Austria

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Austria}}

[[File:AuVorarlberg5.JPG|upright=1.25|thumb|Children in Austria, near [[Au, Vorarlberg|Au]], Vorarlberg|alt=]]
Austria's population was estimated to be nearly 9 million (8.9) in 2020 by [[Statistik Austria]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistik Austria |title=STATISTIK AUSTRIA – Presse |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse/075280 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228153810/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse/075280 |archive-date=28 February 2014 |access-date=4 April 2014 |website=statistik.at }}</ref> The population of the capital, [[Vienna]], exceeds 1.9&nbsp;million<ref name="Vienna pop">{{Cite web |date=31 October 2006 |title=Probezählung 2006 – Bevölkerungszahl |url=http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/pz1/g90001.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081942/http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/pz1/g90001.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2009 |access-date=27 May 2009 |website=Statistik Austria |language=de }}</ref> (2.6&nbsp;million, including the suburbs), representing about a quarter of the country's population. It is known for its cultural offerings and high standard of living.

Vienna is by far the country's largest city. [[Graz]] is second in size, with 291,007 inhabitants, followed by [[Linz]] (206,604), [[Salzburg]] (155,031), [[Innsbruck]] (131,989), and [[Klagenfurt]] (101,303). All other cities have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.

According to [[Eurostat]], in 2018 there were 1.69&nbsp;million [[foreign born|foreign-born]] residents in Austria, corresponding to 19.2% of the total population; 928,700 (10.5%) were born outside the EU and 762,000 (8.6%) were born in another EU member state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Migration and migrantpopulation statistics |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1275.pdf |website=www.ec.europa.eu |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120142716/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1275.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> There are more than 483,100 descendants of foreign-born immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population – Austria |url=https://www.austria.org/population |publisher=Austrian Press & Information Service in the United States, Embassy of Austria |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808130926/https://www.austria.org/population/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Turks in Austria|Turks]] form one of the largest ethnic groups in Austria, numbering around 350,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 November 2010 |title=Turkey's ambassador to Austria prompts immigration spat |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11725311 |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919151104/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11725311 |url-status=live }}</ref> 13,000 Turks were naturalised in 2003 and an unknown number have arrived in Austria at the same time. While 2,000 Turks left Austria in the same year, 10,000 immigrated to the country, confirming a strong trend of growth.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bell |first=Bethany |date=24 December 2002 |title=Europe &#124; Back to school for Austria immigrants |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2593717.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030523192030/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2593717.stm |archive-date=23 May 2003 }}</ref> Together, [[Serbs]], [[Croats]], [[Bosniaks]], [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], and [[Slovenes]] make up about 5.1% of Austria's total population. The Council of Europe estimates that approximately 25,000 [[Romani people]] live in Austria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|title=Austria - European Commission|access-date=22 September 2023|archive-date=6 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006032733/https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) in 2017 was estimated at 1.52 children born per woman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=AUSTRIA |first=STATISTIK |title=Bevölkerung |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/bevoelkerung/index.html |access-date=24 August 2017 |website=Statistik.at |archive-date=19 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319164013/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/bevoelkerung/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> below the replacement rate of 2.1, it remains considerably below the high of 4.83 children born per woman in 1873.<ref>{{Citation |last=Roser |first=Max |title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last two centuries |date=2014 |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT |work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]] |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=2 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502180300/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, 42.1% of births were to unmarried women.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurostat – Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527142604/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |archive-date=27 May 2016 |access-date=17 July 2017 |website=ec.europa.eu }}</ref> Austria had [[List of countries by median age#CIA figures|the 14th oldest population in the world]] in 2020, with the average age of 44.5 years.<ref name="cia.age">{{Cite web |title=Median age – The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison |access-date=15 August 2022 |website=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523225144/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[life expectancy]] in 2016 was estimated at 81.5 years (78.9 years male, 84.3 years female).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528191952/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html |archive-date=28 May 2014 |access-date=17 July 2017 |website=www.cia.gov }}</ref>

Statistics Austria estimates that the population will grow to 10.55&nbsp;million people by 2080 due to immigration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population Forecasts |url=https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/11/20221130Bevoelkerungsprognose2022.pdf |website=www.statistik.at |access-date=30 November 2022 |archive-date=30 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130135809/https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/11/20221130Bevoelkerungsprognose2022.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Largest cities===
{{Main|List of cities and towns in Austria}}

