president

chief of state

President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017); note - President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN  reelected to a second six-year term on 9 October 2022

election results

2022: Alexander VAN DER BELLEN elected in first round; percent of vote - Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (the Greens) 56.7%, Walter ROSENKRANZ (FPO) 17.7%, Dominik WLAZNY (Beer) 8.3%, Tassilo WALLENTIN (independent) 8.1%, Gerald GROSZ (independent) 5.6%2016: Alexander VAN DER BELLEN elected in second round; percent of vote in first round - Norbert HOFER (FPOe) 35.1%, Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (independent, allied with the Greens) 21.3%, Irmgard GRISS (independent) 18.9%, Rudolf HUNDSTORFER (SPOe) 11.3%, Andreas KHOL (OeVP) 11.1%, Richard LUGNER (independent) 2.3%; percent of vote in second round - Alexander VAN DER BELLEN 53.8%, Norbert HOFER 46.2%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 October 2022; (next election to be held in 2028); chancellor appointed by the president but determined by the majority coalition parties in the Federal Assembly; vice chancellor appointed by the president on the advice of the chancellor

head of government

Chancellor Karl NEHAMMER (since 6 December 2021)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world; according to tradition, in 1191, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner

Government type

federal parliamentary republic

Independence

no official date of independence: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 6 January 1453 (Archduchy of Austria acknowledged); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established); 12 November 1918 (First Republic proclaimed); 27 April 1945 (Second Republic proclaimed)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Justice or Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 85 judges organized into 17 senates or panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof (consists of 20 judges including 6 substitutes; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof - 2 judges plus other members depending on the importance of the case)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges nominated by executive branch departments and appointed by the president; judges serve for life; Constitutional Court judges nominated by several executive branch departments and approved by the president; judges serve for life; Administrative Court judges recommended by executive branch departments and appointed by the president; terms of judges and members determined by the president

subordinate courts

Courts of Appeal (4); Regional Courts (20); district courts (120); county courts

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of:Federal Council or Bundesrat (61 seats - currently 60; members appointed by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 seats in proportion to its population; members serve 5- or 6-year terms)National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Federal Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 42.6%, SPOe 31.2%. FPOe 16.4%, The Greens 8.2%, NEOS 1.6%; seats by party - OeVP 26, SPOe 19, FPOe 10, The Greens 5, NEOS 1; composition (as of August 2023) - men 31, women 29, percent of women 48.3% National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 37.5%, SPOe 21.2%, FPOe 16.2%, The Greens 13.9%, NEOS 8.1%, other 3.1%; seats by party - OeVP 71, SPOe 40, FPOe 31, The Greens 26, NEOS 15; composition (as of August 2023) - men 110, women 73, percent of women 39.9%; note - total Federal Assembly percentage of women 42%

elections

Federal Council - last appointed in 2021National Council - last held on 29 September 2019 (next to be held in 2024); note - election was originally scheduled for 2022, but President VAN DER BELLEN called for an early election

National anthem

lyrics/music

Paula von PRERADOVIC/Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART or Johann HOLZER (disputed)

name

"Bundeshymne" (Federal Hymn)

note

note 1: adopted 1947; the anthem is also known as "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" (Land of the Mountains, Land by the River); Austria adopted a new national anthem after World War II to replace the former imperial anthem composed by Franz Josef HAYDN, which had been appropriated by Germany in 1922 and was thereafter associated with the Nazi regime; a gender-neutral version of the lyrics was adopted by the Austrian Federal Assembly in fall 2011 and became effective 1 January 2012note 2: the beloved waltz "The Blue Danube" ("An der schoenen, blauen Donau"), composed in 1866 by the Austrian composer Johann STRAUSS II, is consistently referred to as Austria's unofficial national anthem 

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Historic Salzburg (c); Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn (c); Halstadt–Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape (c); Semmering railway (c); Historic Graz and Schloss Eggenberg (c); Wachau Cultural Landscape (c); Historic Vienna (c); Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (c); Baden bei Wien (c); Primeval Beech Forests - Dürrenstein, Kalkalpen (n)

total World Heritage Sites

12 (11 cultural, 1 natural)

National holiday

National Day (commemorates passage of the law on permanent neutrality), 26 October (1955)

National symbol(s)

eagle, edelweiss, Alpine gentian; national colors: red, white

Political parties and leaders

Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Karl NEHAMMER]Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Herbert KICKL]The Greens - The Green Alternative [Werner KOGLER]NEOS - The New Austria and Liberal Forum [Beate MEINL-REISINGER]Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Pamela RENDI-WAGNER]

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

milk, maize, sugar beet, wheat, barley, potatoes, pork, triticale, grapes, apples

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

3.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on food

9.8% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$215.485 billion (2019 est.)

revenues

$218.48 billion (2019 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

AA+ (2015)

Moody's rating

Aa1 (2016)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

AA+ (2012)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2019

$10.636 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

$12.897 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

$1.627 billion (2021 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$686.196 billion (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$688.434 billion (2019 est.)

