Austria Travel Podcast with Felix Gruber

Location

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Terrain

Mostly mountains (Alps) in the west and south; mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern margins

Climate

Temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

Elevation

Highest point

Grossglockner 3,798 m

Lowest point

Neusiedler See 115 m

Mean elevation

910 m

Area

Total

83,871 sq km

Land

82,445 sq km

Water

1,426 sq km

Size comparison

About the size of South Carolina; slightly more than two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Land borders

Total

2,524 km

Border countries

Czech Republic 402 km; Germany 801 km; Hungary 321 km; Italy 404 km; Liechtenstein 34 km; Slovakia 105 km; Slovenia 299 km; Switzerland 158 km

Natural resources

Oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

31.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land

16% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.8% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

14.7% (2023 est.)

Forest

47.2% (2023 est.)

Other

20.9% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Note

Note 1: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

Note 2: the world's largest and longest ice cave system at 42 km (26 mi) is the Eisriesenwelt (Ice Giants World) inside the Hochkogel mountain near Werfen, about 40 km south of Salzburg; ice caves are bedrock caves that contain year-round ice formations; they differ from glacial caves, which are transient and are formed by melting ice and flowing water within and under glaciers

Population

Total

9,174,390 (2025 est.)

Male

4,471,802

Female

4,702,588

Nationality

Noun

Austrian(s)

Adjective

Austrian

Ethnic groups

Austrian 80.8%, German 2.6%, Bosnian and Herzegovinian 1.9%, Turkish 1.8%, Serbian 1.6%, Romanian 1.3%, other 10% (2018 est.)

Languages

Languages

German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in southern Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)

Religions

Roman Catholic 55.2%, Muslim 8.3%, Orthodox 4.9%, Evangelical Christian 3.8%, Jewish 0.1%, other 5.4%, none 22.4% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

44.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

43.6 years

Female

46.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

82.7 years (2024 est.)

Male

80.1 years

Female

85.4 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

59.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two thirds of the populace lives in urban areas

Largest cities

1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

Background

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and the victorious Allies then occupied the country in 1945. As a result, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade after World War II, until a State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Austria joined the EU in 1995, but the obligation to remain neutral kept it from joining NATO, although the country became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995. Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Government

Federal parliamentary republic

Capital

Vienna

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republik Oesterreich

Independence

No official date of independence: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 6 January 1453 (Archduchy of Austria acknowledged); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established); 12 November 1918 (First Republic proclaimed); 27 April 1945 (Second Republic proclaimed)

National day

National Day (commemorates passage of the law on permanent neutrality), 26 October (1955)

Overview

One of the strongest EU and euro economies; diversified trade portfolios and relations; enormous trade economy; Russian energy dependence, but investing in alternative energy; aging labor force but large refugee population; large government debt

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$63,300 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$64,400 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$65,700 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.9% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

7.8% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.5% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

5.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

5.3% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

5% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and paper, electronics, tourism

Agriculture

Milk, sugar beets, maize, wheat, barley, potatoes, pork, grapes, triticale, soybeans (2023)

Airports

62 (2025)

Railways

Total 6,123 km (2022) 3,523 km electrified

Internet domain

.at

Internet users

Percent of population 95% (2024 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

11.4 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

124 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Some forest degradation from air and soil pollution; soil pollution from agricultural chemicals; air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants, and from trucks transiting Austria; water pollution

Fresh water

77.7 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

3

Global geoparks and regional networks

Ore of the Alps; Styrian Eisenwurzen; Karawanken/Karavanke (includes Slovenia) (2023)