{{Largest cities
| country     = Austria
| stat_ref    = [[Statistik Austria|Statistik Austria 1 January 2014]]
| list_by_pop = <!-- link to the list of cities in the given country, if possible sorted by population -->
| div_name    = Federal state
| div_link    = <!-- the template will automatically create a link for "div_name of country" (e.g. Provinces of Chile), if this doesn't work you can use this field -->

| city_1  = Vienna| div_1 = Vienna| pop_1 = 1,812,605 | img_1 = Maria-Theresien-Platz Wien Sept 2020 1.jpg
| city_2  = Graz| div_2 = Styria| pop_2 = 269,997 | img_2 = Graz (35932179023).jpg
| city_3  = Linz| div_3 = Upper Austria| pop_3 = 193,814 | img_3 = Blick über Linz von der Franz-Josefs-Warte.jpg
| city_4  = Salzburg| div_4 = Salzburg (federal state){{!}}Salzburg | pop_4 = 146,631 | img_4 = Hohensalzburg-mw02.jpg
| city_5  = Innsbruck| div_5 = Tyrol (federal state){{!}}Tyrol| pop_5 = 124,579
| city_6  = Klagenfurt| div_6 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_6 = 96,640
| city_7  = Villach| div_7 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_7 = 60,004
| city_8  = Wels| div_8 = Upper Austria | pop_8 = 59,339
| city_9  = Sankt Pölten| div_9 = Lower Austria | pop_9 = 52,145
| city_10 = Dornbirn| div_10 = Vorarlberg | pop_10 = 46,883
| city_11 = Wiener Neustadt| div_11 = Lower Austria| pop_11 = 42,273
| city_12 = Steyr| div_12 = Upper Austria| pop_12 = 38,120
| city_13 = Feldkirch, Vorarlberg{{!}}Feldkirch| div_13 = Vorarlberg | pop_13 = 31,428
| city_14 = Bregenz| div_14 = Vorarlberg| pop_14 = 28,412
| city_15 = Leonding| div_16 = Lower Austria | pop_16 = 26,395
| city_16 = Klosterneuburg| div_15 = Upper Austria | pop_15 = 26,174
| city_17 = Baden bei Wien{{!}}Baden| div_17 = Lower Austria | pop_17 = 25,229
| city_18 = Wolfsberg, Carinthia{{!}}Wolfsberg| div_18 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_18 = 24,993
| city_19 = Leoben| div_19 = Styria | pop_19 = 24,466
| city_20 = Krems an der Donau{{!}}Krems| div_20 = Lower Austria | pop_20 = 24,085
}}

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of Austria}}
[[File:Oesterreichisches Woerterbuch 43. Auflage Deckel.jpg|thumb|right|The school version of the 43rd edition of the ''[[Österreichisches Wörterbuch]]'' for [[Austrian German|Austrian language]], 2018]]
The official language of current Austrian state has been [[German language|German]] since 1920, based on article 8 of [[Federal Constitutional Law|its constitution the same year]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|title=Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz Art. 8 (Austrian Constitution)|date=2023-11-23|language=de|access-date=26 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111174337/https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Austrian German]] or Austrian (a variety of [[Standard High German]]) is usually written in Austria and Italian [[South Tyrol]], it has been standardized in Austria since the [[Ministry of Education, Science and Research]] published the ''[[Österreichisches Wörterbuch]]'' in 1951, though used primarily just in education, publications, announcements, and websites. However, the ''de facto'' common spoken languages of Austria are not Austrian German taught in schools but [[Bavarian language|Bavarian]] and [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] dialects: Two [[Upper German]] local languages or collection of dialects with varying degrees of difficulty being understood by each other as well as by speakers of non-Austrian German dialects. Taken as a collective whole, [[German dialects|German languages or dialects]] are thus spoken natively by 88.6% of the population, which includes the 2.5% German-born citizens who reside in Austria, followed by Turkish (2.28%), Serbian (2.21%), Croatian (1.63%), English (0.73%), Hungarian (0.51%), Bosnian (0.43%), Polish (0.35%), Albanian (0.35%), Slovenian (0.31%), Czech (0.22%), Arabic (0.22%), and Romanian (0.21%).<ref name="Language">{{Cite web |title=Die Bevölkerung nach Umgangssprache, Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113171636/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2010 |access-date=17 November 2010 |publisher=Statistik Austria }}</ref>

