{{Short description|Country in Central Europe}}
{{Redirect|Österreich|history of the name of the country|Name of Austria|other uses|Osterreich (disambiguation)|and|Austria (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Australia|Asturias|Austrasia|Australasia}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Austria
| common_name = Austria
| native_name = {{lang|de-AT|Republik Österreich}}
| image_flag = Flag of Austria.svg
| image_coat = Austria Bundesadler.svg
| national_anthem = {{lang|de-AT|[[National anthem of Austria|Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich]]}}
"National Anthem of the Republic of Austria"{{parabr}}[[File:Land der Berge Land am Strome instrumental.ogg|center]]
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:EU-Austria (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:EU-Austria.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of the [[European Union]]|default=1}}
| capital = [[Vienna]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|48|12|N|16|21|E|type:city(2,000,000)_region:AT-9}}
| largest_city = capital
| languages_type = Official language
| languages = [[Austrian German|German]]{{Efn|Based on article 8 of the [[Federal Constitutional Law|1920 Austrian constitution]]}}{{Efn|[[Burgenland Croatian]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]], and [[Slovene language|Slovene]] are officially recognised by the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] (ECRML).}}
| languages2 = {{hlist|[[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]|[[Slovene language|Slovene]]|[[Burgenland Croatian]][{{cite web |title=Migration and Integration 2025 |url=https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2025/07/20250716MigrationIntegration2025EN.pdf |website=Statistics Austria |publisher=Statistik Austria |date=16 July 2025 |access-date=10 August 2025 |language=en}}]
| religion_year = 2021
| religion_ref = [{{Cite web|title=Religionsbekenntnis – STATISTIK AUSTRIA – die Informationsmanager|url=https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/weiterfuehrende-bevoelkerungsstatistiken/religionsbekenntnis|access-date=9 August 2022|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930022008/https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/weiterfuehrende-bevoelkerungsstatistiken/religionsbekenntnis|url-status=live}}]
| religion = {{Ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; |
{{Tree list}}
* 68.2% [[Christianity]]
** 55.2% [[Catholic Church in Austria|Catholicism]]
** 4.9% [[Eastern Orthodoxy in Austria|Orthodoxy]]
** 3.8% [[Protestantism]]
** 4.3% [[Christian denomination|other Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|22.4% [[Irreligion|no religion]] |8.3% [[Islam in Austria|Islam]] |1.1% [[Religion in Austria|other]]}}
| demonym = [[Austrians|Austrian]]
| government_type = Federal [[semi-presidential republic]][{{Cite web|date=22 September 2022|title=Hofburg-Wahl: 'Österreich ist ein sehr ungewöhnlicher Fall'|url=https://diepresse.com/6193038|access-date=22 September 2022|language=de-AT|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003104650/https://www.diepresse.com/6193038/hofburg-wahl-oesterreich-ist-ein-sehr-ungewoehnlicher-fall|url-status=live}}]{{efn|name=system|The Republic of Austria is ''de jure'' semi-presidential according to the country's [[Constitution of Austria|Constitution]];[{{cite journal|last=Shugart|first=Matthew Søberg|title=Semi-Presidential Systems: Dual Executive And Mixed Authority Patterns|journal=French Politics|volume=3|issue=3|date=2005|issn=1476-3419|doi=10.1057/palgrave.fp.8200087|doi-access=free|pages=323–351|url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/palgrave.fp.8200087.pdf|access-date=2024-12-16}}] however, in practice, it behaves more like a [[parliamentary republic]] by [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]].[{{cite book|last=Müller|first=Wolfgang C.|title=Semi-Presidentialism in Europe|chapter=Austria|publisher=Oxford University PressOxford|date=1999-09-02|isbn=978-0-19-829386-6|doi=10.1093/0198293860.003.0002|pages=22–47}}]}}
| leader_title1 = [[President of Austria|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Alexander Van der Bellen]]
| leader_title2 = [[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]]
| leader_name2 = [[Christian Stocker]]
| legislature = [[Austrian Parliament|Parliament]]
| upper_house = [[Federal Council (Austria)|Federal Council]]
| lower_house = [[National Council (Austria)|National Council]]
| sovereignty_type = [[History of Austria|Formation]]
| established_event1 = [[Margraviate of Austria|Margraviate]]
| established_date1 = {{circa}} 960
| established_event2 = [[Name of Austria|Oldest naming]]
| established_date2 = 1 November 996
| established_event3 = [[Duchy of Austria|Duchy]]
| established_date3 = 17 September 1156
| established_event4 = [[Archduchy of Austria|Archduchy]]
| established_date4 = 6 January 1453
| established_event5 = [[Austrian Circle|Imperial circle]]
| established_date5 = 1512
| established_event6 = [[Austrian Empire|Empire]]
| established_date6 = 11 August 1804
| established_event7 = [[Austria-Hungary]]
| established_date7 = 30 March 1867
| established_event8 = [[First Austrian Republic|First Republic]]
| established_date8 = 10 September 1919
| established_event9 = [[Federal State of Austria|Federal State]]
| established_date9 = 1 May 1934
| established_event10 = [[Anschluss]]
| established_date10 = 13 March 1938
| established_event11 = [[History of Austria#The Second Republic (since 1945)|Second Republic]]
| established_date11 = 27 April 1945
| established_event12 = [[Austrian State Treaty|State Treaty]]
| established_date12 = 27 July 1955
| area_km2 = 83879[{{cite web|title=Austria EN|url=https://migrants-refugees.va/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-CP-Austria-EN.pdf|website=Migrants Refugees|publisher=The Vatican|date=April 2020|access-date=12 January 2024|archive-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113014627/https://migrants-refugees.va/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-CP-Austria-EN.pdf|url-status=live}}]
| area_rank = 113th
| area_sq_mi =
| percent_water = 0.84 (2015)[{{Cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=[[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD)|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|url-status=live}}]
| population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 9,219,113[{{cite web |url=https://data.imf.org/en/Data-Explorer?datasetUrn=IMF.RES:WEO(9.0.0) |title=World Economic Outlook Database (April 2026 Edition) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=www.imf.org |date=14 April 2026 |access-date=19 April 2026}}]
| GDP_PPP_year = 2026
| GDP_PPP_rank = 45th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $78,334[{{Cite web|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|access-date=2026-04-09|publisher=[[Eurostat]]url-status=live}}]
| HDI = 0.930
| HDI_rank = 22nd
| HDI_year = 2023
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = [{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}]
| currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
| currency_code = EUR
| time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| date_format = dd.mm.yyyy
| calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Austria|+43]]
| cctld = [[.at]]
}}
'''Austria''',{{efn|Pronunciation: {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Austria.ogg|ˈ|ɒ|s|t|r|i|ə}} {{respell|OST|ree|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɔː|s|t|r|i|ə}} {{respell|AW|stree|ə}};[{{Citation|last=Roach|first=Peter|title=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary|date=2011|edition=18th|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-15253-2}}] {{Langx|de-AT|Österreich}} {{IPA|de-AT|ˈøːstɐraɪç||De-Österreich2.ogg}}; {{langx|bar|Östareich}}; {{langx|gsw|Öschtreich}} or {{Lang|gsw|Eschtrych}}.}} formally the '''Republic of Austria''',{{Efn|{{Langx|de-AT|Republik Österreich|links=no}} {{IPA|de-AT|repuˈbliːk ˈøːstɐraɪç||Republik Österreich.ogg}}.}} is a [[landlocked country]] in [[Central Europe]], lying in the [[Eastern Alps]].[{{Cite web|title=Austria|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames|access-date=4 January 2023|website=UNGEGN World Geographical Names|publisher=United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names|location=New York, NY|archive-date=7 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107010908/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/|url-status=live}}] It is a [[federation]] of nine [[Federal states of Austria|states]], of which the capital [[Vienna]] is the [[List of largest cities in Austria|most populous city]] and state. Austria is bordered by [[Germany]] to the northwest, the [[Czech Republic]] to the north, [[Slovakia]] to the northeast, [[Hungary]] to the east, [[Slovenia]] and [[Italy]] to the south, and [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] to the west. The country occupies an area of {{Convert|83879|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} and has [[Austrians|a population]] of about 9.2 million.[{{Cite web|date=2026-04-09|title=Population by Year-/Quarter-beginning|url=https://www.statistik.at/en/statistics/population-and-society/population/population-stock/population-at-beginning-of-year/quarter|url-status=live|access-date=2026-04-09}}]
The area of today's Austria has been inhabited since at least the [[Paleolithic|Paleolithic period]]. Around 400 BC, it was inhabited by the [[Celts]] and then annexed by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] in the late 1st century BC. [[Christianization]] in the region began in the 4th and 5th centuries, during the late [[Western Roman Empire|Roman period]], followed by the arrival of numerous [[Germanic tribes]] during the [[Migration Period]].[{{Cite web|title=Austria's History|url=https://www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/about-austria/history|access-date=2024-06-08|website=austria.info|language=en}}]
Austria as a state emerged from the remnants of the [[March of Pannonia|Eastern]] and [[Hungarian March]] at the end of the [[1st millennium|first millennium]], first as a [[Margraviate of Austria|frontier march]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. It then developed into a [[Duchy of Austria|Duchy]] in 1156, and was made an [[Archduchy of Austria|Archduchy]] in 1453. Being the heartland of the [[Habsburg monarchy]] since the late 13th century, Austria was a major imperial power in Central Europe for centuries and, from the 16th century, Vienna also served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital.[{{Cite news|date=2012-03-16|title=Austria country profile|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17405422|access-date=2024-06-08|publisher=BBC News|language=en-GB}}] The Holy Roman Empire was [[dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire|dissolved]] in 1806, two years after Austria had established [[Austrian Empire|its own empire]], which became a [[great power]] and one of the largest states in Europe. The empire's defeat in wars and the loss of territories in the 1860s paved the way for the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867|establishment]] of [[Austria-Hungary]] in 1867.[{{Cite web|title=Österreich-Ungarn|url=https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/%C3%96sterreich-Ungarn|access-date=2024-06-08|website=geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at}}]
After the [[assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] in 1914, Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] declared war on [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]], which rapidly escalated into [[World War I]]. The empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the [[Republic of German-Austria]] in 1918 and the [[First Austrian Republic]] in 1919. During the [[interwar period]], anti-parliamentarian sentiments culminated in the [[Austrian Civil War|formation]] of [[Federal State of Austria|an Austrofascist dictatorship]] under [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] in 1934. A year before the outbreak of [[World War II]], Austria [[Anschluss|was annexed]] into [[Nazi Germany]] by [[Adolf Hitler]], and it became [[Austria within Nazi Germany|a sub-national division]]. After [[Vienna offensive|its liberation]] in 1945 and a decade of [[Allied-occupied Austria|Allied occupation]], the country [[Austrian State Treaty|regained its sovereignty]] and declared [[Declaration of Neutrality|its perpetual neutrality]] in 1955.
Austria is a [[semi-presidential]]{{efn|name=system}} representative democracy with a popularly elected [[President of Austria|president]] as head of state and a [[Chancellor of Austria|chancellor]] as head of government and chief executive. Austria has the 13th highest [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]] with high standards of living. The country has been a member of the [[United Nations]] since 1955[Jelavich 267] and of the [[European Union]] since 1995.[{{Cite web|date=14 May 2009|title=Austria|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria|access-date=31 May 2009|website=[[The World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110074413/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria|url-status=dead}}] It hosts the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE) and the [[Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) and is a founding member of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) and [[Interpol]].[{{Cite web|title=Austria About|url=http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347,en_33873108_33873245_1_1_1_1_1,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506022708/http://www.oecd.org/about/0%2C3347%2Cen_33873108_33873245_1_1_1_1_1%2C00.html|archive-date=6 May 2009|access-date=20 May 2009|publisher=OECD}}] It also signed the [[Schengen Agreement]] in 1995,[{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant). |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/austria-population/ |access-date= |website=U.N. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs - Population Division}}] and adopted the [[euro]] currency in 1999.[{{Cite web|title=Austria and the euro|url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/austria-and-euro_en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108064042/https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/austria-and-euro_en|archive-date=8 January 2018|access-date=7 January 2018|website=European Commission – European Commission}}]
==Etymology==
{{Main|Name of Austria}}
The native name for Austria, {{Lang|de|Österreich}}, derives from the [[Old High German]] {{Lang|goh|Ostarrîchi}}, which meant "eastern realm", can be also translated as "eastern empire" or "eastern kingdom", and which first appeared in the "Ostarrîchi document" of 996.[{{Cite web|title=University of Klagenfurt|url=http://wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at/spw/oenf/name2.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513121957/http://wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at/spw/oenf/name2.htm|archive-date=13 May 2011|access-date=2 October 2009}}][{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfhADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT34|title=Austrian Historical Memory and National Identity|date=1997|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-56000-902-3|editor-last=Bischof|editor-first=Günter|editor-link=Günter Bischof|location=New Brunswick|pages=20–21|access-date=14 June 2018|editor-last2=Pelinka|editor-first2=Anton|editor-link2=Anton Pelinka|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614144308/https://books.google.de/books?id=tfhADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT34&lpg=PA92|archive-date=14 June 2018|url-status=live}}] This word is probably a translation of [[Medieval Latin]] {{Lang|la|[[Marchia orientalis (Austria)|Marchia orientalis]]}} into a local (Bavarian) dialect.
Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976. The word "Austria" is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century.[{{Cite book|last=Brauneder|first=Wilhelm|title=Österreichische Verfassungsgeschichte|date=2009|publisher=Manzsche Verlags- und Universitätsbuchhandlung|isbn=978-3-214-14876-8|edition=11th|location=Vienna|page=17}}]
At the time, the Danube basin of Austria ([[Upper Austria|Upper]] and [[Lower Austria]]) was the easternmost extent of Bavaria.
