Vienna grows despite Corona: already 1.92 million inhabitants

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Last year, despite the pandemic, Vienna saw an increase in population due to both births and immigration. Currently, 1.92 million people live in the federal capital, and the two million mark is expected to be cracked in 2027.

Vienna grew in the previous year despite the Corona pandemic, but at a somewhat slower rate than in previous years. In total, around 10,000 inhabitants were added. Births and immigration fell slightly, deaths rose.

With 1.92 million people, Vienna is the fifth-largest city in the EU and is expected to exceed the two million population mark in 2027, as Peter Wieser of the Vienna State Statistics Department said at a press conference on Friday.

Vienna state statistics: plus due to births and immigration
On average, Vienna is growing by about 22,000 inhabitants per year (2010 to 2019). This value was not even half reached in the Corona year 2020 with 10,000 new Viennese. Nevertheless, the birth balance was slightly positive: 17,700 deaths were offset by 18,700 births. And the “migration balance” – i.e. the sum of immigration minus emigration – was also positive at 9,000, albeit significantly lower than in 2015.

The most frequent countries of birth of immigrants are Germany and Syria (1,700 each), Romania (1,300) and Afghanistan (1,000) as well as – due to the opening of the EU labor market – Croatia (600). Wieser assumes that Syrians and Afghans are often not new immigrants, but come to Vienna from other federal states. Incidentally, Serbs (including Montenegro and Kosovo) and Turks tended to turn their backs on Vienna in the previous year. In each case, 400 more people left than immigrated to Vienna.

Outskirts districts grow, inner city and west stagnate
The population growth is strongest in the outlyingdistricts (most strongly in Floridsdorf), while the inner districts and the west tend to stagnate. Ramon Bauer, the state statistician, is not yet able to say whether and how the Corona crisis will affect the birth rate. The data for the coming year will have to be awaited.