The Austrian federal states [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] and [[Styria]] are home to a significant indigenous [[Carinthian Slovenes|Slovene-speaking minority]] while in the easternmost federal state, [[Burgenland]] (formerly part of the Hungarian portion of [[Austria-Hungary]]), there are significant [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]- and [[Croatian language|Croatian]]-speaking minorities. [[Burgenland Croatian]], Hungarian, and [[Slovenian language|Slovene]] are also recognized as [[official language]]s beside German in parts of Carinthia and Burgenland.<ref name="demokratiewebstatt.at" /><ref name="Regional Languages of Austria" />
[[File:Oberwart - Felsőőr.JPG|thumb|Bilingual sign of [[Oberwart]] (in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] ''Felsőőr'') in [[Burgenland]]]]
According to census information published by [[Statistik Austria]] for 2001<ref name="Language"/> there were a total of 710,926 foreign nationals living in Austria. Of these, the largest by far are 283,334 foreign nationals from the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|former Yugoslavia]] (of whom 135,336 speak Serbian; 105,487 Croatian; 31,591 Bosnian–i.e. 272,414 Austrian resident native speakers in total, plus 6,902 Slovenian and 4,018 [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] speakers).

===Ethnic groups===
Historically, before 1945, [[Austrians]] were regarded as ethnic [[Germans]] and viewed themselves as such, although 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.<ref name="Keyserlingk1990">{{Cite book |last=Keyserlingk |first=Robert H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7dhlsGPtyMC&pg=PA138 |title=Austria in World War II: An Anglo-American Dilemma |date=1 July 1990 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |isbn=978-0-7735-0800-2 |pages=138ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928052943/https://books.google.com/books?id=I7dhlsGPtyMC&pg=PA138 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thaler2001">{{Cite book |last=Thaler |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcjUA1kQk54C&pg=PA72 |title=The Ambivalence of Identity: The Austrian Experience of Nation-Building in a Modern Society |publisher=Purdue University Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-1-55753-201-5 |pages=72ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928131759/https://books.google.com/books?id=NcjUA1kQk54C&pg=PA72 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Wodak2009">{{Cite book |last=Wodak |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5ccx_uVfg0C&pg=PA56 |title=The Discursive Construction of National Identity |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-7486-3734-8 |pages=56ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928100457/https://books.google.com/books?id=W5ccx_uVfg0C&pg=PA56 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Austria was part of [[East Francia]] ([[Kingdom of Germany]]) and the [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]] from 996 to 1806 and was part of the [[German Confederation]], a loose [[confederation]] of 39 predominantly German-speaking [[sovereign state]]s, from 1815 until the [[Austro-Prussian war]] in 1866, which resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation and the creation of the [[North German Confederation]] led by Prussia and excluding Austria. In 1871, Germany was [[Unification of Germany|founded as a nation-state]], Austria [[German question|was not a part of it]]. After World War I and the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" ([[Republic of German-Austria]]) and that it was part of the [[Weimar Republic|German Republic]]. A unification of the two countries was forbidden by the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] as one of the conditions imposed by the victorious [[Allies of World War I]] upon the vanquished nation, to prevent the creation of a territorially extensive German state. In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany. After the events of World War II and [[Nazism]], Austria declared independence from Germany on 27 April 1945 and [[Austrian nationalism|Austrian]] [[national identity]] has been popular in Austria since then, and nowadays Austrians do not consider themselves as Germans but as ethnic Austrians.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2008 |title=Österreicher fühlen sich heute als Nation |url=http://derstandard.at/3261105 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010231817/http://derstandard.at/3261105 |archive-date=10 October 2012 |access-date=25 March 2013 |publisher=Derstandard.at }}</ref>