==History==
{{Main|History of Austria}}
=== Prehistory and antiquity ===
[[File:2011-07-09 gasometer 28.JPG|thumb|left|[[Venus of Willendorf]], 28,000 to 25,000 BC, at the [[Naturhistorisches Museum|Museum of Natural History Vienna]]]]
During the pre-Roman era, the region of what is now Austria was settled by various [[Celt]]ic tribes and had served as the core of the [[Hallstatt culture]] by the 6th century BC.[{{Cite web|date=2024-02-11|title=What Was the Celtic "Cult of the Head"?|url=https://www.thecollector.com/what-was-celtic-cult-head/|access-date=2024-05-07|website=TheCollector|language=en|archive-date=7 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507031517/https://www.thecollector.com/what-was-celtic-cult-head/|url-status=live}}] The city of [[Hallstatt]] has the oldest archaeological evidence of the Celts in Europe.[{{Cite web|title=Celt {{!}} History, Institutions, & Religion {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celt-people|access-date=2024-05-07|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711204423/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celt-people|url-status=live}}]
The Celtic [[Kingdom of Noricum]] that included most of modern Austria and parts of modern Slovenia was conquered by the [[Roman Empire]] in 16 BC and made a [[Roman province|province]] called [[Noricum]] which lasted until 476.[{{Cite web|title=Noricum {{!}} Celtic culture, Roman province, Alps {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Noricum|access-date=2024-04-26|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=25 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225145226/https://www.britannica.com/place/Noricum|url-status=live}}] The regions of today's Austria which were not located within the province of Noricum were divided between the Roman provinces of [[Pannonia]], which encompassed parts of eastern Austria, and [[Raetia]], which encompassed the areas of present-day [[Vorarlberg]] and [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]].[{{Cite web|title=Pannonia {{!}} Roman Empire, Map, Hungary, & History {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Pannonia|access-date=2024-05-20|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=15 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615155813/https://www.britannica.com/place/Pannonia|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|title=Raetia {{!}} Roman Empire, Alps, Gaul {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Raetia|access-date=2024-05-20|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=3 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003000521/https://www.britannica.com/place/Raetia|url-status=live}}]
Present-day Petronell-[[Carnuntum]] in eastern Austria was an important army camp turned capital city in what became known as the [[Pannonia Superior]]. Carnuntum was home to 50,000 people for nearly 400 years.[{{Cite web|title=Rome's metropolis on the Danube awakens to new life|url=http://www.carnuntum.co.at/content-en/tales-from-carnuntum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116125751/http://www.carnuntum.co.at/content-en/tales-from-carnuntum|archive-date=16 January 2010|access-date=20 February 2010|website=Archäologischer Park Carnuntum|publisher=Archäologische Kulturpark Niederösterreich Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.}}]
[[File:Roman Empire 125.png|thumb|The [[Roman Empire]] in the time of [[Hadrian]] (ruled 117–138 AD), with the [[imperial province]] of '''[[Noricum]]''' covering most of today's Austria, and '''[[Raetia]]''' and '''[[Pannonia Superior]]''' the west and eastern parts of today's Austria]]
===Middle Ages===
After the [[fall of the Roman Empire]], the area was first invaded by the Germanic [[Rugii]] which made this region part of their "[[Rugiland]]".[{{Cite web|last=Kessler|first=P. L.|title=Kingdoms of the Germanic Tribes – Rugii (Rugians)|url=https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsEurope/BarbarianRugii.htm|access-date=2024-04-26|website=The History Files|language=en}}] In 487, most of modern Austria was conquered by [[Odoacer]], a [[Barbarian kingdoms|barbarian]] soldier and statesman from the [[Middle Danube]], which incorporated most of today's Austria in his [[Kingdom of Italy (476-493)|Kingdom of Italy]]. By 493, it was conquered by the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Ostrogoths]] which created their own kingdom, the [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]].[{{Cite web|title=Ostrogoth {{!}} Italy, Roman Empire, Arianism {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ostrogoth|access-date=2024-04-26|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425120017/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ostrogoth|url-status=live}}] Following the Kingdom's fall the area was invaded by the [[Alemanni]], [[Baiuvarii]], [[Slavs]], and [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]].[{{Cite web|title=Mittelalter|url=https://oesterreich.com/de/staat/geschichte/mittelalter|access-date=2024-04-26|website=oesterreich.com|archive-date=26 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426204729/https://oesterreich.com/de/staat/geschichte/mittelalter|url-status=live}}]
[[Charlemagne]], King of the [[Franks]], conquered the area in 788, encouraged colonisation, and introduced Christianity.[Johnson 19] As part of [[Eastern Francia]], the core areas that now encompass Austria were bequeathed to the house of [[Babenberg]]. The area was known as the ''[[March of Austria|marchia Orientalis]]'' and was given to [[
Leopold I, Margrave of Austria|Leopold I]] in 976.[Johnson 20–21]
The first record showing the name Austria is from 996, where it is written as ''[[Ostarrîchi]]'', referring to the territory of the Babenberg March.[Johnson 21]
As a result, [[Ottokar II of Bohemia]] effectively assumed control of the duchies of Austria, Styria, and [[Carinthia (duchy)|Carinthia]].[Lonnie Johnson 23] Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling dynasty, the [[Habsburgs]].
[[File:HRR 14Jh.jpg|thumb|Habsburg (orange), Luxembourg (violet) and Wittelsbach (green) dominions within the Holy Roman Empire, 14th century]]
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburgs]] began to accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria. In 1438, Duke [[Albert V of Austria]] was chosen as the successor to his father-in-law, Emperor [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]]. Although Albert himself only reigned for a year, henceforth every emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was a Habsburg, with only one exception.
The Habsburgs also began to accumulate territory far from the hereditary lands. In 1477, Archduke [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian]], only son of Emperor [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]], married the heiress Maria of [[County of Burgundy|Burgundy]], thus acquiring most of the [[Netherlands]] for the family.[Lonnie Johnson 25][Brook-Shepherd 11] In 1496, his son [[Philip I of Castile|Philip the Fair]] married [[Joanna the Mad]], the heiress of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], thus acquiring Spain and its Italian, African, [[Philippines|Asian]], and [[New World]] appendages for the Habsburgs.[Lonnie Johnson 26] [[Ottoman–Hungarian Wars|Ottoman expansion]] into Hungary led to [[Ottoman–Habsburg wars|frequent conflicts]] between the two empires, particularly evident in the [[Long War (Ottoman wars)|Long War]] of 1593 to 1606. The Turks made incursions into [[Styria]] nearly 20 times,["'' The Catholic encyclopedia''". Charles George Herbermann (1913). Robert Appleton company.] of which some are cited as "burning, pillaging, and taking thousands of slaves".["''[https://books.google.com/books?id=8-ARAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA560 Bentley's miscellany] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312192545/https://books.google.com/books?id=8-ARAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA560#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=12 March 2024 }}''". Charles Dickens, William Harrison Ainsworth, Albert Smith (1853).] In late September 1529, [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] launched the first [[Siege of Vienna (1529)|siege of Vienna]], which unsuccessfully ended, according to Ottoman historians, with the snowfalls of an early beginning winter.
===17th and 18th centuries===
[[File:Anonym Entsatz Wien 1683.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Vienna]] in 1683 broke the advance of the [[Ottoman Empire]] into Europe.]]
During the long reign of [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor]] following the successful [[Battle of Vienna|defence of Vienna]] against the Turks in 1683, under the command of the King of Poland [[John III Sobieski]],[Lonnie Johnson 26–28] the [[Great Turkish War]] resulted in most of Hungary being controlled by Austria. This arrangement was formalized in the [[Treaty of Karlowitz]] in 1699.
[[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor]] relinquished many of the gains the empire made in the previous years. He enjoyed the imminent extinction of the [[House of Habsburg]]. Charles VI was willing to offer concrete advantages in territory and authority in exchange for recognition of the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713]]. Therefore, his daughter [[Maria Theresa]] was recognized as his heir. With the rise of [[Prussia]], the [[Austria–Prussia rivalry]] began in Germany. Austria participated, together with Prussia and Russia, in the first and the third of the three [[Partitions of Poland]] in 1772 and 1795 respectively.
===19th century===
{{See also|Austrian Empire|Austria-Hungary}}
[[File:Congress of Vienna.PNG|thumb|left|The [[Congress of Vienna]] met in 1814–15. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and the dissolution of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].]]
Austria engaged in war with [[Revolutionary France]], as part of the First and Second Coalitions, and subsequently in the Napoleonic Wars. From 1792 to 1801, the Austrians had suffered 754,700 casualties.[Clodfelter] The Hapsburg rulers of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire suffered successive defeats at the hands of [[Napoleon]] Bonaparte. To protect their status as an imperial dynasty after Napoleon proclaimed the French Empire, the [[Austrian Empire|Empire of Austria]] was founded in 1804,[Lonnie Johnson 34] and to prevent Napoleon from claiming their previous Imperial throne, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was abolished 1806. In 1814, Austria was part of the coalition of Allied forces that invaded France and brought to an end the [[Napoleonic Wars]].
The Austrian Empire emerged from the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815 as one of the continent's four dominant powers and a recognized [[great power]]. The same year, the [[German Confederation]] ({{Lang|de|Deutscher Bund}}) was founded under the presidency of Austria. Because of unsolved social, political, and national conflicts, the German lands were shaken by the [[1848 revolutions]] aiming to create a unified Germany.[Johnson 36]
[[File:Deutscher Bund.svg|thumb|Map of the [[German Confederation]] with its 39-member sovereign states]]
The possibilities for a unified Germany were: a [[Kleindeutschland and Großdeutschland|Greater Germany]] or a [[United States of Greater Austria|Greater Austria]] or a German Confederation without Austria at all. In 1864, Austria and Prussia fought together against [[Denmark]] and secured the independence from Denmark of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]]. As they could not agree on how the two duchies should be administered, though they fought the [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866. Defeated by Prussia in the [[Battle of Königgrätz]],[Lonnie Johnson 55][Schulze 233] As Austria's Habsburg monarchy was not willing to join its German-speaking territory to the [[Unification of Germany|German Empire of 1871]], and relinquish its non-German-speaking territories, the crown of the newly formed empire was offered to the Prussian King [[Friedrich Wilhelm IV]].
To settle issues lingering from the suppressed [[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]], the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867]], the ''Ausgleich'', provided for a dual sovereignty, the [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Hungary]], under [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]].[Lonnie Johnson 59] The Austrian-Hungarian rule of this diverse empire included various groups, including [[Germans]], [[Hungarians]], Croats, Czechs, [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Rusyns]], Serbs, Slovaks, Slovenes, and Ukrainians, as well as large Italian and Romanian communities.
As a result, ruling Austria-Hungary became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements, requiring considerable reliance on an expanded secret police. Yet, the government of Austria tried its best to be accommodating in some respects: for example, the ''Reichsgesetzblatt'', publishing the laws and ordinances of [[Cisleithania]], was issued in eight languages; and all national groups were entitled to schools in their own language and to the use of their mother tongue at state offices.
[[File:Austria Hungary ethnic.svg|thumb|An ethnic map of [[Austria-Hungary]], 1910]]
Many Austrian Germans of all different social circles such as [[Georg Ritter von Schönerer]] promoted strong [[German nationalism in Austria|pan-Germanism]] in the hope of reinforcing an ethnic German identity amongst Austrian Germans and the annexation of Austria to Germany (''[[Anschluss]]'').[{{Cite web|date=2000|title=Das politische System in Österreich (The Political System in Austria)|url=http://www.politischebildung.at/upload/polsystem.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423112116/http://www.politischebildung.at/upload/polsystem.pdf|archive-date=23 April 2014|access-date=9 July 2014|publisher=Austrian Federal Press Service|page=24|language=de|location=Vienna}}] Some Austrians such as [[Karl Lueger]] also used pan-Germanism as a form of populism to further their own political goals. Although Bismarck's policies excluded Austria and the German Austrians from Germany, many Austrian pan-Germans idolized him and wore blue cornflowers, known to be the favourite flower of German Emperor [[William I, German Emperor|William I]], in their buttonholes, along with cockades in the German national colours (black, red, and yellow), although they were both temporarily banned in Austrian schools, as a way to show discontent towards the multi-ethnic empire.[{{Cite book|last=Unowsky|first=Daniel L.|title=The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism: Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848–1916|publisher=Purdue University Press|date=2005|page=157}}]
Austria's exclusion from Germany caused many Austrians a problem with their national identity and prompted the Social Democratic Leader [[Otto Bauer]] to state that it was "the conflict between our Austrian and German character".[Evan Burr Bukey, Hitler's Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era, 1938–1945, p. 6] The Austro-Hungarian Empire caused ethnic tension between the German Austrians and the other ethnic groups. Many Austrians, especially those involved with the pan-German movements, desired a reinforcement of an ethnic German identity and hoped that the empire would collapse, which would allow an [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria by Germany]].[Brigitte Hamann, Hitler's Vienna: A Portrait of the Tyrant as a Young Man, p. 394]
Many Austrian pan-German nationalists protested passionately against minister-president [[Count Kasimir Felix Badeni|Kasimir Count Badeni]]'s language decree of 1897, which made German and Czech co-official languages in Bohemia and required new government officials to be fluent in both languages. This meant in practice that the civil service would almost exclusively hire Czechs because most middle-class Czechs spoke German but not the other way around. The support of [[ultramontanism|ultramontane]] Catholic politicians and clergy for this reform triggered the launch of the ''[[Away from Rome]]'' movement, which was initiated by supporters of Schönerer and called on "German" Christians to leave the Roman Catholic Church.[{{cite news|last=Suppan|title='Germans' in the Habsburg Empire|publisher=The Germans and the East|date=2008|pages=164, 172}}]
===Early 20th century ===
{{See also|Republic of German-Austria|First Austrian Republic}}
As the [[Second Constitutional Era]] began in the [[Ottoman Empire]], Austria-Hungary took the opportunity to annex [[Bosnia and Herzegovina in Austria-Hungary|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] in 1908.[{{Cite web|title=The Annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina 1908|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos127.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323152047/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos127.htm|archive-date=23 March 2013|access-date=25 March 2013|publisher=Mtholyoke.edu}}] The [[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|assassination]] of Archduke [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Franz Ferdinand]] in [[Sarajevo]] in 1914 by Bosnian Serb [[Gavrilo Princip]][Johnson 52–54] was used by leading Austrian politicians and generals to persuade the emperor to declare war on Serbia, thereby risking and prompting the outbreak of World War I, which eventually led to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Over one million Austro-Hungarian soldiers died in World War I.[{{Cite book|last1=Grebler|first1=Leo|title=The Cost of the World War to Germany and Austria-Hungary|last2=Winkler|first2=Wilhelm|publisher=Yale University Press|orig-date=1940|isbn=0-598-94106-1|date=2006-02-17}}]
[[File:German Austria (1918) en.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|German-speaking provinces claimed by [[German-Austria]] in 1918. The border of the subsequent Second Republic of Austria is outlined in red.]]
On 21 October 1918, the elected German members of the ''Reichsrat'' (parliament of Imperial Austria) met in Vienna as the Provisional National Assembly for German Austria (''Provisorische Nationalversammlung für Deutschösterreich''). On 30 October the assembly founded the [[Republic of German-Austria]] by appointing a government, called ''Staatsrat''. This new government was invited by the Emperor to take part in the decision on the planned armistice with Italy but refrained from this business.[{{Cite book|last=Shepard|first=Gordon|title=The Austrians|date=1996|publisher=Avalon Publishing Group Inc.|isbn=978-0-7867-3066-7}}]
This left the responsibility for the end of the war, on 3 November 1918, solely to the emperor and his government. On 11 November, the emperor, advised by ministers of the old and the new governments, declared he would not take part in state business any more; on 12 November, German-Austria, by law, declared itself to be a democratic republic and part of the new German republic. The constitution, renaming the ''Staatsrat'' as ''Bundesregierung'' (federal government) and ''Nationalversammlung'' as ''Nationalrat'' (national council) was passed on 10 November 1920.[{{Cite web|title=Austria: notes|url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/austria/au_rep1/01_laws.php|access-date=4 February 2021|website=Archontology|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090109/http://www.archontology.org/nations/austria/au_rep1/01_laws.php|url-status=live}}]
The [[Treaty of Saint-Germain]] of 1919 (for Hungary the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920) confirmed and consolidated the new order of Central Europe which to a great extent had been established in November 1918, creating new states and altering others. The German-speaking parts of Austria which had been part of Austria-Hungary were reduced to a rump state named the Republic of German-Austria (German: ''Republik Deutschösterreich''), though excluding the predominantly German-speaking [[South Tyrol]].[{{Citation|last=Moos|first=Carlo|title=A Land on the Threshold. South Tyrolean Transformations, 1915–2015|pages=27–39|date=2017|editor-last=Georg Grote and Hannes Obermair|contribution=Südtirol im St. Germain-Kontext|place=Oxford-Berne-New York|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3-0343-2240-9}}][In Habsburg Austria-Hungary, "German-Austria" was an unofficial term for the areas of the empire inhabited by Austrian Germans.][Alfred D. Low, ''The Anschluss Movement, 1918–1919, and the Paris Peace Conference'', pp. 135–138.] The desire for the annexation of Austria to Germany was a popular opinion shared by all social circles in both Austria and Germany.[Alfred D. Low, ''The Anschluss Movement, 1918–1919, and the Paris Peace Conference'', pp. 3–4] On 12 November, German-Austria was declared a republic, and named Social Democrat [[Karl Renner]] as provisional chancellor. On the same day it drafted a provisional constitution that stated that "German-Austria is a democratic republic" (Article 1) and "German-Austria is an integral part of the German Reich" (Article 2).[Mary Margaret Ball, ''Post-war German-Austrian Relations: The Anschluss Movement, 1918–1936'', pp. 11–15] The Treaty of Saint Germain and the [[Treaty of Versailles]] explicitly forbade union between Austria and Germany.[Roderick Stackelberg, ''Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies'', pp. 161–162][{{Cite web|title=Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Austria; Protocol, Declaration and Special Declaration [1920] ATS 3|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1920/3.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000917221810/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1920/3.html|archive-date=17 September 2000|access-date=15 June 2011|publisher=Austlii.edu.au}}] The treaties also forced German-Austria to rename itself as "Republic of Austria" which consequently led to the first [[First Austrian Republic|Austrian Republic]].[Mary Margaret Ball, ''Post-war German-Austrian Relations: The Anschluss Movement, 1918–1936'', pp. 18–19][Montserrat Guibernau, ''The Identity of Nations'', pp. 70–75]
Over three million German-speaking Austrians found themselves living outside the new Austrian Republic as minorities in the newly formed or enlarged states of [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[Hungary]], and Italy.[Brook-Shepherd 246] These included the provinces of [[South Tyrol]], and [[German Bohemia]]. The status of German Bohemia and [[Sudetenland]] later played a role in World War II.[Brook-Shepherd 245]
The border between Austria and the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] was settled with the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]] in October 1920 and allocated the major part of the territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Crownland of [[Carinthia]] to Austria. This set the border on the [[Karawanks]] mountain range, with many Slovenes remaining in Austria.
