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: 1,426 km²
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 (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
Highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
Lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m
Mean elevation: 910 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 38.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 47.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 14.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 382 km² (2016)

Major rivers
By length in km: Danube (shared with Germany [s], Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 720 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 2.695 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 77.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 77.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Population
Distribution: the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas: 8,913,088 (2022 est.)
Growth rate: 0.32% (2022 est.)
Below poverty line: 13.3% (2018 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.)
Major language samples:

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.)

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: 51.1
Youth dependency ratio: 21.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 29.4
Potential support ratio: 3.4 (2021 est.)

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

Population growth rate: 0.32% (2022 est.)

Birth rate: 9.45 births/1000 population (2022 est.)

Death rate: 9.85 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.55 migrant(s)/1000 population (2022 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 59.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

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-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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Antarctic-Environmental Protection

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 12.43 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 61.45 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 6.34 megatons (2020 est.)

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: 0.65 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.7 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.24 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.65 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.81 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.27 years
Male: 79.64 years
Female: 85.04 years (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.51 children born/woman (2022 est.)

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

Current health expenditure: 10.4% of GDP (2019)

Physicians density: 5.29 physicians/1000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 7.3 beds/1000 population (2018)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 11.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 6.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 3.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 26.4% (2020 est.)
Male: 27.7% (2020 est.)
Female: 25% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 16 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 11%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 10.7%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 11.3% (2021 est.)

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 early Celtic settlements of the area; a possible reconstructed Celtic name from several centuries B.C. is Vedunia (meaning "forest stream"); under Roman settlement, beginning around 15 B.C., the name became Vindobona (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

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 2020

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 descentonly: 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); note - President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN was re-elected to a second six-year term on 9 October 2022
Head of government: Chancellor Karl NEHAMMER (since 6 December 2021); note - Chancellor Alexander SCHALLENBERG resigned on 2 December 2021
Cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor
Elections and appointments: 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 9 October 2022 (first round), (second round, which was annulled), (next election to be held in 2,028); 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:

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of:
Federal Council or Bundesrat (61 seats; 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)
Elections: 
Federal Council - last appointed in 2021
National 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
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 March 2022) - men 36, women 25, percent of women 41% 
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 March 2022) - men 107, women 76, percent of women 41.5%

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 [Karl NEHAMMER]
Communist Party of Austria or KPOe [Mirko MESSNER]
Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Herbert KICKI]
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]

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, Wassenaar Arrangement, 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 email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Victoria Reggie KENNEDY (since 12 January 2022)
From the us embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090, Vienna
From the us mailing address: 9,900 Vienna Place, Washington DC 20,521-9,900
From the us telephone: [43] (1) 31,339-0
From the us FAX: [43] (1) 310-06-82
From the us email address and website:

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)
Lyrics and music: Paula von PRERADOVIC/Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART or Johann HOLZER (disputed)

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 12 (11 cultural, 1 natural)

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

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

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

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

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

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 11%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 10.7%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 11.3% (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line: 13.3% (2018 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.)

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

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

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.07% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Germany 28%, United States 7%, Italy 6%, Switzerland 5% (2019)
Commodities: cars, packaged medical supplies, vehicle parts, medical vaccines/cultures, flavored water (2019)

Imports:
Partners: Germany 39%, Italy 7%, Czechia 5% (2019)
Commodities: cars, vehicle parts, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, packaged medical supplies (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 28.376 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 69,905,200,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 22,918,265,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 24.522 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission distribution losses: 3.192 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 17.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 2.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 9.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 62.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 7.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.327 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4.899 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 1,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 3.667 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 20,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 278,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)
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
Products production: 186,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 49,960 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 135,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 924.5 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 9.208 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: $2.8 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 14.11 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.04 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 65.54 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 10.508 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 37.336 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 17.695 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 171.299 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,786,725 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 10,717,445 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119 (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)

Internet
Country code: .at
Users total: 7,846,840 (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 88% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2.606 million (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Austrian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Air Forces, Cyber Forces, Special ForcesAppendix T

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 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: OE

Airports
Total: 50 (2021)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 13 (2021)
With unpaved runways total: 28
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 24 (2021)

Heliports: 1 (2021)

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

Railways
Total: 5,300 km (2018) (2017)
Standard gauge: 5,300 km 1.435-m gauge (3,826 km electrified) (2016)

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

Waterways: 358 km (2011)

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: other 1 (2021)

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

Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 57,887 (Syria), 41,037 (Afghanistan), 9,661 (Iraq), 8,212 (Somalia), 7,046 (Iran), 7,003 (Russia) (mid-year 2021); 90,126 (Ukraine) (as of 20 December 2022)
Stateless persons: 3,229 (mid-year 2021)

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