Austrians today may be described either as a [[nationality]] or as a homogeneous [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[ethnic group]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |title=One Europe, many nations: a historical dictionary of European national groups |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-313-30984-7 |page=769 |access-date=25 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321014815/http://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> that is closely related to neighbouring [[Germans]], [[Liechtensteiners]], and [[German-speaking Switzerland|German-speaking]] [[Swiss people|Swiss]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Jeffrey |title=Ethnic groups of Europe |pages=23 |author-link=Jeffrey Cole}}</ref> Today 91.1% of the population are regarded as ethnic Austrians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria – people and society – ethnic groups |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |access-date=29 May 2013 |publisher=CIA – The world fact book |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110074413/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:COB data Austria.PNG|upright=1.25|thumb|The birthplaces of foreign-born naturalised residents of Austria]]
The [[Turks in Austria|Turks]] are the largest single immigrant group in Austria,<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Austria: Turks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429011430/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html |date=29 April 2011 }}. Minority Rights Group International, ''World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Austria: Turks, 2008.'' Online. UNHCR Refworld</ref> closely followed by the [[Serbs in Austria|Serbs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beč: Božić na gastarbajterski način &#124; Evropa &#124; Deutsche Welle &#124; 07.01.2010 |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5096611,00.html?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104161123/http://www.dw.de/be%C4%8D-bo%C5%BEi%C4%87-na-gastarbajterski-na%C4%8Din/a-5096611-1?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb |archive-date=4 November 2013 |access-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=Dw-world.de }}</ref> Serbs form one of the largest ethnic groups in Austria, numbering around 300,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Palić |first=Svetlana |date=17 July 2011 |title=Četiri miliona Srba našlo uhlebljenje u inostranstvu |work=Blic |url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026114845/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu |archive-date=26 October 2015 |quote=Austriji (300.000) }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2008 |title=Serben-Demo eskaliert in Wien |work=20 Minuten |publisher=[[20 Minuten|20 Minuten Online]] |url=http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093 |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223062706/http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093 |archive-date=23 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2010 |title=Srbi u Austriji traže status nacionalne manjine |url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109205055/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine |archive-date=9 January 2015 |access-date=28 April 2016 |publisher=Blic |quote="Srba u Austriji ima oko 300.000, po brojnosti su drugi odmah iza Austrijanaca i više ih je od Slovenaca, Mađara i Gradištanskih Hrvata zajedno, koji po državnom ugovoru iz 1955. godine imaju status nacionalne manjine u Austriji", navodi se u saopštenju. }}</ref> Historically, Serbian immigrants moved to Austria during the time of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], when [[Vojvodina]] was under Imperial control. Following [[World War II]] the number of Serbs expanded again, and today the community is very large. The Austrian Serbian Society was founded in 1936. Today, Serbs in Austria are mainly found in [[Vienna]], [[Salzburg]], and [[Graz]].

Of the remaining number of Austria's people who are of non-Austrian descent, many come from surrounding countries, especially from the former [[Eastern Bloc|East Bloc]] nations. [[foreign worker|Guest workers]] ''(Gastarbeiter)'' and their descendants, as well as refugees from the [[Yugoslav wars]] and other conflicts, also form an important [[minority group]] in Austria. Since 1994 the [[Romani people]] and [[Sinti]] have been an officially recognised ethnic minority in Austria.

