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Austria saw a sharp rise in naturalizations in 2025, according to new figures released on Wednesday by Statistik Austria. Around 25,000 people were granted Austrian citizenship last year—an increase of 14.6 percent compared with 2024. Two developments stand out: Vienna recorded the strongest growth, and nearly 10,000 new citizens live abroad.
Large Share Without Austrian Residence
Of the 25,000 naturalizations, 38 percent—exactly 9,583 people—do not reside in Austria. Most of them are descendants of victims of National Socialist persecution, who have a legal right to Austrian citizenship.
Among those living in Austria, naturalizations rose by 19 percent. Roughly one in five new citizens was born in the country.
Long-Term Trend of Rising Numbers
A bar chart published by Statistik Austria shows a steady increase in naturalizations from 8,996 in 2020 to 25,095 in 2025. A significant share of new citizens lives abroad, many of them descendants of Holocaust survivors. In 2025, the largest regional groups came from:
| Region | Number of Naturalizations |
|---|---|
| Asia | 11,758 |
| Europe | 8,163 |
| Americas | 3,512 |
The biggest national groups included people from Israel, Syria, the United States, EU member states, and Turkey.
One Third Under 18
“The upward trend in naturalizations continued in 2025,” said Manuela Lenk of Statistik Austria.
Among the roughly 15,500 people living in Austria who were naturalized:
- 20 percent (≈3,200) previously held Syrian citizenship
- 10 percent (≈1,600) were formerly Turkish citizens
- 8.4 percent (≈1,300) came from Afghanistan
- Nearly half were women
- One third were under the age of 18
Vienna Leads the Increase
Vienna recorded by far the strongest growth, with 5,078 naturalizations, a jump of 38.6 percent. Other federal states also saw increases:
- Vorarlberg: +37.2% (1,018)
- Tyrol: +23.6% (1,236)
- Lower Austria: +19.5% (2,557)
- Styria: +18.5% (1,854)
- Carinthia: +16.6% (576)
- Burgenland: +16.1% (339)
Two states saw declines:
- Upper Austria: –11.2% (2,241)
- Salzburg: –0.2% (613)
Legal Entitlement for Nazi Victims and Descendants
More than three quarters of all naturalizations in 2025 were granted due to a legal entitlement, including to victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants.
Among these descendants—99.8 percent of whom live abroad—the largest groups came from:
- Israel: nearly 5,000
- United States: around 2,800
- United Kingdom: more than 900
Criticism of Austria’s Restrictive Citizenship Rules
Austria’s preliminary naturalization rate in 2025 was 0.8 percent, up from 0.7 percent the previous year. The rate compares the number of naturalizations among residents without Austrian citizenship to the total non-citizen population.
Human rights organization SOS Mitmensch criticized Austria’s “very high hurdles” for obtaining citizenship. The EU average naturalization rate is 2.6 percent, meaning a growing share of Austria’s population remains “without full democratic rights.”
Political Reactions
Upper Austria’s governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) argued that the numbers validate his state’s integration policies.
“The Austrian citizenship is not automatic but the final step of successful integration,” he said. While naturalizations rose sharply nationwide, he noted that Upper Austria’s decline shows that “a clear and consistent course has an effect.”
Stelzer also suggested considering a longer waiting period for naturalization—currently ten years—saying that those who want to be part of the community “should demonstrate this over a longer period.”
- source: krone.at/picture: canva.com
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