Money, property, car

Major report: This is what Austrians really inherit

Inheritance assets can consist of money and savings accounts, real estate, shares and cars, among other things.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe)

It's one of the biggest mysteries: How much do Austrians inherit? What assets do the top ten percent of heirs receive on average? How many are left only debts? And what does the "typical inheritance" actually look like? The "Krone" has the figures.

Because the tax authorities in Austria do not levy inheritance tax, there is no official data on inheritances - not even from Statistics Austria. However, an economist at Vienna University of Economics and Business has now analyzed thousands of probate proceedings with her team - and is making the results available to Krone readers. In a clear table, we show for the first time how much the "richest" ten percent of heirs receive on average, how much the next ten percent receive, etc. - right down to the "poorest" ten percent, who are even left with debts. In addition: this is how large an average inheritance really is.