An estimated 13,000 to 40,000 [[Slovenes]] in the Austrian federal state [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] (the [[Carinthian Slovenes]]) as well as [[Croats]] (around 30,000)<ref>{{Cite web |title=HKDC Geschichte – Frame |url=http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706090820/http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm |archive-date=6 July 2011 |access-date=21 November 2008 |publisher=Croates.at}}</ref> and [[Hungarians]] in Burgenland were recognised as a minority and have had special rights following the Austrian State Treaty ({{Lang|de|Staatsvertrag}}) of 1955.<ref name="johnson 153"/> The Slovenes in the Austrian federal state [[Styria]] (estimated at a number between 1,600 and 5,000) are not recognised as a minority and do not have special rights, although the State Treaty of 27 July 1955 states otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Treaty (with annexes and maps) for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria. Signed at Vienna, on 15 May 1955 - dipublico.org |url=https://www.dipublico.org/100823/state-treaty-with-annexes-and-maps-for-the-re-establish%c2%adment-of-an-independent-and-democratic-austria-signed-at-vienna-on-15-may-1955 |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=www.dipublico.org |language=es |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090109/https://www.dipublico.org/100823/state-treaty-with-annexes-and-maps-for-the-re-establish%c2%adment-of-an-independent-and-democratic-austria-signed-at-vienna-on-15-may-1955/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Austria}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Austria (2021)<ref name="Religion2021">{{Cite web |title=Religionszugehörigkeit 2021: drei Viertel bekennen sich zu einer Religion |trans-title=2021 religious affiliation: three fourths profess a religion |url=https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804235308/https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf |archive-date=4 August 2022 |type=with comparative data from the censuses from 1951 to 2021}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]
|value1 = 55.2
|color1 = DarkOrchid
|label2 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
|value2 = 4.9
|color2 = Orchid
|label3 = [[Protestantism]]
|value3 = 3.8
|color3 = DodgerBlue
|label4 = [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholicism]]
|value4 = 0.1
|color4 = DeepSkyBlue
|label5 = [[List of Christian denominations|Other Christians]]
|value5 = 4.2
|color5 = LightBlue
|label6 = [[Islam in Austria|Islam]]
|value6 = 8.3
|color6 = Green
|label7 = [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhism]]
|value7 = 0.3
|color7 = Orange
|label8 = [[Hinduism in Austria|Hinduism]]
|value8 = 0.1
|color8 = Yellow
|label9 = [[History of the Jews in Austria|Judaism]]
|value9 = 0.1
|color9 = #0D98BA
|label10 = Other religions
|value10 = 0.7
|color10 = #C40234
|label11 = [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|value11 = 22.4
|color11 = Beige
}}
Austria was historically a strongly Roman Catholic country as the centre of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], which championed Roman Catholicism.<ref name="Zulehner 2004 1">{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2004 |title=Religion in Austria |publisher=Taylor & Francis |last=Zulehner |first=Paul M. |editor-last=Bischof |editor-first=Günter |series=Contemporary Austrian Studies |volume=13 |page=1 |isbn=978-0-7658-0823-3 |contribution=Religion in Austria |editor-last2=Pelinka |editor-first2=Anton |editor-last3=Denz |editor-first3=Hermann |contribution-url=https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:925751.pdf |access-date=2 February 2023 |archive-date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312193055/https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o:925751/download |url-status=live }}</ref> Although in the 16th century many Austrians converted to [[Protestantism|other denominations]] ([[Lutheranism]], in particular) as the [[Protestant Reformation]] (begun in 1517) spread across Europe, the Habsburgs enacted measures of [[Counter-Reformation]] as early as 1527 and harshly repressed Austrian evangelicalism; only a minority of Austrians remained Protestant.<ref name="Zulehner 2004 1"/> At least since the 1970s, a few decades after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy and the transformation of Austria into a [[federation|federal]] republic, there has been a continuous decline of Christianity (with the exception of Orthodox churches) and a proliferation of other religions, a process which has been particularly pronounced in [[Vienna]], with its large foreign and immigrant populations.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2012 |title=Religion in Austria |publisher=Praesens Verlag |editor-last=Hödl |editor-first=Hans Gerald |volume=2 |pages=219, 230 |isbn=978-3-7069-0763-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107224637/https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2022 |last2=Berghammer |first2=Caroline |last1=Potančoková |first1=Michaela |contribution=Urban Faith: Religious Change in Vienna and Austria, 1986–2013 |editor-last2=Pokorny |editor-first2=Lukas |contribution-url=https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf}}</ref>

In 2001, about 74% of Austria's population were registered as Roman Catholic,<ref name="Volkszählung">{{Cite web |title=Census 2001: Population 2001 according to religious affiliation and nationality |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114090849/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2007 |access-date=17 December 2007 |publisher=Statistik Austria |language=de }}</ref> while about 5% considered themselves [[Protestant]]s.<ref name="Volkszählung"/> Austrian Christians, both Roman Catholic and Protestant,{{Efn|Tax is mandatory only for [[Lutherans]] and [[Reformed church|Reformed Christians]]}} are obliged to pay a mandatory membership fee (calculated by income — about 1%) to their churches; this payment is called the ''Kirchenbeitrag'' ("ecclesiastical contribution").

From the second half of the 20th century, the number of adherents and churchgoers has declined. Data for 2018 from the Austrian Roman Catholic Church list 5,050,000 members, or 56.9% of the total Austrian population, yet Sunday [[church attendance]] was only 605,828, or 7% of the total Austrian population in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katholische Kirche Österreichs, Statistik |url=http://www.katholisch.at/statistik |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314100023/http://www.katholisch.at/statistik |archive-date=14 March 2013 |access-date=12 February 2017 }}</ref> Additionally, the Lutheran church recorded a loss of 74,421 adherents between 2001 and 2016.