===Interwar period and World War II===
{{See also|First Austrian Republic|Federal State of Austria|Anschluss|Austria within Nazi Germany|History of the Jews in Austria#The Holocaust in Austria}}
After the war, inflation began to devalue the Krone, which was still Austria's currency. In the autumn of 1922, Austria was granted an international loan supervised by the [[League of Nations]].[Brook-Shepherd 257–258] The purpose of the loan was to avert bankruptcy, stabilise the currency, and improve Austria's general economic condition. The loan meant that Austria passed from an independent state to the control exercised by the League of Nations. In 1925, the ''[[Austrian schilling]]'' was introduced, replacing the Krone at a rate of 10,000:1. Later, it was nicknamed the "Alpine dollar" due to its stability. From 1925 to 1929 the economy enjoyed a short high before nearly crashing after [[Wall Street crash of 1929|Black Tuesday]].
The [[First Austrian Republic]] lasted until 1933, when Chancellor [[Engelbert Dollfuss]], using what he called [[Selbstausschaltung des Parlaments|"self-switch-off of Parliament"]], established an autocratic regime tending towards [[Italian fascism]].[Lonnie Johnson 104][Brook-Shepherd 269–270] The two big parties at this time, the Social Democrats and the Conservatives, had paramilitary armies;[Brook-Shepherd 261] the Social Democrats' ''[[Republikanischer Schutzbund]]'' was now declared illegal, but was still operative[Johnson 107]
In February 1934, several members of the ''Schutzbund'' were executed,[Brook-Shepherd 283] the Social Democratic party was outlawed, and many of its members were imprisoned or emigrated.[Lonnie Johnson 109][Brook-Shepherd 292]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500, Wien, Heldenplatz, Rede Adolf Hitler.jpg|thumb|[[Adolf Hitler]] speaking at [[Heldenplatz]], Vienna, 1938]]
His successor [[Kurt Schuschnigg]] acknowledged the fact that Austria was a "German state" and he also believed that Austrians were "better Germans" but he wished that Austria would remain independent.[{{Cite book|last=Ryschka|first=Birgit|title=Constructing and Deconstructing National Identity: Dramatic Discourse in Tom Murphy's The Patriot Game and Felix Mitterer's in Der Löwengrube|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3-631-58111-7}}] He announced a [[referendum]] on 9 March 1938, to be held on 13 March, concerning Austria's independence from Germany.
==== Nazi rule ====
On 12 March 1938, Austrian Nazis took over the government, while German troops occupied the country, which prevented Schuschnigg's referendum from taking place.[Lonnie Johnson 112–113] On 13 March 1938, the ''[[Anschluss]]'' ({{literal translation|joining|connection}}) of Austria was officially declared. Two days later, Austrian-born [[Adolf Hitler]] announced what he called the "reunification" of his home country with the "rest of the [[Nazi Germany|German Reich]]" on Vienna's [[Heldenplatz]]. He established a referendum which confirmed the union with Germany in April 1938.
Parliamentary elections were held in Germany (including recently annexed Austria) on 10 April 1938. They were the final elections to the Reichstag during Nazi rule, and they took the form of a single-question referendum asking whether voters approved of a single Nazi-party list for the 813-member Reichstag, as well as the recent annexation of Austria (the ''[[Anschluss]]''). Jews, Roma and Sinti were not allowed to vote.[Robert Gellately, Social Outsiders in Nazi Germany, (2001), p. 216] Turnout in the election was officially 99.5%, with 98.9% voting "yes". In the case of Austria, Adolf Hitler's native soil, 99.71% of an electorate of 4,484,475 officially went to the ballots, with a positive tally of 99.73 percent.[[[1938 German election and referendum]]] Although most Austrians favoured the ''Anschluss'', in certain parts of Austria, the German soldiers were not always welcomed with flowers and joy, especially in Vienna, which had Austria's largest Jewish population.[Evan Burr Bukey, Hitler's Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era, 1938–1945, p. 33] Nevertheless, despite the propaganda and the manipulation and rigging which surrounded the ballot box result, there was massive genuine support for Hitler for fulfilling the ''Anschluss'',[Ian Kershaw (2001) Hitler 1936-1945" Nemesis, p.83] since many Germans from both Austria and Germany saw it as completing the long overdue unification of all Germans into one state.[Roderick Stackelberg, Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies, p.170]
[[File:OstmarkMap.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Austria in 1941 when it was known as the "Ostmark"]]
On 13 March 1938, Austria was annexed by the [[Third Reich]] and ceased to exist as an independent country (the ''Anschluss''). The [[Aryanization (Nazism)|Aryanisation]] of the wealth of Jewish Austrians started immediately in mid-March, with a so-called "wild" (i.e. extra-legal) phase, but it was soon structured legally and bureaucratically so the assets which Jewish citizens possessed could be stripped from them. At that time, [[Adolf Eichmann]], who grew up in Austria, was transferred to Vienna and ordered to persecute the Jews. During the November pogrom in 1938 ("Reichskristallnacht"), Jews and Jewish institutions such as synagogues were subjected to violent attacks in Vienna, Klagenfurt, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and several cities in Lower Austria.[{{Cite web|title=DÖW – Erkennen – Ausstellung – 1938 – Die Verfolgung der österreichischen Juden|url=https://www.doew.at/erkennen/ausstellung/1938/die-verfolgung-der-oesterreichischen-juden|website=doew.at|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=6 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706103854/https://www.doew.at/erkennen/ausstellung/1938/die-verfolgung-der-oesterreichischen-juden|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|title=Jüdische Gemeinde – Wien (Österreich)|url=https://www.xn--jdische-gemeinden-22b.de/index.php/gemeinden/u-z/2087-wien-oesterreich|website=xn—jdische-gemeinden-22b.de|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=10 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610035119/https://www.xn--jdische-gemeinden-22b.de/index.php/gemeinden/u-z/2087-wien-oesterreich|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|title=Jewish Vienna|url=https://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture/jewishvienna|website=wien.gv.at|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416073430/https://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture/jewishvienna/|url-status=live}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/2018/11/nationalsozialismus-oesterreich-anschluss-antisemitismus-adolf-eichmann/komplettansicht|title=Hitlers willige Vasallen|newspaper=Die Zeit|date=12 March 2018|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=5 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505105703/https://www.zeit.de/2018/11/nationalsozialismus-oesterreich-anschluss-antisemitismus-adolf-eichmann/komplettansicht|url-status=live|last1=Riedl|first1=Joachim}}][Wolfgang Häusler, ''Das Jahr 1938 und die österreichischen Juden.'' In: Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes: "Anschluß" 1938. Vienna, 1988.] [[Otto von Habsburg]], a vehement opponent of the Nazis, the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, an honorary citizen of hundreds of places in Austria and partly envisaged by Schuschnigg as a monarchical option, was in Belgium at the time. He spoke out against the Anschluss and was then wanted by the Nazi regime and his property would have been expropriated and he would have been shot immediately if he were caught.[Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer, ''Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938–1945.'' Vienna 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-9024-9483-2}}, pp. 299–305; James Longo, ''Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Fuhrer's Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals'' (2018); Stephan Baier, Eva Demmerle, ''Otto von Habsburg. Die Biografie.'' Amalthea, Wien 2002, {{ISBN|978-3-8500-2486-0}}, p. 122.] In 1938, the Nazis renamed Austria the "[[Ostmark (Austria)|Ostmark]]",[{{Cite book|last=Jelavich|first=Barbara|title=Modern Austria: Empire and Republic, 1815–1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2008|isbn=978-0-521-31625-5|page=227}}][{{Cite book|last=Schmitz-Berning|first=Cornelia|title=Vokabular des Nationalsozialismus|publisher=de Gruyter|date=2007|isbn=978-3-11-019549-1|page=24|language=de}}]
Though Austrians made up only 8% of the population of the Third Reich,[Ian Wallace (1999) "German-speaking exiles in Great Britain" Rodopi p.81 ISBN 9789042004153] as were over 13% of the members of the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] and 40% of the staff at the Nazi [[extermination camp]]s.[David Art (2006) "The politics of the Nazi past in Germany and Austria" Cambridge University Press p.43 ISBN 9780521856836] In the [[Austria under National Socialism|Reichsgau]], besides the main camp [[Mauthausen concentration camp|KZ-Mauthausen]], there were numerous sub-camps in all provinces where Jews and other prisoners were killed, tortured and exploited.[Österreichische Historikerkommission, ''Schlussbericht der Historikerkommission der Republik Österreich.'' Volume 1, 2003, pp 85.] At this time, because the territory was outside the operational radius of Allied aircraft, the armaments industry was greatly expanded through the forced labour of concentration camp prisoners, this was especially the case with regard to the manufacture of fighter planes, tanks and missiles.[Norbert Schausberger, ''Rüstung in Österreich 1938–1945'', Vienna (1970).][{{Cite web|date=26 July 2010|title=Hitlers Schuldendiktat: Wie Hitlers Kriegswirtschaft wirklich lief|url=https://profil.at/home/hitlers-schuldendiktat-wie-hitlers-kriegswirtschaft-273933|publisher=profil.at|access-date=1 April 2021|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415232658/https://www.profil.at/home/hitlers-schuldendiktat-wie-hitlers-kriegswirtschaft-273933|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|title=Zwangsarbeit für die Rüstungsindustrie|publisher=KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen|url=https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/de/Wissen/Das-Konzentrationslager-Mauthausen-1938-1945/Zwangsarbeit-fuer-die-Ruestungsindustrie|website=mauthausen-memorial.org|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090110/https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/de/Wissen/Das-Konzentrationslager-Mauthausen-1938-1945/Zwangsarbeit-fuer-die-Ruestungsindustrie|url-status=live}}]
Most of the [[Austrian resistance|resistance groups]] were soon crushed by the [[Gestapo]]. While the plans of the group around [[Karl Burian]] to blow up the Gestapo's headquarters in Vienna were uncovered,[Karl Glanz (2020) ''Die Sozialdemokratie'' p 28] the important group around the later executed priest [[Heinrich Maier]] managed to contact the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. This so-called Maier-Messner group was able to send the Allies information about armaments factories where [[V-1 flying bomb]]s, [[V-2 rocket]]s, [[Tiger I|Tiger tanks]], and aircraft ([[Messerschmitt Bf 109]], [[Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet]], etc.) were manufactured, information which was important to the success of [[Operation Crossbow]] and [[Operation Hydra (1943)|Operation Hydra]], both of which were preliminary missions before the launch of [[Operation Overlord]]. This resistance group, which was in contact with the American secret service ([[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]]), soon provided information about mass executions and [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] such as [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]]. The group's aim was to cause Nazi Germany to lose the war as quickly as possible and re-establish an independent Austria.[Christoph Thurner (2017) ''The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group'' p. 35.][Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer, (2018) ''Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938–1945'' ISBN 9783902494832 p 299–305][Hansjakob Stehle, "Die Spione aus dem Pfarrhaus (German: The spies from the rectory)". In: Die Zeit, 5 January 1996]
[[File:KZ Mauthausen.jpg|thumb|The liberation of [[Mauthausen concentration camp]], 1945]]
=== Allied occupation ===
Vienna fell on 13 April 1945, during the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Vienna offensive]], just before the total collapse of the Third Reich. The invading Allied powers, in particular the Americans, planned for the supposed "Alpine Fortress Operation" of a national redoubt, that was largely to have taken place on Austrian soil in the mountains of the [[Eastern Alps]]. However, it never materialised because of the rapid collapse of the Reich.
[[Karl Renner]] and [[Adolf Schärf]] ([[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Socialist Party of Austria]]), Leopold Kunschak ([[Christian Social Party (Austria)|Christian Social Party]]), and [[Johann Koplenig]] ([[Communist Party of Austria]]) declared Austria's secession from the Third Reich by the Declaration of Independence on 27 April 1945 and set up a [[provisional government]] in Vienna under state Chancellor Renner the same day, with the approval of the victorious [[Red Army]] and backed by [[Joseph Stalin]].[Lonnie Johnson 135–136] (The date is officially named the birthday of the second republic.) At the end of April, most of western and southern Austria were still under Nazi rule. On 1 May 1945, the [[Federal Constitutional Law]] of 1920, which had been terminated by dictator Dollfuss on 1 May 1934, was declared valid again. The total number of [[World War II casualties#endnote Austria|Austrian military deaths]] from 1939 to 1945 was 260,000.[Rüdiger Overmans (2000) ''Deutsche militärische Verluste im Zweiten Weltkrieg'' Oldenbourg] The total number of Jewish [[The Holocaust in Austria|Austrian Holocaust]] victims was 65,000.[[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria/33382/Anschluss-and-World-War-II Anschluss and World War II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820033236/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria/33382/Anschluss-and-World-War-II |date=20 August 2009 }}. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.] About 140,000 Jewish Austrians had fled from the country in 1938–39. Thousands of Austrians had taken part in serious Nazi crimes (hundreds of thousands of people died in the [[Mauthausen concentration camp|Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp]] alone), a fact which was officially acknowledged by Chancellor [[Franz Vranitzky]] in 1992.[[File:Uno City Kaiserwasser.jpg|thumb|right|The [[United Nations Office in Vienna]]]]
[[Allied-occupied Austria]] was after [[World War II]] divided into [[military occupation]] zones. Austria was governed by the [[Allied Commission for Austria]].[Lonnie Johnson 137] As stipulated in the [[Moscow Declaration]] of 1943 a subtle difference was seen in the treatment of Austria by the Allies.[Manfried Rauchensteiner, ''Der Sonderfall. Die Besatzungszeit in Österreich 1945 bis 1955'' (The Special Case. The Time of Occupation in Austria 1945 to 1955), edited by Heeresgeschichtliches Museum / Militärwissenschaftliches Institut (Museum of Army History / Institute for Military Science), Vienna 1985] On 26 July 1946 the Austrian Parliament passed its first [[nationalization]] law and approximately 70 mining and manufacturing companies were seized by the Austrian state. The Ministry of Property Protection and Economic Planning (''Ministerium für Vermögenssicherung und Wirtschaftsplanung'') was responsible for directing the nationalized industries under the directorship of Minister [[Peter Krauland]] (party ÖVP).[{{cite book|editor1=Gunter Bischof|title=Austria in the Nineteen Fifties|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2020|isbn=978-1-000-67584-9}}]
=== Independence ===
On 15 May 1955, after talks which lasted for years and were influenced by the [[Cold War]] Austria regained full independence by concluding the [[Austrian State Treaty]] with the allies of World War II. On 26 October 1955, all occupation troops had left and Austria declared its ''permanent neutrality'' by an act of parliament.[Lonnie Johnson 153] This day is now Austria's [[National Day]], a public holiday.[{{Cite web|title=The Austrian National Day|url=https://www.austria.org/national-day|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025070927/https://www.austria.org/national-day|archive-date=25 October 2018|access-date=24 October 2018|publisher=Austrian Embassy, Washington|language=en-US}}]
The status of [[Tyrol]] was a lingering problem between Austria and [[Italy]]. To this day, there are 20 different squares in Austrian cities called "Südtiroler Platz" (South Tyrolean Square) in memory of the supposed loss of the Austrian territories. Terrorist acts by the [[South Tyrolean independence movement]] have been documented in the 1950s and 1960s. A great degree of autonomy was granted to Tyrol by the Italian national government.