Economic overview

one of the strongest EU and euro economies; diversified trade portfolios and relations; enormous trade economy; Russian energy dependence, but investing in alternative energy; aging labor force but large refugee population; large government debt

Exchange rates

Currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

0.885 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

0.847 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

0.893 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$247.738 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$224.734 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$268.277 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - commodities

vaccines and cultures, cars, packaged medicines, vehicle parts, broadcasting equipment (2021)

Exports - partners

Germany 28%, United States 7%, Italy 6%, Switzerland 5% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

54.2% (2017 est.)

government consumption

19.5% (2017 est.)

household consumption

52.1% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-50.7% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

23.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

1.6% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

1.3% (2017 est.)

industry

28.4% (2017 est.)

services

70.3% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$445.025 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2019

30.2 (2019 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

23.5% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%

2.8%

Imports

Imports 2019

$231.992 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$211.736 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2021

$265.769 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

cars, vehicle parts, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, packaged medical supplies (2019)

Imports - partners

Germany 39%, Italy 7%, Czechia 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

6.77% (2021 est.)

Industries

construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and paper, electronics, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

1.53% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

1.38% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

2.77% (2021 est.)

Labor force

4.661 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

13.3% (2018 est.)

Public debt

note

note: this is general government gross debt, defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year; it covers the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; as a percentage of GDP, the GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product in current year prices

Public debt 2018

84.16% of GDP (2018 est.)

Public debt 2019

83.05% of GDP (2019 est.)

Public debt 2020

99.91% of GDP (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$495.557 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$463.574 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$484.698 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

1.52% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-6.45% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

4.56% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$55,800 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$52,000 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$54,100 (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019

$23.616 billion (31 December 2019 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020

$30.44 billion (31 December 2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021

$33.957 billion (31 December 2021 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

24.19% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2019

4.49% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate 2020

5.36% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

6.3% (2021 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

11.3%

male

11.5%

total

11.4% (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

10.508 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

17.695 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

37.336 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

65.54 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

4.899 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

1,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

3.667 million metric tons (2020 est.)

production

1.327 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

69,905,200,000 kWh (2020 est.)

exports

22,918,265,000 kWh (2020 est.)

imports

24.522 billion kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

28.376 million kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

3.192 billion kWh (2020 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

7.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

17.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

62.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

2.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

9.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

171.299 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

9.208 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports

2.8 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

imports

14.11 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

production

924.5 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

proven reserves

5.04 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

168,300 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

35.2 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

278,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

20,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

49,960 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

135,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

186,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

29 (2020 est.)

total

2.606 million (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

worldwide cable and satellite TV are available; the public incumbent ORF competes with three other major, several regional domestic, and up to 400 international TV stations; TV coverage is in principle 100%, but only 90% use broadcast media; Internet streaming not only complements, but increasingly replaces regular TV stations (2019)

Communications - note

note 1: the Austrian National Library contains important collections of the Imperial Library of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Empire, as well as of the Austrian Republic; among its more than 12 million items are outstanding holdings of rare books, maps, globes, papyrus, and music; its Globe Museum is the only one in the worldnote 2: on 1 October 1869, Austria-Hungary introduced the world's first postal card - postal stationery with an imprinted stamp indicating the prepayment of postage; simple and cheap (sent for a fraction of the cost of a regular letter), postal cards became an instant success, widely produced in the millions worldwidenote 3: Austria followed up with the creation of the world's first commercial picture postcards - cards bearing a picture or photo to which postage is affixed - in May 1871; sent from Vienna, the image served as a souvenir of the city; together, postal cards and post cards served as the world's e-mails of the late 19th and early 20th centuriesnote 4: Austria was also an airmail pioneer; from March to October of 1918, it conducted the world's first regular (daily) airmail service - between the imperial cities of Vienna, Krakow, and Lemberg - a combined distance of some 650 km (400 mi) (earlier airmail services had been set up in a few parts of the world but only for short stretches, and none lasted beyond a few days or weeks); an expansion of the route in June of 1918 allowed private mail to be flown to Kyiv, in newly independent Ukraine, which made the route the world's first regular international airmail service (covering a distance of some 1,200 km; 750 mi)

Internet country code

.at

Internet users

percent of population

93% (2021 est.)

total

8.277 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

developed and efficient; 43 per 100 fixed telephone subscriptions; 122 per 100 mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)

general assessment

mature telecom market; the mobile market benefits from a growing number of Mobile Virtual Network Operators; the telcos as well as the government and regulator have been focused on delivering improved telecom infrastructure; the government has a program to provide a national gigabit service by 2030, delivered by private enterprise though with some state funding; this is based on fiber networks supported by 5G, with the Mobile Network Operators able to expand the reach of their 5G services following auctions held in March 2019 and September 2020; the fixed-line broadband market is still dominated by the DSL sector, while the cable broadband sector has held a steady share of connections in recent years; the fiber sector was slow to develop, and although fiber remains low there are plans to build out the network infrastructure (2021)

international

country code - 43; earth stations available in the Astra, Intelsat, Eutelsat satellite systems (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

43 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

3,808,709 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

122 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

10,882,217 (2021 est.)