The 2001 census reported that about 12% of the population declared themselves [[irreligion|without a religion]];<ref name="Volkszählung"/> according to ecclesiastical information, this share had grown to 20% by 2015<ref name="Kista">[http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html Church data] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116063732/http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html |date=16 January 2013 }} retrieved 14 January 2015</ref> and further increased to 22.4% (1,997,700 people) in 2021.<ref name=Religion2021/> Of the remaining population, around 340,000 were registered as members of various Muslim communities in 2001, originating chiefly from [[Turkey]], [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], and [[Kosovo]];<ref name="Volkszählung"/> the number of Muslims doubled in the fifteen years to 2016, to 700,000,<ref>[http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt Zahl der Muslime in Österreich seit 2001 verdoppelt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920155004/http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt |date=20 September 2017 }} diepresse.com, 4 August 2017.</ref> and reached 745,600 in 2021.<ref name=Religion2021/> In 2021, another 436,700 residents of Austria (mostly [[Serbs]]) were members of [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]es, 26,600 were [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhists]], 10,100 were [[Hinduism in Austria|Hindus]], about 21,800 were active [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and 5,400 were [[Jews]].<ref name=Religion2021/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fast Facts—Austria |url=https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT |access-date=15 August 2022 |publisher=Jehovah's Witnesses (JW.ORG) |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518162403/https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the [[Eurobarometer]] 2010,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 |access-date=21 February 2013 |edition=Fieldwork: Jan–Feb 2010 }}</ref>
* 44% of Austrian citizens "believe there is a God";
* 38% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and
* 12% "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".

===Education===
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}
{{Main|Education in Austria}}

[[File:Melk - Stift (0).JPG|thumb|left|[[Stiftsgymnasium Melk]] is the oldest Austrian school.]]
Education in Austria is entrusted partly to the [[Federal states of Austria|Austrian federal states]] and partly to the national government. School attendance is [[compulsory education|compulsory]] for nine years, i.e. usually to the age of fifteen.

[[Pre-school]] education (called ''Kindergarten'' in Austrian German), free in most federal states, is provided for all children between the ages of three and six years and, whilst optional, is considered a normal part of a child's education due to its high takeup rate. Maximum class size is around 30, each class normally being cared for by one qualified teacher and one assistant.

Primary education, or ''[[Volksschule]]'', lasts for four years, starting at age six. The maximum class size is 30, but may be as low as 15. It is generally expected that a class will be taught by one teacher for the entire four years and the stable bond between teacher and pupil is considered important for a child's well-being. The [[The three Rs|3Rs]] (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) dominate lesson time, with less time allotted to project work than in the UK. Children work individually and all members of a class follow the same plan of work. There is no [[Streaming (education)|streaming]].

Standard attendance times are 8&nbsp;am to 12&nbsp;pm or 1&nbsp;pm, with hourly five- or ten-minute breaks. Children are given homework daily from the first year. Historically there has been no lunch hour, with children returning home to eat. However, due to a rise in the number of mothers in work, primary schools are increasingly offering pre-lesson and afternoon care.

[[File:Wien - Universität (3).JPG|thumb|The [[University of Vienna]]]]
[[File:Wien 02 Campus WU a.jpg|thumb| The campus of the [[Vienna University of Economics and Business]]]]

Secondary education consists of two main types of schools, attendance at which is based on a pupil's ability as determined by grades from the primary school. The [[Gymnasium (school)|''Gymnasium'']] caters for the more able children, in the final year of which the [[Matura]] examination is taken, which is a requirement for access to university. The [[Hauptschule]] prepares pupils for vocational education but also for various types of further education ([[Höhere Technische Lehranstalt]] HTL = institution of higher technical education; HAK = commercial academy; HBLA = institution of higher education for economic business; etc.). Attendance at one of these further education institutes also leads to the [[Matura]]. Some schools aim to combine the education available at the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule, and are known as ''Gesamtschulen''. In addition, a recognition of the importance of learning English has led some Gymnasiums to offer a bilingual stream, in which pupils deemed able in languages follow a modified curriculum, a portion of the lesson time being conducted in English.