[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|right|Austria joined the [[European Union]] in 1995 and signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.]]
The political system of the [[Second Austrian Republic|Second Republic]] is based on the constitution of 1920 and 1929, which was reintroduced in 1945. The system came to be characterised by ''[[Proporz]]'', whereby most posts of political importance were split proportionately between members of the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria]] (SPÖ) and the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ÖVP).[Lonnie Johnson 139] Interest group "chambers" with mandatory membership (e.g. for workers, business people, farmers) grew to considerable importance and were usually consulted in the legislative process, so hardly any legislation was passed that did not reflect widespread consensus.[Lonnie Johnson 165]
Since 1945, governing via a single-party government has occurred twice: 1966–1970 (ÖVP) and 1970–1983 (SPÖ). During all other legislative periods, either a [[grand coalition]] of SPÖ and ÖVP or a "small coalition" (one of these two and a smaller party) ruled the country.
[[Kurt Waldheim]], the former secretary-general of the [[United Nations]], was elected President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. He had been a Wehrmacht officer in the Second World War and was [[Austria – the Nazis' first victim#Waldheim Affair|accused of war crimes]].[{{Cite web|title=Kurt Waldheim {{!}} president of Austria and secretary-general of the United Nations|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurt-Waldheim|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926052356/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurt-Waldheim|archive-date=26 September 2018|access-date=25 September 2018|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en}}]
Following a [[1994 Austrian European Union membership referendum|referendum in 1994]], at which consent reached a majority of two-thirds, the country became a member of the [[European Union]] on 1 January 1995.[Brook-Shepherd 447,449]
The major parties SPÖ and ÖVP have contrary opinions about the future status of Austria's military nonalignment: While the SPÖ in public supports a neutral role,[{{cite web |author=Die Presse |title=SPÖ und die Neutralität – Ein Erbe der Geschichte |url=https://www.diepresse.com/5542204/spoe-und-die-neutralitaet-ein-erbe-der-geschichte |website=Die Presse |date=2019-05-05 |access-date=2025-05-25 |language=de}}] the ÖVP argues for stronger integration into the EU's security policy;[{{cite web |author=ORF |title=Österreichs Rolle in der EU-Sicherheitspolitik |url=https://orf.at/stories/3193487 |website=ORF |date=2021-05-21 |access-date=2025-05-25 |language=de}}] even a future NATO membership is not ruled out by some ÖVP politicians (ex. Werner Fasslabend (ÖVP) in 1997).[{{cite web |url=https://www.nato.int/docu/speech/1997/s971203a.htm |title=NATO Speech: MoD Austria, Brussels, 3 Dec. 1997 |author=Dr. Werner Fasslabend |date=December 3, 1997 |access-date=May 25, 2025}}][{{cite web |url=https://csdr.org/97Book/fasslabend-C.htm |title=Center for Strategic Decision Research: Austria's Role in European Security |author=Dr. Werner Fasslabend |date=1997 |access-date=May 25, 2025}}] In reality, Austria is taking part in the EU's [[Common Foreign and Security Policy]], participates in [[peacekeeping]] and peace creating tasks, and has become a member of [[NATO]]'s "[[Partnership for Peace]]"; the constitution has been amended accordingly.[{{cite web|publisher=NATO|title=Signatures of Partnership for Peace Framework Document|date=5 October 2006|url=http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm|access-date=17 February 2024|archive-date=29 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129213256/http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm|url-status=live}}] Since [[Liechtenstein]] joined the [[Schengen Area]] in 2011, none of Austria's neighbouring countries performs border controls towards it anymore.[{{Cite web|title=Press corner|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_1566|website=European Commission – European Commission|language=en|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204100203/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_1566|url-status=live}}]
==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Austria}}
[[File:Oesterreich topo.png|thumb|upright=1.25|A topographic map of Austria showing cities with over 100,000 inhabitants]]
[[File:Wildspitze seen from Hinterer Brunnkogel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A [[glacier|glacial]] region in winter, close to the valley [[Ötztal]] in Tyrolia. The highest peak is the [[Wildspitze]] ({{convert|3768|m|ft}}), the second highest mountain in Austria.]]
Austria is a largely mountainous country because of its location in the [[Alps]].[{{Cite web|date=11 June 2009|title=Alps|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/17356/Alps|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601083317/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/17356/Alps|archive-date=1 June 2009|access-date=12 June 2009|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}] The [[Central Eastern Alps]], [[Northern Limestone Alps]], and [[Southern Limestone Alps]] are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria ({{Convert|83871|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), only about a quarter can be considered low-lying, and only 32% of the country is below {{Convert|500|m|ft|0}}. The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into low lands and plains in the eastern part of the country.
Austria lies between latitudes [[46th parallel north|46°]] and [[49th parallel north|49° N]], and longitudes [[9th meridian east|9°]] and [[18th meridian east|18° E]].
It can be divided into five areas, the biggest being the [[Eastern Alps]], which constitute 62% of the nation's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]] account for about 12% and the foothills in the east and areas surrounding the periphery of the Pannoni low country amount to about 12% of the total landmass. The second greater mountain area (much lower than the Alps) is situated in the north. Known as the Austrian [[granite]] [[plateau]], it is located in the central area of the Bohemian Mass and accounts for 10% of Austria. The Austrian portion of the [[Vienna basin]] makes up the remaining 4%.[{{Cite web|title=Geography – Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations – Vienna|url=https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oev-wien/about-austria/geography|access-date=8 February 2023|archive-date=8 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208122616/https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oev-wien/about-austria/geography/|url-status=live}}]
In Austria, [[forest cover]] is about 47% of the total land area, equivalent to 3,899,150 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 3,775,670 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 2,227,500 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 1,671,500 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 2% was reported to be [[primary forest]] (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and about 23% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 18% of the forest area was reported to be under [[State ownership|public ownership]], 82% [[Private property|private ownership]] and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.[{{Cite book|url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content|title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|year=2023}}][{{Cite web|title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Austria|url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/AUT/home/overview|website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}]
[[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Austria belongs to the Central European province of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]], the territory of Austria can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the [[Central European mixed forests]], [[Pannonian mixed forests]], [[Alps conifer and mixed forests]], and [[Western European broadleaf forests]].[{{Cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|date=2017|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|pages=534–545|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|issn=0006-3568|pmc=5451287|pmid=28608869|doi-access=free|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad}}] Austria had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 3.55/10, ranking it 149th globally out of 172 countries.[{{Cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|date=2020|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|page=5978|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|issn=2041-1723|pmc=7723057|pmid=33293507|doi-access=free|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.}}]
===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 AUT 1991–2020.svg|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climate classification]] map for Austria[{{Cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E.|last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|author-link6=Eric Franklin Wood|date=30 October 2018|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution|journal=Scientific Data|volume=5|article-number=180214|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|doi-access=free|pmc=6207062|pmid=30375988|issn=2052-4463}}]]]
The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate [[climate zone]], where humid westerly winds predominate. With nearly three-quarters of the country dominated by the Alps, the [[alpine climate]] is predominant. In the east—in the [[Pannonian Plain]] and along the [[Danube|Danube valley]]—the climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas. Although Austria is cold in the winter (−10 to 0 °C), summer temperatures can be relatively high,[{{Cite web|date=2006|title=Average Conditions, Vienna, Austria|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003350|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042009/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003350|archive-date=2 December 2010|access-date=24 May 2009|publisher=BBC}}] with average temperatures in the mid-20s and a highest temperature of {{Convert|40.5|C|0}} in August 2013.[{{Cite web|title=Austrian Meteorological Institute|url=http://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/klima/klimauebersichten/klimamittel-1971-2000|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812220313/http://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/klima/klimauebersichten/klimamittel-1971-2000|archive-date=12 August 2012|access-date=12 August 2012}}]
According to the [[Köppen Classification|Köppen climate classification]] Austria has the following climate types: [[Humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical (Cfa)]], [[Oceanic climate|oceanic (Cfb)]], [[Humid continental climate|cool/warm-summer humid continental (Dfb)]], [[Subarctic climate|subarctic/subalpine (Dfc)]], [[Tundra climate|tundra/alpine (ET)]], and [[Ice cap climate|ice-cap (EF)]]. Austria may experience very cold, severe winters, but most of the time they are only around as cold as those in somewhat comparable climate zones, for example, Southern Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. As well, at higher altitudes, summers are usually considerably cooler than in the valleys/lower altitudes. The subarctic and tundra climates seen around the Alps are much warmer in winter than what is normal elsewhere due in part to the Oceanic influence on this part of Europe.[{{Cite web|title=Climate-Data.org|url=https://en.climate-data.org/country/4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415201756/https://en.climate-data.org/country/4|archive-date=15 April 2017|access-date=15 April 2017}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Zampieri|first1=Matteo|last2=Scoccimarro|first2=Enrico|last3=Gualdi|first3=Silvio|date=2013|title=Atlantic influence on the Alps|journal=Environmental Research Letters|volume=8|issue=3|article-number=034026|bibcode=2013ERL.....8c4026Z|doi=10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034026|doi-access=free}}]
[[Climate change in Austria]] has already caused temperature rises of almost 2 °C since 1880, and temperatures are expected to increase further while [[heat wave]]s become more common. Extreme precipitation events have become more frequent, and associated [[flood]]s and [[landslide]]s could threaten Austria's electricity supply security.[{{Cite web|date=2021-11-18|title=Austria Climate Resilience Policy Indicator|url=https://www.iea.org/articles/austria-climate-resilience-policy-indicator|access-date=2024-12-09|website=IEA|language=en-GB}}] Austria's mountainous regions are highly sensitive to climate change and are experiencing reduced snowfall, earlier [[snowmelt]] and [[glacier]] loss.[{{Cite web|last=Climate Change Post|title=Austria: Climate change|url=https://www.climatechangepost.com/countries/austria/climate-change/|access-date=2024-12-09|website=climatechangepost.com|language=en-us}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Olefs|first1=M.|last2=Formayer|first2=H.|last3=Gobiet|first3=A.|last4=Marke|first4=T.|last5=Schöner|first5=W.|last6=Revesz|first6=M.|date=2021-06-01|title=Past and future changes of the Austrian climate – Importance for tourism|journal=Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism|series=Editorial: Tourism and Climate Change – an integrated look at the Austrian case|volume=34|article-number=100395|doi=10.1016/j.jort.2021.100395|issn=2213-0780|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021JORT...3400395O }}]
==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Austria}}
{{Multiple image
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| image1 = Am 23. September 2025 nahm Außenministerin Beate Meinl-Reisinger gemeinsam mit Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen (M) und Bundeskanzler Christian Stocker (L) (54813003241) (cropped).jpg
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[[President of Austria|President]]
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[[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]]
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[[File:Wien - Parlamentsgebäude.JPG|thumb|The [[Austrian Parliament Building]] in Vienna]]
The [[Parliament of Austria]] is located in Vienna, the country's capital and most populous city. Austria became a [[Federation|federal]], [[Representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[republic]] through the [[Federal Constitutional Law]] of 1920. The political system of the Second Republic with its [[Federal states of Austria|nine states]] is based on the constitution of 1920, amended in 1929, which was re-enacted on 1 May 1945.[Lonnie Johnson 17, 142]
The [[president of Austria]] is the head of state. The president is directly elected by popular majority vote, with a run-off between the top-scoring candidates if necessary. The [[chancellor of Austria]] is head of the [[Government of Austria|government]]. The chancellor is selected by the president and tasked with forming a government based on the partisan composition of the lower house of parliament.
The government can be removed from office by either a presidential decree or by [[vote of no confidence]] in the lower chamber of parliament, the [[National Council of Austria|''Nationalrat'']]. Voting for the president and for the parliament used to be compulsory in Austria. The compulsion was abolished in steps from 1982 to 2004.[{{Cite web|title=Bundesministerium für Inneres – Elections Compulsory voting|url=http://www.bmi.gv.at/wahlen/elections_compulsorey_voting.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103221527/http://www.bmi.gv.at/wahlen/elections_compulsorey_voting.asp|archive-date=3 November 2007|access-date=3 January 2009|publisher=Bmi.gv.at}}]
Austria's parliament consists of two chambers. The composition of the Nationalrat (183 seats) is determined every five years (or whenever the Nationalrat has been dissolved by the federal president on a motion by the federal chancellor, or by the Nationalrat itself) by a general election in which every citizen over the age of 16 has the [[Suffrage|right to vote]]. The voting age was lowered from 18 to 16 in 2007.[{{Cite web|title=The Austrian Parliament|url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/ZUSD/DLFolder/Austrian_Parl_E_p27.pdf|website=Parlament.gv.at|access-date=22 November 2021|archive-date=25 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425043546/https://www.parlament.gv.at/ZUSD/DLFolder/Austrian_Parl_E_p27.pdf}}]
While there is a general [[Electoral threshold|threshold]] of 4% of the vote for all parties in federal elections (''Nationalratswahlen'') to participate in the proportional allocation of seats, there remains the possibility of being elected to a seat directly in one of the 43 regional electoral districts (''[[Direktmandat]]'').
The Nationalrat is the dominant chamber in the legislative process in Austria. However, the upper house of parliament, the [[Federal Council of Austria|''Bundesrat'']], has a limited right of veto (the Nationalrat can{{Mdash}}in almost all cases{{Mdash}}ultimately pass the respective bill by voting a second time; this is referred to as a ''Beharrungsbeschluss'', lit. "vote of persistence"). A constitutional convention, called the {{Lang|de|Österreich -Konvent}}[{{Cite web|title=Willkommen beim Österreich Konvent|url=http://www.konvent.gv.at/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104001526/http://www.konvent.gv.at/|archive-date=4 January 2009|access-date=21 November 2008|publisher=Konvent.gv.at}}] was convened on 30 June 2003 to consider reforms to the constitution, but failed to produce a proposal that would command a two-thirds majority in the Nationalrat, the margin necessary for constitutional amendments or reforms.
While the [[Bicameralism|bicameral Parliament]] and the Government constitute the legislative and executive branches, respectively, the courts are the third branch of Austrian state powers. The [[Constitutional Court (Austria)|Constitutional Court]] exerts considerable influence on the political system because of its power to invalidate legislation and ordinances that are not in compliance with the Constitution. Since 1995, the [[European Court of Justice]] may overrule Austrian decisions in all matters defined in the laws of the [[European Union]]. Austria also implements the decisions of the [[European Court of Human Rights]], since the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] is part of the Austrian constitution.
