Historic low point

The delivery room is becoming increasingly quiet due to a lack of babies

Maximilian was Upper Austria's New Year's baby in 2024, he was born at Linz University Hospital.

(Bild: Land OÖ/Andreas KRENN)

The desire to have children is once again decreasing significantly in Upper Austria. And soon there will be an average of one child per woman to keep the population stable - fertility is already at a historic low. A quarter of a century ago, however, there were even fewer babies before things picked up again briefly.

1971 was the last year in which the population in Upper Austria would have remained stable purely in terms of the number of babies born. Statistically, every Upper Austrian woman had 2.2 children. Last year, the fertility rate fell to a historic minimum of 1.31, which means that the population is shrinking without immigration.

Only Vienna has an increase in children
Specifically, 13,629 babies were born in Upper Austria last year. This is a decrease of 0.3% compared to 2023, but our federal state is still holding its own in comparison. There were even 5.7% fewer children born in Burgenland, 5.3% in Salzburg and 4.5% in Styria. Only in Vienna was there an increase - and that by 4.7 percent. Incidentally, the number of children born to non-Austrian parents is highest in Vienna and Upper Austria.

Grandmas and grandpas had more playmates
Even fewer children were born in Upper Austria only in the first years of the new millennium, with the low point being in 2007 with 13,297 newborns. Things then started to pick up again, reaching a high of 15,464 babies in 2016. Those Upper Austrians who are now potentially reaching grandma and grandpa age had the most playmates: In the 1960s, there were never fewer than 20,000 newborns in Upper Austria, and in 1963 there were as many as 24,752 babies.

Life expectancy increased
Incidentally, boys who are born now have a life expectancy of 79.8 years, while girls can statistically look forward to 84.3 years.