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Austria’s population continued to grow in 2025, but at a noticeably slower pace than in previous years. According to preliminary figures released by Statistics Austria on Monday, 9,219,113 people were living in the country on 1 January 2026 — an increase of 21,900, or 0.2 percent, compared with the beginning of 2025.
The growth rate marks a further decline from previous years: population increased by 0.4 percent in 2024, 0.6 percent in 2023, and 1.4 percent in 2022. “Austria’s population is still growing, but the pace has slowed again in 2025,” said Manuela Lenk, Director General for Statistics at Statistics Austria. “Nearly two-thirds of the nationwide increase can be attributed to Vienna, which once again recorded the strongest growth among all federal states.”
Vienna Drives National Growth
With 2,042,036 residents at the start of 2026, Vienna remains Austria’s most populous federal state. The capital added 13,747 inhabitants over the previous year, corresponding to a 0.7 percent increase — the highest growth rate nationwide.
All other federal states recorded growth below the national average of 0.2 percent. Tirol and Salzburg saw slightly higher increases (just under 0.2 percent), while Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Vorarlberg each grew by 0.1 percent. Population numbers in Styria and Carinthia rose only marginally, and Burgenland experienced a slight decline.
A bar chart published by Statistics Austria highlights the distribution of Austria’s population across federal states in 2026. Vienna leads with more than two million residents and also has the highest share of foreign nationals at 37 percent, compared with the national average of 20.5 percent.
Regional Differences: Urban Gains, Rural Declines
Population trends varied significantly at the regional level. In 2025, 49 political districts recorded population growth. The strongest increases were observed in the statutory cities of Wiener Neustadt and Eisenstadt, each growing by 1.8 percent. The district of Gänserndorf matched Vienna’s growth rate of 0.7 percent.
By contrast, 45 districts saw population declines, particularly in rural, peripheral, and inner-Alpine regions. The steepest decreases occurred in the Upper Styrian districts of Murau (–0.9 percent) and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag (–0.8 percent), as well as in the small statutory city of Rust and the Waldviertel district of Gmünd (both –0.7 percent).
Within Vienna, population development also varied widely. Fifteen municipal districts recorded growth, led by Donaustadt (+3.2 percent), Leopoldstadt (+1.4 percent), Landstraße (+1.2 percent), and Floridsdorf (+1.1 percent). Eight districts saw declines, most notably the Inner City (–2.4 percent), Ottakring (–1.1 percent), Margareten (–0.9 percent), and Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus (–0.6 percent).
One in Five Residents Holds Foreign Citizenship
As of 1 January 2026, Austria was home to 1,890,740 foreign nationals, representing 20.5 percent of the total population — slightly higher than the 20.2 percent recorded a year earlier. Vienna had by far the highest share at 37 percent, followed by Salzburg (21.1 percent) and Vorarlberg (21.0 percent). The lowest proportions were found in Burgenland (11.7 percent), Lower Austria (12.7 percent), and Carinthia (14.0 percent).
- source: oe24.at/picture: canva.com
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