===Since 2006===
[[File:Wien - Bundeskanzleramt1.JPG|thumb|The Federal Chancellery on [[Ballhausplatz]]]]
After the general election held [[2006 Austrian legislative election|in October 2006]], the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Social Democratic Party]] (SPÖ) emerged as the strongest party, and the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ÖVP) came in second, having lost about 8 [[Percentage point]]s of its previous polling.[{{Cite web|date=2006|title=24 November 2002 General Election Results – Austria Totals|url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185433/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002|archive-date=7 July 2009|access-date=12 June 2009|website=Election Resources on the Internet}}][{{Cite web|date=2006|title=October 1st, 2006 General Election Results – Austria Totals|url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185102/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006|archive-date=7 July 2009|access-date=12 June 2009|website=Election Resources on the Internet}}]
Political realities prohibited any of the two major parties from forming a coalition with smaller parties. In January 2007 the ÖVP and SPÖ formed a grand coalition with [[Alfred Gusenbauer]] (SPÖ) as Chancellor.
[[Gusenbauer government|This coalition]] broke up on 7 July 2008.[[https://web.archive.org/web/20080705204057/http://www.kurier.at/nachrichten/173528.php archive.org]]
The election [[2008 Austrian legislative election|in September 2008]] further weakened both major parties (SPÖ 29.3 % and ÖVP 26.0 %). They formed a coalition with [[Werner Faymann]] (SPÖ) as Chancellor ([[First Faymann government]]). The [[The Greens – The Green Alternative|Green Party]] came in third with 11% of the vote. The FPÖ and the deceased [[Jörg Haider]]'s new party [[Alliance for the Future of Austria]], both on the political right, were strengthened during the election but taken together received less than 20% of the vote. On 11 October 2008, Jörg Haider died in a car accident.[{{Cite web|date=11 October 2008|title=Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider dies in car crash|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider|website=The Guardian|access-date=10 December 2021|archive-date=21 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621073253/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider|url-status=live}}]
In the [[2013 Austrian legislative election|legislative elections of 2013]], the Social Democratic Party received 27% of the vote and 52 seats; the People's Party 24% and 47 seats, thus controlling together the majority of the seats. The Freedom Party received 40 seats and 21% of the votes, while the Greens received 12% and 24 seats. Two new parties, Stronach and the NEOS, received less than 10% of the vote, and 11 and nine seats respectively.[{{Cite web|title=Election Resources on the Internet: Federal Elections in Austria – Nationalrat Results Lookup|url=http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013|website=electionresources.org|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020101927/http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013|url-status=live}}]
On 17 May 2016, [[Christian Kern]] from Social Democrats (SPÖ) was sworn in as the new chancellor. He continued governing in a "grand coalition" with the conservative People's Party (ÖVP). He took the office after the former chancellor, also from SPÖ, [[Werner Faymann]]'s resignation.[{{Cite news|date=17 May 2016|title=Austria's Christian Kern sworn in as new chancellor|work=DW.COM|url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395|access-date=10 December 2021|archive-date=10 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210090552/https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395|url-status=live}}]
On 26 January 2017, [[Alexander Van der Bellen]] was sworn in as the mostly ceremonial – but symbolically significant – role of Austrian president.[{{Cite news|date=26 January 2017|title=Van der Bellen takes office as Austrian president|work=DW.COM|url=https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299|access-date=10 December 2021|archive-date=10 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210092251/https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299|url-status=live}}]
After the Grand Coalition broke in Spring 2017 a snap election was proclaimed for [[2017 Austrian legislative election|October 2017]]. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) with its new young leader [[Sebastian Kurz]] emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 31.5% of votes and 62 of the 183 seats. The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) finished second with 52 seats and 26.9% votes, slightly ahead of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which received 51 seats and 26 percent. NEOS finished fourth with 10 seats (5.3% of votes), and PILZ (which split from the Green Party at the start of the campaign) entered parliament for the first time and came in fifth place with 8 seats and 4.4% The Green Party failed with 3.8% to cross the 4% threshold and was ejected from parliament, losing all of its 24 seats.[{{Cite news|date=15 October 2017|title=Austrian elections: Sebastian Kurz becomes youngest leader|work=DW.COM|url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587|url-status=live}}] The ÖVP decided to form a coalition with the FPÖ. The new government between the centre-right wing and the right-wing populist party under the new chancellor Sebastian Kurz was sworn in on 18 December 2017,[{{Cite news|date=18 December 2017|title=Muted protests in Vienna as far-right ministers enter Austria's government|language=en|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria|url-status=live}}] but the coalition government later collapsed in the wake of the [[Ibiza affair|"Ibiza" corruption scandal]][{{Cite news|date=20 May 2019|title=Austrian government collapses after far-right minister fired|language=en|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125162548/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired|url-status=live}}] and [[2019 Austrian legislative election|new elections]] were called for 29 September 2019. The elections led to another landslide victory (37.5 percent) of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) which formed a coalition government with the reinvigorated (13.9 percent) Greens, which was sworn in with Kurz as chancellor on 7 January 2020.[{{Cite news|date=29 September 2019|title=Austrian elections: support for far-right collapses|language=en|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory|access-date=9 December 2021|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209125553/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory|url-status=live}}]
On 11 October 2021, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned following pressure from a corruption scandal. He was succeeded by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg of the ÖVP. However, Schallenberg stepped down after less than two months, and Karl Nehammer was sworn in as chancellor on 6 December 2021, making him Austria's third conservative leader in two months. The ÖVP and the Greens continued to govern together.[{{Cite news|date=6 December 2021|title=Austria: Karl Nehammer sworn in as new chancellor|work=[[DW.COM]] |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938|access-date=10 December 2021|archive-date=12 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412004047/https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938|url-status=live}}]
Following the [[2024 Austrian legislative election|election on 29 September 2024]], coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and [[NEOS (Austria)|NEOS]] collapsed, leading to Nehammer's resignation. Schallenberg stepped in as interim chancellor for the second time. Attempts to form an ÖVP-FPÖ coalition also failed. Eventually, the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS reached an agreement, forming a coalition government with [[Christian Stocker]] (ÖVP) as chancellor ([[Stocker government]]).[{{Cite web |date=2025-03-03 |title=Dreierkoalition: Neue Regierung angelobt |url=https://orf.at/stories/3386514/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=news.ORF.at |language=de}}]
===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|States of Austria}}
Austria is a [[federal republic]] consisting of [[States of Austria|nine states]] ({{Langx|de-AT|link=no|Bundesländer}}).
{{Smaller|([[Square kilometre|sq km]])}}
! Population
{{Smaller|(1 Jan 2025)}}
! Density
per km2
! GDP (billion euros)
{{Smaller|(2022 Eurostat)}}
! GDP per
capita
|-
| {{Flagicon|Burgenland}} [[Burgenland]] || [[Eisenstadt]]
|style="text-align:right"| 3,965 ||style="text-align:right"| 301,790 || style="text-align:right" | 76.1 || style="text-align:right" | 10.454||style="text-align:right"| 34,900
|-
| {{Flagicon|Carinthia}} [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] || [[Klagenfurt]]
|style="text-align:right"| 9,536 ||style="text-align:right"| 570,095 || style="text-align:right" | 59.7 || style="text-align:right" | 24.755||style="text-align:right"| 43,600
|-
| {{Flagicon|Lower Austria}} [[Lower Austria]] || [[Sankt Pölten]]
|style="text-align:right"| 19,178 ||style="text-align:right"| 1,727,514 || style="text-align:right" | 90.05 || style="text-align:right" | 71.757||style="text-align:right"| 41,900
|-
| {{Flagicon|Salzburg}} [[Salzburg (state)|Salzburg]] || [[Salzburg]]
|style="text-align:right"| 7,154 ||style="text-align:right"| 572,846 || style="text-align:right" | 80.08 || style="text-align:right" | 33.330||style="text-align:right"| 58,900
|-
| {{Flagicon|Styria}} [[Styria]] || [[Graz]]
|style="text-align:right"| 16,401 ||style="text-align:right"| 1,271,716 || style="text-align:right" | 77.5 || style="text-align:right" | 56.152||style="text-align:right"| 44,600
|-
| {{Flagicon|Tyrol}} [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]]|| [[Innsbruck]]
|style="text-align:right"| 12,648 ||style="text-align:right;"| 777,660 || style="text-align:right" | 61.4 || style="text-align:right" | 39.328||style="text-align:right"| 51,200
|-
| {{Flagicon|Upper Austria}} [[Upper Austria]] || [[Linz]]
|style="text-align:right"| 11,982 ||style="text-align:right;"| 1,535,519 || style="text-align:right" | 128.1 || style="text-align:right" | 76.780||style="text-align:right"| 50,700
|-
|colspan=2| {{Flagicon|Vienna}} [[Vienna]]
|style="text-align:right"| 415 ||style="text-align:right;"| 2,028,289 || style="text-align:right" | 4,887 || style="text-align:right" | 110.992||style="text-align:right"| 56,600
|-
| {{Flagicon|Vorarlberg}} [[Vorarlberg]] || [[Bregenz]]
|style="text-align:right"| 2,601 ||style="text-align:right;"| 411,784 || style="text-align:right" | 158.3 || style="text-align:right" | 23.588||style="text-align:right"| 58,300
|-
|colspan=7 |[{{Cite web|title=Eurostat – Data Explorer|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122431/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do|archive-date=6 October 2014|access-date=19 October 2011}}][{{Cite web|title=Statistik Austria – Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2002–2017 nach Gemeinden (Gebietsstand 1.1.2017)|url=http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=354032&dDocName=080904|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322204818/http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=354032&dDocName=080904|archive-date=22 March 2018|access-date=9 July 2018}}]
|}
===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Austria}}
[[File:Inauguration EYE2014 Parlement européen Strasbourg 9 mai 2014.jpg|thumb|The [[European Parliament]]: Austria is one of the 27 EU members.]]
The 1955 [[Austrian State Treaty]] ended the occupation of Austria following World War II and recognised Austria as an independent and sovereign state. On 26 October 1955, the [[Federal Assembly of Austria|Federal Assembly]] passed a constitutional article in which "Austria declares of her own free will her perpetual neutrality". The second section of this law stated that "in all future times Austria will not join any military alliances and will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on her territory". Since then, Austria has shaped its foreign policy on the basis of neutrality, but rather different from the neutrality of Switzerland.[{{Cite web |last=Sassòli |first=Peter Hilpold, Matthieu Gillabert, Johanna Rainio-Niemi, Marco |date=2023-01-09 |title=Neutrality Law In A Comparative Perspective: Austria, Switzerland, Finland |url=https://tdhj.org/blog/post/neutrality-law-comparison-austria-switzerland-finland/ |access-date=2026-07-22 |website=The Defence Horizon Journal |language=en-US}}]
Austria began to reassess its definition of [[Neutral country|neutrality]] following the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], granting overflight rights for the UN-sanctioned action against [[Iraq]] in 1991, and since 1995, it has developed participation in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Also in 1995, it joined NATO's [[Partnership for Peace]] (although it was careful to do so only after Russia joined) and subsequently participated in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. Meanwhile, the only part of the Constitutional Law on Neutrality of 1955 still fully valid is not to allow foreign military bases in Austria.[{{Cite web|title=Austria's Permanent Neutrality|url=https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2015-16/wc55d7qi5qrmyzmxh1qkofcmsluxvj|access-date=4 February 2021|website=New Austrian Information|date=16 December 2015|archive-date=13 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213232914/https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2015-16/wc55d7qi5qrmyzmxh1qkofcmsluxvj|url-status=live}}] Austria signed the UN's [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons|Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty]],[{{Cite web|date=6 July 2019|title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament – No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons|url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en|publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-date=6 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en|url-status=live}}] which was opposed by all NATO members.[{{Cite news|date=7 July 2017|title=122 countries adopt 'historic' UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/un-treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons-1.4192761|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814183525/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/un-treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons-1.4192761|url-status=live}}]
===Military===
{{Main|Austrian Armed Forces}}
[[Image:Alsergrund (Wien) - Rossauer-Kaserne (2).JPG|thumb|Headquarters of the [[Ministry of Defence (Austria)|Federal Ministry of Defence]] in [[Rossauer Kaserne]], [[Vienna]]]]
The manpower of the Austrian Armed Forces ({{Langx|de-AT|link=no|Bundesheer}}) mainly relies on [[conscription]].[{{Cite news|last=Prodhan|first=Georgina|date=20 January 2013|title=Neutral Austria votes to keep military draft|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-military-referendum/neutral-austria-votes-to-keep-military-draft-idUSBRE90J0DC20130120|access-date=4 February 2021|archive-date=8 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208223245/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-military-referendum/neutral-austria-votes-to-keep-military-draft-idUSBRE90J0DC20130120|url-status=live}}] All males who have reached the age of eighteen and are found fit have to serve a six months compulsory [[military service]], followed by an eight-year reserve obligation. Both males and females at the age of sixteen are eligible for voluntary service.[{{Cite web|title=Defence Data|url=http://www.eda.europa.eu/info-hub/defence-data-portal/Austria/year/2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603202759/http://eda.europa.eu/info-hub/defence-data-portal/Austria/year/2012|archive-date=3 June 2014|access-date=4 April 2014|website=europa.eu}}] soldiers, of whom about 12,000 are conscripts. As head of state, the [[President of Austria|Austrian president]] is nominally the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Command of the Austrian Armed Forces is exercised by the minister of defence, {{As of|2020|May|lc=yes}}: [[Klaudia Tanner]].
Since the end of the [[Cold War]], and more importantly the removal of the former heavily guarded "[[Iron Curtain]]" separating Austria and its [[Eastern Bloc]] neighbours ([[Hungary]] and former [[Czechoslovakia]]), the Austrian military has been assisting Austrian border guards in trying to prevent border crossings by [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]]. This assistance came to an end when Hungary and [[Slovakia]] joined the EU [[Schengen Area]] in 2008, for all intents and purposes abolishing "internal" border controls between treaty states. Some politicians have called for a prolongation of this mission, but the legality of this is heavily disputed. In accordance with the Austrian constitution, armed forces may only be deployed in a limited number of cases, mainly to defend the country and aid in cases of national emergency, such as in the wake of [[natural disaster]]s.[{{Cite web|title=Austria 1920 (reinst. 1945, rev. 2013)|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Austria_2013?lang=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155729/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Austria_2013?lang=en|archive-date=2 April 2015|access-date=17 March 2015|website=Constitute}}] They may only exceptionally be used as auxiliary police forces.
Within its [[Declaration of Neutrality|self-declared status of permanent neutrality]], Austria has a tradition of engaging in UN-led peacekeeping and other humanitarian missions. The [[Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit]] (AFDRU), in particular, an all-volunteer unit with close ties to civilian specialists (e.g. rescue dog handlers) enjoys a reputation as a quick (standard deployment time is 10 hours) and efficient [[Search and rescue|SAR]] unit. Currently, larger contingents of Austrian forces are deployed in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] and [[Kosovo]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} According to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]], Austria is the 3rd most peaceful country in the world.[{{Cite web|title=2024 Global Peace Index|url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf}}]
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Austria}}
[[File:Winter snow in Kitzbühel.jpg|thumb|200x200px|[[Kitzbühel]], a famous winter tourist destination in Austria]]
Austria consistently ranks high in terms of [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|GDP per capita]],[{{Cite web|title=Real GDP Gwoth|url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD|publisher=International Monetary Fund|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-date=14 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114112122/https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD|url-status=live}}] due to its highly industrialised economy, and well-developed [[social market economy]]. Until the 1980s, many of Austria's largest industry firms were nationalised; in recent years, however, [[privatisation]] has reduced state holdings to a level comparable to other European economies. [[Labour movement]]s are particularly influential, exercising a large influence on labour politics and decisions related to the expansion of the economy. Next to a highly developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the [[economy of Austria]].
