Austria

federal republicIndependence 12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Austria as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalVienna

Area83,850 km2

Populationas each edition published it

7.64 million July 1990 · 9.17m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.55% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 39.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 76.4 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.5 children per woman 1990 · 1.35 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 3.2 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $18,000 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.8% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 83,850 km2

arable land 17%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 24%forest and woodland 39%other 19%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

83,850km2

land area: 82,730 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries

2,640km total

Czechoslovakia 548 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Switzerland 164 km, FRG 784 km, Yugoslavia 311 km

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with Alps in west and south; mostly flat, with gentle slopes along eastern and northern margins

Natural resources

iron ore, crude oil, timber, magnesite, aluminum, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower

Environment

because of steep slopes, poor soils, and cold temperatures, population is concentrated on eastern lowlands

Note

landlocked;
strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys;
major river is the Danube

People

14 fields

Population

7,644,275

(July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

12Death

11Net migration

Ethnic divisions

German 99.4%Croatian 0.3%Slovene 0.2%other 0.1%

Religion

Roman Catholic 85%Protestant 6%other 9%

Literacy

98%

Labor force

3,037,000;
56.4% services, 35.4% industry and crafts, 8.1% agriculture and forestry;
an estimated 200,000 Austrians are employed in other European countries;
foreign laborers in Austria number 177,840, about 6% of labor force (1988)

Organized labor

1,672,820 members of Austrian Trade Union Federation (1984)

Government

Federal republic

18 fields

Federal Council, 63 seats, elected 23 November 1986one dot, one seat

OVP 32SPO 30FPO 1

Administrative divisions

9 states (bundeslander, singular--bundesland); Burgenland, Karnten, Niederosterreich, Oberosterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien

Independence

12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Legal system

civil law system with Roman law origin;
judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court;
separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Executive branch

president, chancellor, vice chancellor, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) consists of an upper council or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower council or National Council (Nationalrat)

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) for constitutional cases Chief of State--President Kurt WALDHEIM (since 8 July 1986);
Head of Government--Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986);
Vice Chancellor Josef RIEGLER (since 19 May 1989)

Political parties and leaders

Socialist Party of Austria (SPO), Franz Vranitzky, chairman;
Austrian People's Party (OVP), Josef Riegler, chairman;
Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Jorg Haider, chairman;
Communist Party (KPO), Franz Muhri, chairman;
Green Alternative List (GAL), Andreas Wabl, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 19;
compulsory for presidential elections President--last held 8 June 1986 (next to be held May 1992);
results of Second Ballot--Dr. Kurt Waldheim 53.89%, Dr. Kurt Steyrer 46.11%;
Federal Council--last held 23 November 1986 (next to be held November 1990);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(63 total) OVP 32, SPO 30, FPO 1;
National Council--last held 23 November 1986 (next to be held November 1990);
results--SP0 43.1%, OVP 41.3%, FPO 9.7%, GAL 4.8%, KPO 0.7%, other 0.32%;
seats--(183 total) SP0 80, OVP 77, FP0 18, GAL 8

Communists

membership 15,000 est.; activists 7,000-8,000

Other political or pressure groups

Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist);
three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party (OVP) representing business, labor, and farmers;
OVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists;
Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action

Member of

ADB, Council of Europe, CCC, DAC, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WSG;
Austria is neutral and is not a member of NATO or the EC

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Friedrich HOESS;
Embassy at 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 483-4474;
there are Austrian Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York;
US--Ambassador Henry A. GRUNWALD;
Embassy at Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna (mailing address is APO New York 09108);
telephone [43] (222) 31-55-11;
there is a US Consulate General in Salzburg

Flag

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

Economy

Austria boasts a prosperous and stable capitalist economy with a sizable proportion of nationalized industry and extensive welfare benefits.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$103.2billion

per capita $13,600; real growth rate 4.2% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

2.7%

(1989)

Unemployment

4.8%

(1989)

External debt

$12.4billion

(December 1987)

Budget

Revenues

$34.2 billionExpenditures

$39.5 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)

Austria boasts a prosperous and stable capitalist economy with a sizable proportion of nationalized industry and extensive welfare benefits. Thanks to an excellent raw material endowment, a technically skilled labor force, and strong links with West German industrial firms, Austria has successfully occupied specialized niches in European industry and services (tourism, banking) and produces almost enough food to feed itself with only 8% of the labor force in agriculture.

Living standards are roughly comparable with the large industrial countries of Western Europe. Problems for the l990s include an aging population and the struggle to keep welfare benefits within budget capabilities.

Exports

$31.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles, paper products, chemicals;
partners--FRG 35%, Italy 10%, Eastern Europe 9%, Switzerland 7%, US 4%, OPEC 3%

Imports

$37.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals;
partners--FRG 44%, Italy 9%, Eastern Europe 6%, Switzerland 5%, US 4%, USSR 2%

Industrial production

growth rate 5.8% (1989 est.)

Electricity

17,562,000 kW capacity; 49,290 million kWh produced, 6,500 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

foods, iron and steel, machines, textiles, chemicals, electrical, paper and pulp, tourism, mining

Agriculture

accounts for 4% of GDP (including forestry);
principal crops and animals--grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets, sawn wood, cattle, pigs poultry;
80-90% self-sufficient in food

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 29 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 23container 1bulk 529 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 209,311 GRT/366,401 DWT

Airports, 55 total, 54 usable

permanent-surface runways

19runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

5runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Inland waterways

446Pipelines

554

Pipelines: ; 2,611 km natural gas; 171 km refined products

Railroads

6,028 km total;
5,388 km government owned and 640 km privately owned (1.435- and 1.000-meter gauge);
5,403 km 1.435-meter standard gauge of which 3,051 km is electrified and 1,520 km is double tracked;
363 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge of which 91 km is electrified

Highways

95,412 km total;
34,612 are the primary network (including 1,012 km of autobahn, 10,400 km of federal, and 23,200 km of provincial roads);
of this number, 21,812 km are paved and 12,800 km are unpaved;
in addition, there are 60,800 km of communal roads (mostly gravel, crushed stone, earth)

Ports

Vienna, Linz (river ports)

Pipelines

554 km crude oil;
2,611 km natural gas;
171 km refined products

Civil air

25 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

highly developed and efficient;
4,014,000 telephones;
extensive TV and radiobroadcast systems;
stations--6 AM, 21 (544 repeaters) FM, 47 (867 repeaters) TV;
satellite stations operating in INTELSAT 1 Atlantic Ocean earth station and 1 Indian Ocean earth station and EUTELSAT systems

Defense Forces

Army, Flying Division

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

1,970,189fit for military service

1,656,228reach military age (19) annually

50,090

Defense expenditures

1.1%of GDP

or $1.1 billion (1989 est.)

Branches