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 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Geographic coordinates: 47 20 N, 13 20 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 83,871 km²
Land: 82,445 km²
Water: 1426 km²
Rank: 114
Comparative: about the size of South Carolina; slightly more than two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 2,524 km
Border countries: (8) 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

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 910 m
Lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
Highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 38.4% (2016 est.)
Forest: 47.2% (2016 est.)
Other: 14.4% (2016 est.)

Irrigated land: 1170 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

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

Population
Distribution: the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas: 8,859,449 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 97
Growth rate: 0.35% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 166
Below poverty line: 3% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Austrian(s)
Adjective: Austrian

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: data represent population by country of birth

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.)

Religions:

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.01% (male 635,803/female 605,065)
15-24 years: 10.36% (male 466,921/female 451,248)
25-54 years: 41.35% (male 1,831,704/female 1,831,669)
55-64 years: 14.41% (male 635,342/female 641,389)
65 years and over: 19.87% (male 768,687/female 991,621) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.6
Youth dependency ratio: 21.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.9
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 44.5 years
Male: 43.1 years
Female: 45.8 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 14

Population growth rate: 0.35% (2020 est.)
Rank: 166

Birth rate: 9.5 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 194

Death rate: 9.8 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 39

Net migration rate: 3.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 32

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 58.7% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.59% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.930 million VIENNA (capital) (2020)

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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.3 years (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 203

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.9 years
Male: 79.2 years
Female: 84.7 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 25

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 202

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 79% (2019)
Note: percent of women aged 16-49

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 10.4% (2017)

Physicians density: 5.17 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 7.4 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 118
People living with hivaids: 7,400 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 113
Deaths note: <100 (2017 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.1% (2016)
Rank: 105

Education expenditures: 5.4% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 37

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 16 years (2018)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Austria
Conventional short form: Austria
Local long form: Republik Oesterreich
Local short form: Oesterreich
Etymology: the name Oesterreich means eastern realm or eastern march 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

Government type: federal parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Vienna
Geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
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 earlier settlements of the area; a Celtic town of Vedunia, established about 500 B.C., came under Roman dominance around 15 B.C. and became known as Vindobona; archeological remains of the latter survive at many sites in the center of Vienna

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

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)

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

Constitution
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
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 2018

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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017)
Head of government: Sebastian KURZ elected chancellor (since 2 January 2020)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 24 April 2016 (first round), 22 May 2016 (second round, which was annulled), and 4 December 2016 (second round re-vote) (next election to be held in April 2022); 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
Election results: 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%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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

Political parties and leaders: Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Sebastian KURZ]Communist Party of Austria or KPOe [Mirko MESSNER]Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Heinz-Christian STRACHE]The Greens [Werner KOGLER]NEOS - The New Austria [Beate MEINL-REISINGER]NOW-Pilz List (JETZT-Liste Pilz) or PILZ [Maria STERN]Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Pamela RENDI-WAGNER]

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, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Martin WEISS (since 6 January 2020)
In the us chancery: 3,524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008-3,035
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 895-6,700
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 895-6,750
In the us consulate:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Trevor TRAINA (since 24 May 2018)
From the us telephone: [43] (1) 31,339-0
From the us embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna
From the us mailing address: Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090 Vienna, Austria
From the us FAX: [43] (1) 3,100,682

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

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

National anthem
Name: Bundeshymne (Federal Hymn)
Lyricsmusic: Paula von PRERADOVIC/Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART or Johann HOLZER (disputed)
Note: 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 gendered version of the lyrics was adopted by the Austrian Federal Assembly in fall 2011 and became effective 1 January 2012

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 156

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 29

Gross national saving:
Rank: 43

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 52.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.6% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 54.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -50.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 28.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 70.3% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: grains, potatoes, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber and other forestry products

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

Industrial production growth rate: 6.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 35

Labor force: 3.739 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 94
By occupation agriculture: 0.7%
By occupation industry: 25.2%
By occupation services: 74.1% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 117

Population below poverty line: 3% (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.8%
Highest 10: 23.5% (2012 est.)

Budget
Revenues: 201.7 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 204.6 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 67

Taxes and other revenues: 48.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 18

Public debt:
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
Rank: 37

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 88

Current account balance:
Rank: 21

Exports:
Rank: 28
Partners: Germany 29.4%, US 6.3%, Italy 6.2%, Switzerland 5.1%, France 4.8%, Slovakia 4.8% (2017)
Commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, manufactured goods, chemicals, iron and steel, foodstuffs

Imports:
Rank: 29
Commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products, natural gas; foodstuffs
Partners: Germany 41.8%, Italy 5.8%, Switzerland 5.5%, Czech Republic 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 57

Debt external:
Rank: 19

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 60.78 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 48
Consumption: 64.6 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 41
Exports: 19.21 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 9
Imports: 26.37 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 6
Installed generating capacity: 24.79 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 36
Generation sources fossil fuels: 25% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 187
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 41
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 43% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 45
Generation sources other renewable sources: 31% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 17

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 13,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 75
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 88
Crude oil imports: 146,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 37
Crude oil proven reserves: 41.2 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 78

Refined petroleum
Products production: 186,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 54
Products consumption: 268,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 47
Products exports: 49,960 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 55
Products imports: 135,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 42

Natural gas
Production: 1.274 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 62
Consumption: 9.486 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 50
Exports: 5.437 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 29
Imports: 14.02 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 22
Proven reserves: 6.513 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 84

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 63.93 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 53

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,700,006
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41.91 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 38
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 10,574,725
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119.78 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 85

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)

Internet
Country code: .at
Users total: 7,712,665
Users percent of population: 87.71% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 63

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,521,100
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (2018 est.)
Rank: 49

Military expenditures:
Rank: 132

Military and security forces: Austrian Armed Forces: Land Forces Command, Air Forces Command, plus a Logistics Command and Service Support & Cyber Defence Command (2019)

Military service age and obligation: registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service (6 months), or optionally, alternative civil/community service (9 months); males 18 to 50 years old in the militia or inactive reserve are subject to compulsory service; in a January 2012 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 (2015)

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) (2020)
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 a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 11 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 130
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,935,505 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 373.51 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: OE (2016)

Airports: 50 (2020)
Rank: 90
With paved runways total: 24 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 13 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 28 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 24 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 1888 km gas, 594 km oil, 157 km refined products (2017)

Railways
Total: 5,800 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (3,826 km electrified) (2016)
Standard gauge: 5,300 km
Rank: 33

Roadways
Total: 137,039 km (2018)
Paved: 137,039 km
Note: (includes 2,232 km of expressways) (2018)
Rank: 39

Waterways: 358 km (2011)
Rank: 89

Ports and terminals
River port: Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna (Danube)

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 51,955 (Syria), 37,276 (Afghanistan), 8,664 (Russia), 8,568 (Iraq), 7,636 (Somalia), 6,393 (Iran) (2018)
Stateless persons: 1,132 (2019)

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