Germany has historically been the main trading partner of Austria, making it vulnerable to rapid changes in the [[German economy]]. Since Austria became a member state of the [[European Union]], it has gained closer ties to other EU economies. Membership of the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the aspiring economies of the European Union. Growth in GDP reached 3.3% in 2006.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.oenb.at/en/Statistics/Standardized-Tables/Economic-and-Industry-Indicators/Economic-Indicators/gdp-growth.html|title=GDP Growth – Expenditure Side by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-date=4 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204121500/https://www.oenb.at/en/Statistics/Standardized-Tables/Economic-and-Industry-Indicators/Economic-Indicators/gdp-growth.html|url-status=live}}] At least 67% of Austria's imports come from other European Union member states.[{{Cite web|title=OEC Austria (AUT) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners|url=http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aut|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313121243/http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aut|archive-date=13 March 2016|access-date=12 March 2016|website=atlas.media.mit.edu}}]
[[File:Eurozone_Internal.svg|thumb|left|Austria is part of a monetary union, the [[eurozone]] (dark blue), and of the [[Internal Market (European Union)|EU single market]].]]
The [[2008 financial crisis]] led to the [[Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank International]] to be purchased in December 2009 by the government for 1 euro owing to credit difficulties, thus wiping out the €1.63bn of [[BayernLB]]. {{As of|2014|February}}, the HGAA situation was unresolved,[{{Cite news|last=Groendahl|first=Boris|date=15 February 2014|title=Hypo Alpe Debt Cut Four Steps as Insolvency Not Ruled Out|publisher=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-15/hypo-alpe-s-state-backed-bonds-cut-4-levels-on-insolvency-debate.html|url-status=live|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024143911/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-15/hypo-alpe-s-state-backed-bonds-cut-4-levels-on-insolvency-debate.html|archive-date=24 October 2014}}] causing Chancellor [[Werner Faymann]] to warn that its failure would be comparable to the 1931 [[Creditanstalt]] event.[{{Cite news|last=Groendahl|first=Boris|date=17 February 2014|title=Faymann Evokes 1931 Austria Creditanstalt Crash on Hypo Alpe|publisher=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/austria-s-faymann-channels-1931-creditanstalt-crash-on-hypo-alpe.html|url-status=live|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024143418/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/austria-s-faymann-channels-1931-creditanstalt-crash-on-hypo-alpe.html|archive-date=24 October 2014}}]
Austria indicated on 16 November 2010 that it would withhold the December instalment of its contribution to the EU bailout of Greece, citing the material worsening of the Greek debt situation and the apparent inability of Greece to collect the level of tax receipts it had previously promised.[{{Cite web|last=Mark|date=16 November 2010|title=Mark's Market Analysis|url=http://www.marksmarketanalysis.com/2010/11/austria-withholds-greek-bailout-funds.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714035955/http://www.marksmarketanalysis.com/2010/11/austria-withholds-greek-bailout-funds.html|archive-date=14 July 2011|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=Marksmarketanalysis.com|url-status=dead}}]
Since the [[fall of communism]], [[List of Austrian companies|Austrian companies]] have been quite active players and consolidators in Eastern Europe. Between 1995 and 2010, 4,868 [[mergers and acquisitions]] with a total known value of 163 billion EUR with the involvement of Austrian firms have been announced.[{{Cite web|title=Statistics on Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)|url=http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html#MergersAcquisitions_Austria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726173440/http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html|archive-date=26 July 2011|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=Imaa-institute.org}}] The largest transactions with involvement of Austrian companies[{{Cite web|title=Statistics on Mergers & Acquisitions|url=http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html#TopMergersAcquisitions_Austria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726173440/http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html|archive-date=26 July 2011|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=Imaa-institute.org}}] have been: the acquisition of [[Bank Austria]] by [[HypoVereinsbank]] for 7.8 billion EUR in 2000, the acquisition of [[Porsche|Porsche Holding Salzburg]] by [[Volkswagen Group]] for 3.6 billion EUR in 2009,[{{Cite web|last=Ramsey|first=Jonathon|title=Volkswagen takes 49.9 percent stake in Porsche AG|date=8 December 2009|url=http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/volkswagen-takes-49-9-percent-stake-in-porsche-ag|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810091134/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/volkswagen-takes-49-9-percent-stake-in-porsche-ag|archive-date=10 August 2011|access-date=24 July 2011|publisher=Autoblog.com}}] and the acquisition of [[Banca Comercială Română]] by [[Erste Group]] for 3.7 billion EUR in 2005.[[http://www.erstegroup.com/de/Download?chronicleId=0901481b80005991.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809152940/http://www.erstegroup.com/de/Download?chronicleId=0901481b80005991.pdf|date=9 August 2011}}]
[[Tourism in Austria]] accounts for almost 9% of its gross domestic product.[{{Cite web|date=May 2008|title=TOURISMUS IN ÖSTERREICH 2007|url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/tourismus_in_oesterreich_2007_bmwa_wko_stat_031155.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081218105425/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/tourismus_in_oesterreich_2007_bmwa_wko_stat_031155.pdf|archive-date=18 December 2008|access-date=18 November 2008|publisher=BMWA, WKO, Statistik Austria|language=de}}]
In 2007, Austria ranked 9th worldwide in international tourism receipts, with 18.9 billion US$.[{{Cite web|date=June 2008|title=UNTWO World Tourism Barometer, Vol.6 No.2|url=http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031013714/http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf|archive-date=31 October 2008|access-date=18 November 2008|publisher=UNTWO}}]
===Infrastructure and natural resources===
{{Main|Transport in Austria|Energy in Austria|Renewable energy in Austria}}
[[File:Verbund malta.jpg|thumb|The [[Kölnbrein Dam]] in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]]]
In 1972 the country began construction of a [[nuclear power plant]] to produce electricity at [[Zwentendorf]] on the River [[Danube]], following a unanimous vote in parliament. However, in 1978 a [[referendum]] voted approximately 50.5% against nuclear power, 49.5% for,[Lonnie Johnson 168–169] and parliament subsequently unanimously passed a law forbidding the use of nuclear power to generate electricity although the nuclear power plant had already finished.
Austria currently produces more than half of its electricity by [[hydropower]].[{{Cite web|date=23 January 2008|title=Austria Renewable Energy Fact Sheet|url=http://www.energy.eu/renewables/factsheets/2008_res_sheet_austria_en.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081934/http://www.energy.eu/renewables/factsheets/2008_res_sheet_austria_en.pdf|archive-date=20 June 2009|access-date=20 May 2009|website=Europe's Energy Portal}}] Together with other [[renewable energy]] sources such as [[wind power]], [[solar power]], and [[biomass]], the electricity supply from renewable energy amounts to 62.89 percent.[{{Cite web|date=2006|title=Renewable energy in Europe|url=http://www.energy.eu/renewables/eu-charts/chart4.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520023020/http://www.energy.eu/renewables/eu-charts/chart4.html|archive-date=20 May 2009|access-date=20 May 2009|publisher=Europe's Energy Portal}}]
Compared to most European countries, Austria is ecologically well endowed. Its [[biocapacity]] (or biological [[natural capital]]) is more than double of the world average: In 2016 Austria had 3.8 global hectares[{{Cite web|title=Country Trends|url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=11&type=BCpc,EFCpc|access-date=16 October 2019|publisher=Global Footprint Network|archive-date=8 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808050235/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=11&type=BCpc,EFCpc|url-status=live}}] of biocapacity per person within its territory, compared to the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person. By contrast, in 2016 they used 6.0 global hectares of biocapacity which amounts to Austria's [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means that Austrians use about 60% more biocapacity than Austria contains. As a result, Austria is running a biocapacity deficit.[
[[Rail transport in Austria]] is primarily provided by the national carrier [[Austrian Federal Railways]] ({{lang|de|Österreichische Bundesbahnen}}, ÖBB). It operates most [[S-Bahn#Austria|commuter rail systems]] and long-distance trains.
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Austria}}
[[File:Population density in Austria.png|400px|thumb|Population density in Austria by [[Districts of Austria|district]]]]
Austria's population was estimated to be 9,220,882 in April 2026 by [[Statistik Austria]]. The population of the capital, Vienna, exceeds 2 million, representing about a quarter of the country's population.][{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerung zu Jahres-/Quartalsanfang |url=https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstand/bevoelkerung-zu-jahres-/-quartalsanfang |access-date=2025-07-25 |website=STATISTIK AUSTRIA |language=de-AT}}] It is known for its cultural offerings and high standard of living.
[[Vienna]] is the country's largest city. [[Graz]] is second in size, with 305,314 inhabitants, followed by [[Linz]] (213,557), [[Salzburg]] (157,659), [[Innsbruck]] (132,499), and [[Klagenfurt]] (105,256). All other cities have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.[{{Cite web |title=Population at beginning of year/quarter |url=https://www.statistik.at/en/statistics/population-and-society/population/population-stock/population-at-beginning-of-year/quarter |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Statistic Austria |language=en-GB}}]
Largest group of foreign born population are from [[Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian]] (BCMS) speaking countries (about 5.1% of Austria's total population), mainly [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]] which by it self is only surpassed by the second largest group, people born in Germany, followed by people born in [[Turks in Austria|Turkey]] and [[Romania]].
There are a group of legally recognized indigenous non-German speaking minorities, like [[Carinthian Slovenes]], or the approximately 25,000 [[Romani people in Austria|Romani people]].[{{cite web|url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|title=Austria|publisher=European Commission|access-date=22 September 2023|archive-date=6 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006032733/https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|url-status=live}}]
The [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) in 2023 was estimated at 1.32 children born per woman,[{{Cite web |title=Demographische Querschnittsindikatoren |url=https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/demographische-indikatoren-und-tafeln/demographische-querschnittsindikatoren |access-date=2025-07-25 |website=STATISTIK AUSTRIA |language=de-AT}}] below the replacement rate of 2.1, it remains considerably below the high of 4.83 children born per woman in 1873.[{{Citation|last=Roser|first=Max|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last two centuries|date=2014|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT|work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]|access-date=2 May 2023|archive-date=2 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502180300/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT|url-status=live}}] In 2015, 42.1% of births were to unmarried women.[{{Cite web|title=Eurostat – Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527142604/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018|archive-date=27 May 2016|access-date=17 July 2017|website=ec.europa.eu}}] Austria had [[List of countries by median age#CIA figures|the 14th oldest population in the world]] in 2020, with the average age of 44.5 years.[{{Cite web|title=Median age|work=The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison|access-date=15 August 2022|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|archive-date=23 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523225144/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison/|url-status=dead}}]
The [[life expectancy]] in 2024 was estimated at 82.3 years, placing Austria above the EU average of 81.7 years.[{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=EU life expectancy estimated at 81.7 years in 2024 |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250911-1 |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en-GB}}]
In 2024, Statistik Austria estimated that the population will grow to 10,179,834 people by 2080, primarily driven by immigration.[{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerungsprognosen für Österreich und die Bundesländer |url=https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/demographische-prognosen/bevoelkerungsprognosen-fuer-oesterreich-und-die-bundeslaender |access-date=2025-07-25 |website=STATISTIK AUSTRIA |language=de-AT}}]
===Largest cities===
{{Main list|List of cities and towns in Austria}}
{{Largest cities
| country = Austria
| stat_ref = [[Statistik Austria|Statistik Austria Census 2021]]
| list_by_pop =
| div_name = State
| div_link =
| city_1 = Vienna| div_1 = Vienna| pop_1 = 1,926,960
| city_2 = Graz| div_2 = Styria| pop_2 = 291,731
| city_3 = Linz| div_3 = Upper Austria| pop_3 = 206,853
| city_4 = Salzburg| div_4 = Salzburg (state){{!}}Salzburg | pop_4 = 154,604
| city_5 = Innsbruck| div_5 = Tyrol (state){{!}}Tyrol| pop_5 = 130,385
| city_6 = Klagenfurt| div_6 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_6 = 102,527
| city_7 = Villach| div_7 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_7 = 63,935
| city_8 = Wels| div_8 = Upper Austria | pop_8 = 63,182
| city_9 = Sankt Pölten| div_9 = Lower Austria | pop_9 = 56,180
| city_10 = Dornbirn| div_10 = Vorarlberg | pop_10 = 50,340
| city_11 = Wiener Neustadt| div_11 = Lower Austria| pop_11 = 47,069
| city_12 = Steyr| div_12 = Upper Austria| pop_12 = 37,867
| city_13 = Feldkirch, Vorarlberg{{!}}Feldkirch| div_13 = Vorarlberg | pop_13 = 34,842
| city_14 = Bregenz| div_14 = Vorarlberg| pop_14 = 29,419
| city_15 = Leonding| div_16 = Lower Austria | pop_16 = 27,560
| city_16 = Klosterneuburg| div_15 = Upper Austria | pop_15 = 28,967
| city_17 = Baden bei Wien{{!}}Baden| div_17 = Lower Austria | pop_17 = 25,759
| city_18 = Wolfsberg, Carinthia{{!}}Wolfsberg| div_18 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_18 = 25,114
| city_19 = Traun| div_19 = Upper Austria | pop_19 = 24,896
| city_20 = Krems an der Donau{{!}}Krems| div_20 = Lower Austria | pop_20 = 24,821
}}
===Language===
{{Main|Languages of Austria}}
[[File:Oesterreichisches Woerterbuch 43. Auflage Deckel.jpg|thumb|right|The school version of the 43rd edition of the ''[[Österreichisches Wörterbuch]]'' for the [[Austrian German|Austrian language]], 2018]]
The official language of Austria is [[German language|German]], as specified by article 8 of [[Federal Constitutional Law|its constitution of 1920]].[{{cite web|url=https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|title=Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz Art. 8 (Austrian Constitution)|date=2023-11-23|language=de|access-date=26 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111174337/https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|url-status=live}}] The written form of German in Austria and in the Italian [[South Tyrol]] region is [[Austrian German]], or simply Austrian, a variety of [[Standard High German]]; it has been standardized in Austria since 1951, when the [[Ministry of Education, Science and Research]] published the ''[[Österreichisches Wörterbuch]]''. This standard form, however, is used primarily in education and for government publications, announcements and websites; the ''de facto'' common spoken languages of Austria are not the Austrian German as taught in schools but rather the [[Bavarian language|Bavarian]] and [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] dialects. These are two mutually intelligible [[Upper German]] local languages or collections of dialects that are understood, with varying degrees of difficulty, by each other as well as by speakers of non-Austrian German dialects. Taken as a collective whole, [[German dialects|German languages or dialects]] are thus spoken natively by 88.6% of the population, which includes the 2.5% German-born citizens who reside in Austria, followed by Turkish (2.28%), Serbian (2.21%), Croatian (1.63%), English (0.73%), Hungarian (0.51%), Bosnian (0.43%), Polish (0.35%), Albanian (0.35%), Slovenian (0.31%), Czech (0.22%), Arabic (0.22%) and Romanian (0.21%).[{{Cite web|title=Die Bevölkerung nach Umgangssprache, Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland|url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113171636/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2010|access-date=17 November 2010|publisher=Statistik Austria}}]
The Austrian state of [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] is home to a significant indigenous [[Carinthian Slovenes|Slovene-speaking minority]], while in the easternmost state, [[Burgenland]] (formerly part of the Hungarian portion of [[Austria-Hungary]]), there are significant [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]- and [[Croatian language|Croatian]]-speaking minorities. [[Burgenland Croatian]], Hungarian, and [[Slovenian language|Slovene]] are also recognized as [[official language]]s beside German in parts of Carinthia and Burgenland.[{{Cite book|last=Minahan|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC|title=One Europe, many nations: a historical dictionary of European national groups|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|date=2000|isbn=978-0-313-30984-7|page=769|access-date=25 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321014815/http://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC|archive-date=21 March 2015|url-status=live}}] which is closely related to people from neighbouring countries [[Germany]], [[Liechtenstein]], and [[German-speaking Switzerland]].[{{Cite book|last=Cole|first=Jeffrey|title=Ethnic groups of Europe|page=23|author-link=Jeffrey Cole}}] That said Austrian ethnicity has considerable convergence with non-German speaking populations to the east and south of Austria, particularly in Vienna, through its position and role in Eastern Europe today and as the capital of the former multi-ethnic [[Habsburg Empire]].[{{cite journal | last=Arens | first=Katherine | title=Why Austrian Studies Isn't German Studies: Germanophone Culture(s)—A Once and Future Tale | journal=Modern Austrian Literature | publisher=Association of Austrian Studies | volume=36 | issue=1/2 | year=2003 | issn=00267503 | jstor=24648992 | pages=53–68 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24648992 | access-date=October 24, 2025}}]
This is reflected in the officially recognized non-German speaking indigneous populations of Austria. An estimated 13,000 to 40,000 [[Slovenes]] in the Austrian state [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] (the [[Carinthian Slovenes]]) as well as [[Croats]] (about 30,000)[{{Cite web|title=HKDC Geschichte – Frame|url=http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706090820/http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm|archive-date=6 July 2011|access-date=21 November 2008|publisher=Croates.at}}] and [[Hungarians]] in Burgenland were recognised as a minority and have had special rights following the Austrian State Treaty ({{Lang|de|Staatsvertrag}}) of 1955.[[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Austria: Turks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429011430/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html |date=29 April 2011 }}. Minority Rights Group International, ''World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Austria: Turks, 2008.'' Online. UNHCR Refworld] People from Turkey are closely followed by [[Serbs in Austria|people from Serbia]].[{{Cite web|title=Beč: Božić na gastarbajterski način | Evropa | Deutsche Welle | 07.01.2010|url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5096611,00.html?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104161123/http://www.dw.de/be%C4%8D-bo%C5%BEi%C4%87-na-gastarbajterski-na%C4%8Din/a-5096611-1?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb|archive-date=4 November 2013|access-date=25 April 2010|publisher=Dw-world.de}}] Serbs form one of the largest ethnic groups in Austria, numbering around 300,000 people.[{{Cite news|last=Palić|first=Svetlana|date=17 July 2011|title=Četiri miliona Srba našlo uhlebljenje u inostranstvu|work=Blic|url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu|url-status=live|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026114845/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu|archive-date=26 October 2015|quote=Austriji (300.000)}}][{{Cite news|date=2008|title=Serben-Demo eskaliert in Wien|work=20 Minuten|publisher=[[20 Minuten|20 Minuten Online]]|url=http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093|url-status=live|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223062706/http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093|archive-date=23 February 2012}}][{{Cite web|date=2 October 2010|title=Srbi u Austriji traže status nacionalne manjine|url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109205055/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine|archive-date=9 January 2015|access-date=28 April 2016|publisher=Blic|quote="Srba u Austriji ima oko 300.000, po brojnosti su drugi odmah iza Austrijanaca i više ih je od Slovenaca, Mađara i Gradištanskih Hrvata zajedno, koji po državnom ugovoru iz 1955. godine imaju status nacionalne manjine u Austriji", navodi se u saopštenju.}}] Historically, Serbian immigrants moved to Austria during the time of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], when [[Vojvodina]] was under Imperial control. Following [[World War II]] the number of Serbs expanded again, and today the community is very large. The Austrian Serbian Society was founded in 1936. Today, Serbs in Austria are mainly found in [[Vienna]], [[Salzburg]], and [[Graz]].
