Factbook dossier
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. Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and the victorious Allies then occupied the country in 1945. As a result, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade after World War II, until 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. Austria joined the EU in 1995, but the obligation to remain neutral kept it from joining NATO, although the country became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995. Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
Location
Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
Area
total : 83,871 sq km land: 82,445 sq km water: 1,426 sq km
Natural resources
oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
Natural hazards
landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Population
total: 9,174,390 (2025 est.) male: 4,471,802 female: 4,702,588
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 sample(s): Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle f r grundlegende Informationen. (German) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
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.) note: data on Muslim is a 2016 estimate; data on other/none/unspecified are from 2012-2018 estimates
Environmental issues
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
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 name may have evolved from the Roman name Vindobona, which was taken from the Celtic words vindo (white) and bona (fort)
Executive branch
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
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament (Parlament) legislative structure: bicameral
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$581.131 billion (2024 est.) $588.031 billion (2023 est.) $593.701 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$63,300 (2024 est.) $64,400 (2023 est.) $65,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.9% (2024 est.) 7.8% (2023 est.) 8.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
Germany 25%, USA 9%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 5%, Hungary 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
Germany 34%, China 7%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 5%, Czechia 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer): Land Forces, Air Force, Cyber Forces, Special Operations Forces, Militia (reserves) (2025) note 1: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of the Interior note 2: the militia is comprised of men and women who have done their basic military or training service and continue to perform a task in the armed forces; they are integrated into the military but have civilian jobs and only participate in exercises or operations; missions for the militia may include providing disaster relief, assisting security police, and protecting critical infrastructure (energy, water, etc.), as well as deployments on missions abroad
Military expenditures
1% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2020 est.)