Austria

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

• landslides;
• avalanches;
• earthquakes

noun:

Austrian(s)

adjective:

Austrian

total:

44.5 years (2025 est.)

male:

43.6 years

female:

46.3 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

3.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

82.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

80.1 years

female:

85.4 years

total:

11.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

6.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

3.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

1.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

19.7% (2025 est.)

male:

21.1% (2025 est.)

female:

18.3% (2025 est.)

• some forest degradation from air and soil pollution;
• soil pollution from agricultural chemicals;
• air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants, and from trucks transiting Austria;
• water pollution

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

urban population:

59.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

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

municipal solid waste generated annually:

5.22 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

36% (2022 est.)

municipal:

34.36 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

2.21 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

124 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

3

global geoparks and regional networks:

• Ore of the Alps;
• Styrian Eisenwurzen;
• Karawanken/Karavanke (includes Slovenia) (2023)

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" and dates to the 10th century;
• the designation refers to the fact that Austria was the easternmost extension of Bavaria and the German peoples;
• the word Austria is a Latinization of the German name

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 name may have evolved from the Roman name Vindobona, which was taken from the Celtic words vindo (white) and bona (fort)

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

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

amendment process:

• 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

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

chief of state:

President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (since 26 January 2017)

head of government:

Chancellor Christian STOCKER (since 3 March 2025)

cabinet:

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

election/appointment process:

• president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term);
• 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

most recent election date:

9 October 2022

election results:

• 2022: Alexander VAN DER BELLEN reelected in first round;
• percent of vote - Alexander VAN DER BELLEN (independent) 56.7%, Walter ROSENKRANZ (FPO) 17.7%, Dominik WLAZNY (Beer Party) 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%

expected date of next election:

2028

legislature name:

Parliament (Parlament)

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

National Council (Nationalrat)

number of seats:

183 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

9/29/2024

parties elected and seats per party:

• Freedom Party (FPÖ) (57);
• People's Party (ÖVP) (51);
• Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) (41);
• NEOS (“New Austria”) (18);
• Greens (16)

percentage of women in chamber:

35.5%

expected date of next election:

September 2029

chamber name:

Federal Council (Bundesrat)

number of seats:

60 (all indirectly elected)

parties elected and seats per party:

• People's Party (OVP) (22);
• Social Democratic Party (SPO) (18);
• Freedom Party (16);
• Greens (3);
• NEOS (New Austria) (1)

percentage of women in chamber:

46.7%

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

• Austrian People's Party or OeVP
• Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe
• The Greens - The Green Alternative
• NEOS - The New Austria and Liberal Forum
• Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe

chief of mission:

Ambassador Petra SCHNEEBAUER (since 19 APRIL 2023)

chancery:

3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone:

[1] (202) 895-6700

FAX:

[1] (202) 895-6750

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.austria.org/

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s):

Chicago

chief of mission:

Ambassador Art FISHER (since 19 November 2025)

embassy:

Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090, Vienna

mailing address:

9900 Vienna Place, Washington DC 20521-9900

telephone:

[43] (1) 31339 0

FAX:

[43] (1) 31339 2017

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://at.usembassy.gov/

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)

description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

history:

• one of the oldest national flags in the world;
• according to tradition, after a fierce battle in the Third Crusade in 1191, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became blood-spattered;
• when his sash was removed, a white band was revealed, and the red-white-red color combination was adopted as his banner

title:

"Bundeshymne" (Federal Hymn)

lyrics/music:

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

history:

• adopted 1947;
• Austria adopted a new national anthem after World War II to replace the former imperial anthem composed by Franz Josef HAYDN, which Germany had appropriated in 1922 and was thereafter associated with the Nazi regime;
• the Austrian Federal Assembly adopted a gender-neutral version of the lyrics in 2012

note: the beloved waltz "The Blue Danube" ("An der schoenen, blauen Donau"), composed in 1866 by Johann STRAUSS II, is widely considered Austria's unofficial national anthem

total World Heritage Sites:

12 (11 cultural, 1 natural)

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)

• 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

agriculture:

1.2% (2024 est.)

industry:

23.1% (2024 est.)

services:

65.3% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

11.7% (2024 est.)

male:

11.4% (2024 est.)

female:

12% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

10.1% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

3.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.8% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

24.6% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

1.288 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

5.403 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

2,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

4.179 million metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

18,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

244,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

35.2 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

548.976 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

6.971 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

7.084 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

5.04 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• public broadcaster, Oesterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), is a major player in the TV and radio markets;
• private broadcasters, cable, and satellite TV are available in most homes are widely used;
• some German stations carry programs for Austrian viewers;
• national and regional newspapers compete fiercely for readers;
• the print media are owned by a handful of mostly Austrian and German media groups (2023)

total:

1 (2023)

by type:

other 1

• the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from European countries and the US;
• the Austrian defense industry produces a range of equipment and partners with other countries (2025)

• 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 (2025)

note: Austria also has a One-Year Volunteer Program (Einjährig-Freiwilligen-Ausbildung) for men and women, which substitutes for compulsory military service and serves as a gateway for those interested in a long-term military career

• 210 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force);
• 100 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR);
• 160 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)

• established a national space program in 2002;
• develops, builds, operates, and tracks satellites, including remote sensing and research/scientific satellites;
• member of the ESA;
• works closely with ESA and EU member states and the commercial sector to develop a range of space capabilities and technologies, including applications for satellite payloads, space flight, and space research;
• participates in a range of ESA/EU programs, including
  • Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST),
  • Copernicus Earth observation,
  • and Galileo global navigation satellite system
  ;
• also cooperates with other foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, India, Russia, and the US (2025)

• 1981 - became an associate ESA member (full member in 1987)
• 1991 - first Austrian in space on Soviet Mir Space Station
• 2013 - first domestically built science/technology (star observation) satellites (TUGSAT-1 and UniBRITE) launched by India
• 2017 - worked with China to produce world’s first quantum-encrypted satellite communications teleconference from Beijing to Vienna
• 2024 - signed US-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for cooperative space exploration

refugees:

313,711 (2024 est.)

stateless persons:

3,919 (2024 est.)