Vienna with biggest increase

9.16 million people: Austria’s population is growing

Population in Austria: The increase is highest in Vienna and lowest in Carinthia. Salzburg is now the sixth largest federal state in terms of population.

(Bild: APA/Herbert Pfarrhofer)

According to Statistics Austria, 9,159,993 people were living in Austria on January 1, 2024, 55,221 (plus 0.6 percent) more than at the beginning of 2023. "Austria's population continues to grow, but not as strongly as before," said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas on Tuesday. 

Vienna recorded the largest increase, while Carinthia saw the smallest growth. The proportion of foreign citizens rose from 19 to 19.7 percent within a year.

Population in Austria: The increase in Vienna is the largest, in Carinthia the smallest. Salzburg is now the sixth largest federal state in terms of population.

(Bild: APA/Herbert Pfarrhofer)

Moderate increase
"After the immigration of Ukrainian nationals led to record growth of 1.4 percent in 2022, the population increase in 2023 was much more moderate at plus 0.6 percent," analyzed Thomas. This means that Austria recorded a much lower population increase in 2023 than in the previous year (2022: plus 125,843 people or plus 1.4 percent), but a slightly larger increase than two years ago (2021: plus 46,265 people or plus 0.5 percent).

Vienna passed the two million mark
"Vienna had the largest percentage increase in population of all the federal states," Thomas continued: "In the course of 2023, the federal capital passed the two million mark. The smallest increase was in Carinthia, whose population exceeded that of Salzburg for the first time in 2023."

Lowest increase in Carinthia 
Specifically, Vienna recorded a population increase of 1.2 percent. At the beginning of 2024, 2,006,134 people lived in the federal capital. Vorarlberg also recorded strong growth (plus 0.9 percent). Tyrol and Salzburg were exactly in line with the national average with an increase of 0.6 percent each, while Upper Austria (plus 0.5 percent), Styria (plus 0.4 percent), Lower Austria (plus 0.3 percent) and Burgenland (plus 0.2 percent) recorded slightly lower increases. The smallest increase of 0.1% was recorded in Carinthia. At the beginning of 2024, more people were living in Salzburg (571,528) than in Carinthia (569,835) for the first time.

The state house in Klagenfurt

(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

At regional level, there was a population increase in 67 political districts in 2023. The strongest increases were in the statutory cities of Sankt Pölten (plus 2.1 percent), Eisenstadt (plus 1.8 percent), Wels, Wiener Neustadt and Graz (plus 1.4 percent each). These cities are also the only five districts with a greater increase than Vienna.

26 districts with a minus
Population figures declined in 26 political districts. The districts of Leoben (minus 1.1 percent), Murau (minus 0.9 percent), Gmünd (minus 0.6 percent) and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag (minus 0.5 percent) saw the sharpest declines. In the district of Scheibbs, the population on January 1, 2024 was exactly the same as on January 1, 2023.

After the immigration of Ukrainian nationals led to record growth of 1.4 percent in 2022, the population increase in 2023 was much more moderate at plus 0.6 percent.

Statistik-Austria-Generaldirektor Tobias Thomas

Bild: Zwefo

Within Vienna, ten municipal districts recorded a decline and 13 an increase. The strongest growth was recorded in the districts of Donaustadt (up 3.8%), Liesing (up 2.9%), Leopoldstadt and Landstraße (both up 1.7%). The largest losses were recorded in Wieden (minus 1.4 percent), Alsergrund (minus 1.3 percent) and Margareten (minus 1.1 percent).

Proportion of foreigners in Vienna at 35.4 percent
According to provisional data, the proportion of people with foreign citizenship in the population rose to 1,801,184 as of January 1, 2024. According to Statistics Austria, Vienna (35.4 percent), Vorarlberg (20.6 percent) and Salzburg (20.3 percent) had above-average shares, while the lowest shares were recorded in Carinthia (13.2 percent), Lower Austria (12.2 percent) and Burgenland (11.4 percent).