As at primary school, lessons at Gymnasium begin at 8&nbsp;am and continue with short intervals until lunchtime or early afternoon, with children returning home to a late lunch. Older pupils often attend further lessons after a break for lunch, generally eaten at school. As at primary level, all pupils follow the same plan of work. Great emphasis is placed on homework and frequent testing. Satisfactory marks in the end-of-the-year report ("Zeugnis") are a prerequisite for moving up ("aufsteigen") to the next class. Pupils who do not meet the required standard re-sit their tests at the end of the summer holidays; those whose marks are still not satisfactory are required to re-sit the year ("sitzenbleiben").

It is not uncommon for a pupil to re-sit more than one year of school. After completing the first two years, pupils choose between one of two strands, known as "Gymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on arts) or "Realgymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on science). Whilst many schools offer both strands, some do not, and as a result, some children move schools for a second time at age 12. At age 14, pupils may choose to remain in one of these two strands, or to change to a vocational course, possibly with a further change of school.
[[File:Vorplatz JKU Bibliothek.jpg|thumb|The campus of [[Johannes Kepler University Linz|JKU]] University of [[Linz]]]]
The Austrian university system had been open to any student who passed the [[Matura]] examination until recently. A 2006 bill allowed the introduction of entrance exams for studies such as Medicine. In 2001, an obligatory tuition fee ("''Studienbeitrag''") of €363.36 per term was introduced for all public universities. Since 2008, for all EU students the studies have been free of charge, as long as a certain time-limit is not exceeded (the expected duration of the study plus usually two terms tolerance).<ref name="Tuition">{{Cite web |date=1 January 2009 |title=Studying in Austria: Tuition Fee |url=http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/148/Seite.1480000.html#tuition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501221940/http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/148/Seite.1480000.html#tuition |archive-date=1 May 2009 |access-date=18 June 2009 |website=Help.gv.at }}</ref> When the time-limit is exceeded, the fee of around €363.36 per term is charged. Some further exceptions to the fee apply, e.g. for students with a year's salary of more than about €5000. In all cases, an obligatory fee of €20.20 is charged for the student union and insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HÖHE DES ÖH-BEITRAGES? |url=https://www.oeh.ac.at/service/oeh-beitrag |access-date=3 March 2020 |website=www.oeh.ac.at |language=de |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303080024/https://www.oeh.ac.at/service/oeh-beitrag |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Healthcare in Austria}}
[[File:Life expectancy in Austria.svg|alt=Life Expectancy in Austria over time|thumb|Life Expectancy in Austria over time]]
Even though Austria has a 0.9 health index and a [[life expectancy]] of 81 years,<ref>{{Cite web |title=STC Health Index |url=https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=globalresidenceindex.com |language=en |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225747/https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the country still faces numerous problems when it comes to health, one example being that 2 in 5 Austrians have a [[chronic condition]]. Cancer is a big problem in the country, as about 21,500 people died of this condition in 2019, having lung cancer as the primary cause of cancer deaths, probably linked to several risk factors in the country's population, as it is estimated that 40% of deaths in the country are caused by smoking, dietary risks, alcohol, low physical activity, and air pollution.
One of the most costly health services in the EU is located in Austria. In 2019, health spending per capita ranked third in the EU. Health-related [[Out-of-pocket expense|out-of-pocket expenditures]] are higher than the EU average.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |title=State of Health in the EU; Companion Report 2021 |date=2022 |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |isbn=978-92-76-45885-2}}</ref>

==== Medical personnel ====

With 5.2 physician per 1,000 inhabitants Austria has among the highest physician density in [[OECD]] countries. Overall, the country has 271 hospitals with a total of 45,596 physicians (data from 2017), about 54% of which work (also or primarily) in hospitals. Although Austria has the second highest physician rate in the [[European Union|EU]], a large share of physicians is tropical to retirement age (55 years and older), and may thus be at a higher risk of developing severe conditions in specimen of [[COVID-19 pandemic in Austria|COVID-19]] infection.

The number of nurses in Austria has been subject to debate in recent years with regard to definitions of qualifications and their interpretation in cross-country comparisons. A new mandatory health professional's registry was set up in 2018. However, for the elapsing of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, compulsory registration has been suspended. This implies that professional activities in long-term superintendency are moreover possible without registration until the end of the pandemic by late spring 2022 (Transition without the pandemic is still to be defined).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria: Health System Personnel |url=https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=World Health Systems Facts |language=en-US |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225748/https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel/ |url-status=live }}</ref>