===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Austria}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Austria (2021)[{{Cite web|title=Religionszugehörigkeit 2021: drei Viertel bekennen sich zu einer Religion|trans-title=2021 religious affiliation: three fourths profess a religion|url=https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804235308/https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf|archive-date=4 August 2022|type=with comparative data from the censuses from 1951 to 2021}}]
|label1 = [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
|value1 = 55.2
|color1 = DarkOrchid
|label2 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
|value2 = 4.9
|color2 = Orchid
|label3 = [[Protestantism]]
|value3 = 3.8
|color3 = DodgerBlue
|label4 = [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholicism]]
|value4 = 0.1
|color4 = DeepSkyBlue
|label5 = [[List of Christian denominations|Other Christians]]
|value5 = 4.2
|color5 = LightBlue
|label6 = [[Islam in Austria|Islam]]
|value6 = 8.3
|color6 = Green
|label7 = [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhism]]
|value7 = 0.3
|color7 = Orange
|label8 = [[Hinduism in Austria|Hinduism]]
|value8 = 0.1
|color8 = Yellow
|label9 = [[History of the Jews in Austria|Judaism]]
|value9 = 0.1
|color9 = Blue
|label10 = Other religions
|value10 = 0.7
|color10 = #C40234
|label11 = [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|value11 = 22.4
|color11 = Beige
}}
[[File:Catedral de San Esteban, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 84.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna|St. Stephen's Cathedral]] in [[Vienna]], a [[Catholic Church in Austria|Catholic Christian church]]]]
Austria was historically a strongly Catholic country as the centre of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], which championed Catholicism.[{{Cite encyclopedia|date=2004|title=Religion in Austria|publisher=Taylor & Francis|last=Zulehner|first=Paul M.|editor-last=Bischof|editor-first=Günter|series=Contemporary Austrian Studies|volume=13|page=1|isbn=978-0-7658-0823-3|contribution=Religion in Austria|editor-last2=Pelinka|editor-first2=Anton|editor-last3=Denz|editor-first3=Hermann|contribution-url=https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:925751.pdf|access-date=2 February 2023|archive-date=12 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312193055/https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o:925751/download|url-status=live}}] Although in the 16th century many Austrians converted to [[Protestantism|other denominations]] ([[Lutheranism]], in particular) as the Protestant [[Reformation]] (begun in 1517) spread across Europe, the Habsburgs enacted measures of [[Counter-Reformation]] as early as 1527 and harshly repressed Austrian evangelicalism; only a minority of Austrians remained Protestant.[{{Cite encyclopedia|date=2012|title=Religion in Austria|publisher=Praesens Verlag|editor-last=Hödl|editor-first=Hans Gerald|volume=2|pages=219, 230|isbn=978-3-7069-0763-7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107224637/https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf|archive-date=7 January 2022|last2=Berghammer|first2=Caroline|last1=Potančoková|first1=Michaela|contribution=Urban Faith: Religious Change in Vienna and Austria, 1986–2013|editor-last2=Pokorny|editor-first2=Lukas|contribution-url=https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf}}]
In 2001, about 74% of Austria's population were registered as Catholic,[{{Cite web|title=Census 2001: Population 2001 according to religious affiliation and nationality|url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114090849/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf|archive-date=14 November 2007|access-date=17 December 2007|publisher=Statistik Austria|language=de}}] while about 5% considered themselves [[Protestant]]s.[{{cite web|url=https://www.diepresse.com/18875991/platz-drei-fuer-die-zahl-der-kirchen-austritte|title=Platz drei für die Zahl der Kirchen-Austritte|date=18 September 2024}}] Additionally, the Lutheran church recorded a loss of 74,421 adherents between 2001 and 2016.
The 2001 census reported that about 12% of the population declared themselves [[irreligion|without a religion]];[[http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html Church data] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116063732/http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html |date=16 January 2013 }} retrieved 14 January 2015] and further increased to 22.4% (1,997,700 people) in 2021.[ Of the remaining population, about 340,000 were registered as members of various Muslim communities in 2001, originating chiefly from [[Turkey]], [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], and [[Kosovo]];][[http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt Zahl der Muslime in Österreich seit 2001 verdoppelt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920155004/http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt |date=20 September 2017 }} diepresse.com, 4 August 2017.] and reached 745,600 in 2021.[ In 2021, another 436,700 residents of Austria (mostly [[Serbs]]) were members of [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]es, 26,600 were [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhists]], 10,100 were [[Hinduism in Austria|Hindus]], about 21,800 were active [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and 5,400 were [[Jews]].][{{Cite web|title=Fast Facts—Austria|url=https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT|access-date=15 August 2022|publisher=Jehovah's Witnesses (JW.ORG)|archive-date=18 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518162403/https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT/|url-status=live}}]
According to the [[Eurobarometer]] 2010,[{{Cite web|title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf|archive-date=15 December 2010|access-date=21 February 2013|edition=Fieldwork: Jan–Feb 2010}}]
* 44% of Austrian citizens "believe there is a God";
* 38% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and
* 12% "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".
===Education===
{{Main|Education in Austria}}
[[File:Melk - Stift (0).JPG|thumb|[[Stiftsgymnasium Melk]] is the oldest Austrian school.]]Education in Austria is federally governed by the [[Ministry of Education, Science and Research]], with administration handled by individual states. School attendance is mandatory for nine years, typically from ages six to fifteen. Kindergarten is available for children aged three to six, with compulsory attendance starting at five. While part-time daycare is free nationwide for this age group, [[Vienna]] and [[Burgenland]] offer free all-day care. By 2018, about 90% of children between three and five attended early childhood education.[{{Cite web |title=Facts and Figures - Education |url=https://www.advantageaustria.org/al/zentral/branchen/bildung/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten.en.html |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.advantageaustria.org |language=en}}][{{Cite web |title=Facts and Figures - Education |url=https://www.advantageaustria.org/sm/zentral/branchen/bildung/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten.en.html |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.advantageaustria.org |language=en}}][{{Cite web |date=2023-02-15 |title=Four things foreigners in Austria need to know about the education system |url=https://www.thelocal.at/20230215/four-things-foreigners-in-austria-need-to-about-the-education-system |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=The Local Austria |language=en}}][{{Cite web |title=The education system in Austria: a guide for families |url=https://www.expatica.com/at/education/children-education/education-in-austria-87120/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Expatica Austria |language=en}}]
[[File:Artwork public school Zollergasse in Vienna 002.jpg|thumb|Zollergasse in Vienna]][[Volksschule]] or [[Education in Germany|Grundschule]] starts at age six and lasts for four years, with an average class size of 18 pupils. Secondary education is divided into different tracks: [[Mittelschule]], which focuses on vocational training, and Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schule, an academic secondary school that prepares students for university through the [[Matura]] examination. At age 10, students, parents, and teachers decide the most suitable path based on the child's abilities and interests. Austria is also known for its dual education system, which integrates theoretical learning with practical training; in 2021, 34.1% of secondary level II students participated in this system.[{{Cite web|title=STC Health Index|url=https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index|access-date=5 September 2022|website=globalresidenceindex.com|language=en|archive-date=5 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225747/https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index/|url-status=live}}] the country still faces numerous problems when it comes to health, one example being that 2 in 5 Austrians have a [[chronic condition]]. Cancer is a big problem in the country, as about 21,500 people died of this condition in 2019, having lung cancer as the primary cause of cancer deaths, probably linked to several risk factors in the country's population, as it is estimated that 40% of deaths in the country are caused by smoking, dietary risks, alcohol, low physical activity, and air pollution.
One of the most costly health services in the EU is located in Austria. In 2019, health spending per capita ranked third in the EU. Health-related [[Out-of-pocket expense|out-of-pocket expenditures]] are higher than the EU average.[{{cite book|title=State of Health in the EU; Companion Report 2021|date=2022|publisher=Publications Office of the European Union|isbn=978-92-76-45885-2}}]
==== Medical personnel ====
With 5.2 physicians per 1,000 inhabitants, Austria has among the highest physician density in [[OECD]] countries. Overall, the country has 271 hospitals with a total of 45,596 physicians (data from 2017), about 54% of which work (also or primarily) in hospitals. Although Austria has the second highest physician rate in the [[European Union|EU]], a large share of physicians is tropical to retirement age (55 years and older), and may thus be at a higher risk of developing severe conditions in a specimen of [[COVID-19 pandemic in Austria|COVID-19]] infection.
The number of nurses in Austria has been subject to debate in recent years with regard to definitions of qualifications and their interpretation in cross-country comparisons. A new mandatory health professional registry was set up in 2018. However, due to the elapsing of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, compulsory registration has been suspended. This implies that professional activities in long-term superintendency are moreover possible without registration until the end of the pandemic by late spring 2022 (Transition without the pandemic is still to be defined).[{{Cite web|title=Austria: Health System Personnel|url=https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel|access-date=5 September 2022|website=World Health Systems Facts|language=en-US|archive-date=5 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225748/https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel/|url-status=live}}]
{{Clear}}
==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Austria}}
===Music===
{{Main|Music of Austria}}
[[File:Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]]]
Austria's past as a European power and its cultural environment generated a broad contribution to various forms of art, most notably among them music.[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria/The-arts|title=Austria – Music, Art, Theater | Britannica|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=18 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218121104/https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria/The-arts|url-status=live}}] Austria was the birthplace of many [[Music of Austria|famous composers]] such as [[Haydn|Joseph Haydn]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn|title=Joseph Haydn | Biography, Compositions, & Facts | Britannica|date=23 January 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=31 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031140949/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn|url-status=live}}] [[Michael Haydn]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Haydn|title=Michael Haydn | Austrian composer, symphonies, operas | Britannica|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=3 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703174909/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Haydn|url-status=live}}] [[Franz Liszt]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Liszt|title=Franz Liszt | Biography, Music, Compositions, Famous Works, Children, & Facts | Britannica|date=16 February 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=27 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127063927/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Liszt|url-status=live}}] [[Franz Schubert]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Schubert|title=Franz Schubert | Biography, Music, & Facts | Britannica|date=27 January 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=19 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219191403/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Schubert|url-status=live}}] [[Anton Bruckner]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Bruckner|title=Anton Bruckner | Austrian Composer & Romantic Symphony Writer | Britannica|date=19 February 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=30 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130053255/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Bruckner|url-status=live}}] [[Johann Strauss Sr.]], and [[Johann Strauss Jr.]], as well as members of the [[Second Viennese School]] such as [[Arnold Schoenberg]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Schoenberg|title=Arnold Schoenberg | Biography, Compositions, & Facts | Britannica|date=March 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=13 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613011146/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Schoenberg|url-status=live}}] [[Anton Webern]],[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Webern|title=Anton Webern | Austrian Composer & 12-Tone Pioneer | Britannica|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=7 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307221042/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Webern|url-status=live}}] and [[Alban Berg]]. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]][{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart|title=Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Biography, Music, the Magic Flute, & Facts | Britannica|date=8 February 2024|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705020322/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart|url-status=live}}] was born in [[Salzburg]], then an independent Church Principality of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], which later became part of Austria, and much of Mozart's career was spent in Vienna.[{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Vienna/Cultural-life|title=Vienna – Culture, Music, Art | Britannica|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=18 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218121105/https://www.britannica.com/place/Vienna/Cultural-life|url-status=live}}]
[[File:StateOperaViennaNightBackside.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Vienna State Opera]]]]
Vienna's status began its rise as a cultural centre in the early 16th century and was focused around instruments, including the [[lute]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] spent the better part of his life in Vienna. Austria's current [[national anthem]], attributed to Mozart, was chosen after [[World War II]] to replace the [[Sei gesegnet ohne Ende|traditional Austrian anthem]] by Joseph Haydn.[{{Cite news|last=Rockwell|first=John|date=17 July 1989|title=Herbert von Karajan Is Dead; Musical Perfectionist was 81|pages=A1|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/obituaries/herbert-von-karajan-is-dead-musical-perfectionist-was-81.html|url-status=live|access-date=27 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712135148/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/obituaries/herbert-von-karajan-is-dead-musical-perfectionist-was-81.html|archive-date=12 July 2018}}]
===Science and philosophy===
{{Further|Austrian School|Vienna circle|List of Austrian scientists}}{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}[[File:Young Kurt Gödel as a student in 1925.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Kurt Gödel]] as a student in 1925]]
Austria was the cradle of numerous scientists with international reputation. Among them are [[Ludwig Boltzmann]], [[Ernst Mach]], [[Victor Franz Hess]], and [[Christian Doppler]], prominent scientists in the 19th century. In the 20th century, contributions by [[Lise Meitner]], [[Erwin Schrödinger]], and [[Wolfgang Pauli]] to nuclear research and [[quantum mechanics]] were key to these areas' development during the 1920s and 1930s. Prominent present-day [[quantum physics|quantum physicists]] are [[Anton Zeilinger]] and [[Peter Zoller]] renown for important developments in [[quantum optics]] and [[quantum information]].