Airports

50 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

civil airports

5

military airports

1

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

other airports

18

total

24

Airports - with unpaved runways

28

note

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

OE

Heliports

1 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

other 1

total

1 (2022)

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

373.51 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

12,935,505 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

130

number of registered air carriers

11 (2020)

Pipelines

1,888 km gas, 594 km oil, 157 km refined products (2017)

Ports and terminals

river port(s)

Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna (Danube)

Railways

total

6,123 km (2022) 3,523 km electrified

Roadways

paved

137,039 km (2018) (includes 2,232 km of expressways)

total

137,039 km (2018)

Waterways

358 km (2011)

Military - note

the military’s primary responsibilities are national defense and protecting Austria’s neutrality; it also has some domestic security and disaster response responsibilities and contributes to international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions; Austria has been constitutionally militarily non-aligned since 1955 but is an EU member and actively participates in EU peacekeeping and crisis management operations under the EU Common Security and Defense Policy; Austria is not a member of NATO but joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework in 1995 and participates in some NATO-led crisis management and peacekeeping operations; it has provided troops to international peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU), Kosovo (NATO), and Lebanon (UN) in recent years; more than 100,000 Austrian military and civilian personnel have taken part in more than 50 international peace support and humanitarian missions since 1960the Land Forces comprise the bulk of the military, and they are organizationally divided between territorial and operational forces; each of the nine federal states has a military command that provides a link between the military and civil authorities; the main tasks of these commands include providing military assistance during disasters and supporting security police operations; these military commands have an infantry battalion, a militia battalion (Vienna has two), and typically a militia engineer/pioneer company at their disposal; the operational Land Forces are four combat brigades: a rapid reaction/”fast forces” (schnelle kräftewith) brigade with mechanized and motorized forces, an armored/mechanized infantry (panzer grenadier) brigade, a mountain infantry brigade (gebirgsbrigade), and a light infantry brigade (jägerbrigade) that includes airborne and air assault troops; Austria has separate special operations and cyber defense forces; the Air Forces have a small number of European-made multipurpose fighter aircraftAustria has a militia system that provides important support to the active military; the militia is comprised of men and women who have done their basic military or training service and continue to perform a task in the armed forces; they are integrated into the military but have civilian jobs and only participate in exercises or operations; missions for the militia may include providing disaster relief, assisting security police, and protecting critical infrastructure (energy, water, etc.), as well as deployments on missions abroad (2023)

Military and security forces

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer): Land Forces, Air Forces, Cyber Forces, Special Forces, Militia (reserves) (2023)

note

note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of the Interior 

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 20-25,000 active duty personnel (includes active militia) (2023)

Military deployments

170 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 250 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); 200 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons systems from European countries and the US; the Austrian defense industry produces a range of equipment and partners with other countries (2023)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2018

0.7% of GDP (2018)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.7% of GDP (2019)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.7% of GDP (2020)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.8% of GDP (2021)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.7% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military service age and obligation

registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; men above the age of 18 are subject to compulsory military service; women may volunteer; compulsory service is for 6 months, or optionally, alternative civil/community service (Zivildienst) for 9 months (2023)

note

note 1: as of 2022, women made up about 4% of the military's full-time personnelnote 2: in a January 2013 referendum, a majority of Austrians voted in favor of retaining the system of compulsory military service (with the option of alternative/non-military service) instead of switching to a professional army system; approximately 40% of those liable to compulsory service have opted in favor of  alternative civil/community service

Disputes - international

none identified

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

68,700 (Syria), 43,725 (Afghanistan), 10,110 (Iraq), 8,684 (Somalia), 7,294 (Iran), 6,124 (Russia) (mid-year 2022); 81,870 (Ukraine) (as of 4 December 2023)

stateless persons

3,219 (2022)

Space agency/agencies

Aeronautics and Space Agency (established in 1972 as the Austrian Space Agency) (2023)

Space program overview

has a national space program and is a member of the European Space Agency (ESA); develops, builds, operates, and tracks satellites, including remote sensing (RS) and research/scientific satellites; works closely with member states of ESA, the EU, and the commercial sector to develop a range of space capabilities and technologies, including applications for satellite payloads, space flight, and space research; has also cooperated with other foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, India, Russia, and the US (2023)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

61.45 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

6.34 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

11.51 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Climate

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

Environment - current issues

some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe; water pollution; the Danube, as well as some of Austria’s other rivers and lakes, are threatened by pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Antarctic-Environmental Protection

Land use

agricultural land

38.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 16.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)

forest

47.2% (2018 est.)

other

14.4% (2018 est.)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Constance (shared with Switzerland and Germany) - 540 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Donau (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.07% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

77.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

720 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

2.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

720 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

59.5% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

4.836 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

1,240,918 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

25.7% (2015 est.)