In addition to [[physicist]]s, Austria was the birthplace of two of the most noteworthy philosophers of the 20th century, [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] and [[Karl Popper]]. In addition to them, biologists [[Gregor Mendel]] and [[Konrad Lorenz]] as well as mathematician [[Kurt Gödel]] and engineers such as [[Ferdinand Porsche]] and [[Siegfried Marcus]] were Austrians. [[Bertha von Suttner]] became the first woman to be awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], and the first Austrian laureate.
A focus of Austrian science has always been medicine and psychology, starting in [[medieval times]] with [[Paracelsus]]. Eminent physicians like [[Theodore Billroth]], [[Clemens von Pirquet]], and [[Anton Eiselsberg|Anton von Eiselsberg]] have built upon the achievements of the 19th-century Vienna School of Medicine. Austria was home to [[Sigmund Freud]], founder of [[psychoanalysis]], [[Alfred Adler]], founder of [[Individual psychology]], psychologists [[Paul Watzlawick]] and [[Hans Asperger]], and psychiatrist [[Viktor Frankl]]. Austria was ranked 17th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024,[{{Cite book|author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|year=2024|title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship|url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/|access-date=2024-10-06|page=18|publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization|language=en|doi=10.34667/tind.50062|isbn=978-92-805-3681-2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926203458/https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/|archive-date=26 September 2024|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|title=RTD – Item|url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898|access-date=2 September 2021|website=ec.europa.eu|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902140715/https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|date=28 October 2013|title=Global Innovation Index|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|archive-date=2 September 2021|access-date=2 September 2021|website=INSEAD Knowledge|language=en}}] but it declined to the 19th rank according to GII 2025.[{{Cite web |title=Austria ranking in the Global Innovation Index 2025|url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/austria|access-date=2025-10-20 |website=www.wipo.int|language=en}}]
The [[Austrian School]] of Economics, which is prominent as one of the main competitive directions for economic theory, is related to Austrian economists [[Carl Menger]], [[Joseph Schumpeter]], [[Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk]], [[Ludwig von Mises]], and [[Friedrich Hayek]]. Other noteworthy Austrian-born émigrés include the econimic anthropologist [[Karl Paul Polanyi]], management thinker [[Peter Drucker]], sociologist [[Paul Felix Lazarsfeld]], and scientist [[Gustav Nossal|Sir Gustav Nossal]].
===Cuisine===
{{Main|Austrian cuisine}}
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}
[[File:2015 0731 Apfelstrudel Vanillesoße Edelweisshütte Sölden.jpg|thumb|right|Apple strudel, served with vanilla sauce, in [[Tirol (state)|Tirol]] Austria]][[File:Wiener-Schnitzel02.jpg|thumb|right|''Wiener Schnitzel'', a traditional Austrian dish]][[File:Bosna mit 2 Bratwürsten.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bosna (dish)|Bosna]], a traditional street food]]
Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]. Austrian cuisine is rooted in the long-standing traditions of the imperial court kitchen ("Hofküche"), which evolved over centuries within the [[Habsburg monarchy]]. It is distinguished by its refined and well-balanced preparation of beef and pork, as well as by a wide variety of vegetable-based dishes. There is also the "Mehlspeisen" tradition of bakeries, which created particular delicacies such as Sachertorte, "Krapfen" which are doughnuts usually filled with apricot jam or custard, and "Strudel" such as "[[Apfelstrudel]]" filled with apple, "Topfenstrudel" filled with a type of cheese curd called "topfen", and "[[Millirahmstrudel]]" (milk-cream strudel).
In addition to native regional traditions, the cuisine has been influenced by [[Hungarian cuisine|Hungarian]], [[Czech Republic|Czech]], [[Polish cuisine|Polish]], [[Jewish cuisine|Jewish]], [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], [[Balkan]], and [[French cuisine|French]] cuisines, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed. The Austrian cuisine is therefore one of the most multicultural and transcultural in Europe.
Typical Austrian dishes include [[Wiener Schnitzel]], Schweinsbraten, [[Kaiserschmarren]], [[Knödel]], [[Sachertorte]], and [[Tafelspitz]]. There are also Kärntner Kasnudeln, which are pockets of dough filled with Topfen, potatoes, herbs and peppermint which are boiled and served with a butter sauce. Kasnudeln are traditionally served with a salad. [[Cantharellus|Eierschwammerl]] dishes are also popular. The sugar block dispenser [[Pez]] was invented in Austria, as well as [[Manner (confectionary)|Mannerschnitten]]. Austria is also famous for its [[Mozartkugel]]n and its coffee tradition. With over 8 kg per year it has the sixth highest per capita coffee consumption worldwide.[{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Lora|date=13 April 2018|title=Coffee: Who grows, drinks and pays the most?|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43742686|url-status=live|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613115037/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43742686|archive-date=13 June 2018}}]
Beer is sold in 0.2-litre (a ''Pfiff''), 0.3-litre (a ''Seidel'', ''kleines Bier'' or ''Glas Bier'') and 0.5-litre (a ''Krügerl'' or ''großes Bier'' or ''Halbe'') measures. At festivals one litre ''Maß'' and two-litre ''Doppelmaß'' in the [[Bavaria]]n style are also dispensed. The most popular types of beer are [[lager]] (known as ''Märzen'' in Austria), naturally cloudy ''Zwicklbier'' and [[wheat beer]]. At holidays like Christmas and Easter [[bock]] beer is also available.
The most important wine-producing areas are in [[Lower Austria]], [[Burgenland]], [[Styria]], and Vienna. The [[Grüner Veltliner]] grape provides some of Austria's most notable white wines[{{Cite web|title=Gruner Veltliner Wine|url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-209-gruner-veltliner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301165955/http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-209-gruner-veltliner|archive-date=1 March 2014|access-date=2 June 2014|publisher=Wine-Searcher}}] and [[Zweigelt]] is the most widely planted red wine grape.[{{Cite web|title=Zweigelt Wine|url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-645-zweigelt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207055743/http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-645-zweigelt|archive-date=7 February 2014|access-date=2 June 2014|publisher=Wine-Searcher}}]
In [[Upper Austria]], Lower Austria, Styria, and [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]], ''Most'', a type of [[cider]] or [[perry]], is widely produced.
A [[Schnapps]] of typically up to 60% alcohol or fruit [[brandy]] is drunk, which in Austria is made from a variety of fruits, for example [[apricot]]s and [[rowan]]berries. The produce of small private schnapps [[distillery|distilleries]], of which there are about 20,000 in Austria, is known as ''Selbstgebrannter'' or ''Hausbrand''.
Local soft drinks such as [[Almdudler]] are very popular around the country as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. Another popular drink is the so-called "Spezi", a mix between Coca-Cola and the original formula of [[Fanta|Orange Fanta]] or the more locally renowned [[Frucade]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} [[Red Bull]], the highest-selling energy drink in the world, was introduced by [[Dietrich Mateschitz]], an Austrian entrepreneur.
===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in Austria}}
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}[[File:Bergisel.jpg|thumb|[[Innsbruck]] hosted the [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics]], as well as the [[2012 Winter Youth Olympics]], the first in history.]]
Due to the mountainous terrain, [[alpine skiing]] is a prominent sport in Austria and is extremely valuable in the promotion and economic growth of the country.[{{Cite journal|last1=Horak|first1=Roman|last2=Spitaler|first2=Georg|date=2003|title=Sport, Space and National Identity: Soccer and Skiing as Formative Forces: On the Austrian Example|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=46|issue=11|pages=1508–1518|doi=10.1177/0002764203046011004|s2cid=144319167}}] Similar sports such as [[snowboarding]] or [[ski-jumping]] are also widely popular. Austrian athletes such as [[Annemarie Moser-Pröll]], [[Franz Klammer]], [[Hermann Maier]], [[Toni Sailer]], [[Benjamin Raich]], [[Marlies Schild]], and [[Marcel Hirscher]] are widely regarded as some of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, [[Armin Kogler]], [[Andreas Felder]], [[Ernst Vettori]], [[Andreas Goldberger]], [[Andreas Widhölzl]], [[Thomas Morgenstern]], and [[Gregor Schlierenzauer]] as some of the greatest ski jumpers of all time. [[Bobsleigh]], [[luge]], and [[skeleton (sport)|skeleton]] are also popular events with a permanent track located in [[Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track|Igls]], which hosted bobsleigh and luge competitions for the [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics]] held in [[Innsbruck]]. The [[2012 Winter Youth Olympics|first Winter Youth Olympics]] in 2012 were held in Innsbruck as well.[{{cite web |url= https://www.olympics.com/en/news/innsbruck-2012-a-memorable-debut-for-the-winter-yog |title= Innsbruck 2012: a memorable debut for the Winter YOG |author= |date= 25 January 2016 |publisher= International Olympic Committee |access-date= 21 May 2026 |url-status=live
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260521120523/https://www.olympics.com/en/news/innsbruck-2012-a-memorable-debut-for-the-winter-yog|archive-date= 21 May 2026 }}]
[[File:Fischer Sports franz-klammer 1976.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ski racer [[Franz Klammer]] won a gold medal at the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] in [[Innsbruck]].]]
Football in Austria is governed by the [[Austrian Football Association]].[{{Cite web|date=2009|title=Österreichischer Fußballbund|url=http://www.oefb.at/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628120811/http://www.oefb.at/|archive-date=28 June 2009|access-date=17 June 2009|website=ÖFB|language=de}}] Austria was among the most successful football playing nations on the European continent, placing 4th at the [[1934 FIFA World Cup]], 3rd at the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]] and 7th at the [[1978 FIFA World Cup]]. However, Austrian football has not been internationally successful since the mid 20th century. Austria co-hosted the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship]] with Switzerland. The national Austrian football league is the [[Austrian Bundesliga]], which includes teams such as record-champions [[SK Rapid Wien]], [[FK Austria Wien]], [[FC Red Bull Salzburg|Red Bull Salzburg]], and [[Sturm Graz]].
Besides football, Austria also has professional national leagues for most major team sports, including the [[Austrian Hockey League]] for [[ice hockey]], [[Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga]] for basketball and the [[Austrian Football League]] for American football. Horseback riding is also popular; the famed [[Spanish Riding School of Vienna]] is located in Vienna.
[[Niki Lauda]] was a [[Formula One]] driver who was three times F1 World Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984. He is currently the only driver to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport's two most successful constructors. Other known Austrian F1 drivers include [[Gerhard Berger]] and [[Jochen Rindt]]. Austria also hosts F1 races ([[Austrian Grand Prix]]); now held at the [[Red Bull Ring]], in the past also at the [[Österreichring]] and the [[Zeltweg Airfield]].
[[Thomas Muster]] is a former [[tennis]] player and was one of the world's leading [[clay court]] players in the 1990s. He won the [[1995 French Open]] and in 1996 was ranked [[List of ATP number 1 ranked players|number 1]] in the [[ATP rankings|ATP ranking]]. [[2020 US Open (tennis)|2020 US Open]] winner [[Dominic Thiem]] is also another prominent tennis player having been as high as world number 3 and also been in the finals of the [[French Open]] and [[Australian Open]]. Other well known Austrian tennis players include [[Horst Skoff]] and [[Jürgen Melzer]].
Sport played a significant role in developing national consciousness and boosting national self-confidence in the early years of the Second Republic after World War II, through events such as the [[Tour of Austria]] cycle race and through sporting successes such as the national football team's run to third at the 1954 World Cup and the performances of Toni Sailer and the rest of the "Kitzbühel Miracle Team" in the 1950s.[{{Cite journal|last=Marschick|first=Matthias|date=Summer 2011|title=Austrian Sport and the Challenges of Its Recent Historiography|journal=Journal of Sport History|volume=38|issue=2|pages=189–198|doi=10.5406/jsporthistory.38.2.189|jstor=10.5406/jsporthistory.38.2.189|s2cid=145300546}}][{{Cite journal|last=Norden|first=Gilbert|date=Spring 2001|title=Austrian Sport Museums|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2001/JSH2801/JSH2801h.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Journal of Sport History|volume=28|issue=1|pages=87–107|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114031850/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2001/JSH2801/JSH2801h.pdf|archive-date=14 January 2017|access-date=3 January 2017}}]
==See also==
{{Portal|Austria|Countries|Europe|European Union
}}
* [[Outline of Austria]]
{{Clear}}
== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
[{{cite web|title=Die verschiedenen Amtssprachen in Österreich|url=https://www.demokratiewebstatt.at/thema/sprachen/amtssprachen-in-oesterreich/die-verschiedenen-amtssprachen-in-oesterreich|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524084441/https://www.demokratiewebstatt.at/thema/sprachen/amtssprachen-in-oesterreich/die-verschiedenen-amtssprachen-in-oesterreich|archive-date=24 May 2018|access-date=23 May 2018|website=DemokratieWEBstatt.at}}]
[{{cite web|date=2013|title=Regional Languages of Austria|url=http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018115726/http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|archive-date=18 October 2013|access-date=27 July 2013|publisher=Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes}}]
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Brook-Shepherd|first=Gordon|title=The Austrians: a thousand-year odyssey|date=1998|publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc|isbn=978-0-7867-0520-7|location=New York}}
* {{Cite book|last=Jelavich|first=Barbara|url=https://archive.org/details/modernaustria00barb|title=Modern Austria: empire and republic 1815–1986|date=1987|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-31625-5|location=Cambridge|url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book|last=Johnson|first=Lonnie|title=Introducing Austria: a short history|date=1989|publisher=Ariadne Press|isbn=978-0-929497-03-7|location=Riverside, Calif.}}
* Rathkolb, Oliver. ''The Paradoxical Republic: Austria, 1945–2005'' (Berghahn Books; 2010, 301 pages). Translation of 2005 study of paradoxical aspects of Austria's political culture and society.
* {{Cite book|last=Thaler|first=Peter|title=The Ambivalence of Identity: The Austrian Experience of Nation-Building in a Modern Society|date=2001|publisher=Purdue University Press|isbn=978-1-55753-201-5|location=West Lafayette, Ind.}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Austria|Austria}}
{{Wikisource portal|Austria}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20260118184519/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria/ Austria]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria Austria]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''.
* [https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/eur/ci/au Austria]. Information from the [[United States Department of State]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080821141923/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/austria.htm Austria] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* [http://www.city-map.at Information on Austria]. Sorted by regions. Choose from 5 languages.
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17405422 Austria profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* {{Wikiatlas|Austria}}
* {{OSM relation|16239}}
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=AT Key Development Forecasts for Austria] from [[International Futures]]
'''Government'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060819212311/http://www.bundeskanzleramt.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?alias=english&init&init Federal Chancellery of Austria]. Official government portal.
* [http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at AEIOU Austria Albums].{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302093527/http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/ |date=2 March 2009 }} (in German, English).
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070612234804/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-a/austria.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
* [http://www.rechtsfreund.at/law-austria.htm Austrian Law]. Information on Austrian Law.
'''Trade'''
* [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/AUT/Year/2014/Summary World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Austria]
'''Travel'''
* [http://www.austria.info Austria.info]. Official homepage of the Austrian National Tourist Office.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110511190838/http://www.postrealism.com/austria.htm TourMyCountry.com]. Website on Austrian culture, cuisine and tourist attractions.
* [http://www.europepictures.gm/europe/austria/photos Europe Pictures – Austria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102102118/http://europepictures.gm/europe/austria/photos |date=2 November 2012}}
{{Austria topics}}
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