A total of 9,104,772 people lived in Austria on January 1 this year, according to the figures of Statistics Austria’s population, accounting for a 1.4 per cent increase (125,843) compared to the figures of the same period last year.
In addition, the data provided by Statistics Austria also revealed that in 2021, Austria’s population experienced an increase of 0.5 per cent (46,265), SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas said that on January 1, 2023, nearly 126,000 people lived in Austria compared to the figures of the same period last year.
According to him, the surge came primarily due to international immigration, which was particularly marked by refugees from Ukraine, while stressing that last year, nearly 67,000 more people immigrated from Ukraine than left Austria.
“The second-largest net increase was among people from Syria, with a plus of around 14 000, followed by German nationals, with almost 9 000 more people. In 2022, a total of just under 137 000 more people migrated from abroad than left. The balance of birth was strongly negative for the third year in a row, dampening population growth slightly,” Thomas pointed out.
The latest figures from Statistics Austria revealed that the most significant increase in population in Austria was seen in Vienna, with 2.6 per cent, while the increase in the rest of the territory was slightly below the country’s national average of 1.4 per cent.
“In Burgenland as well as in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Vorarlberg, the population rose by 1.2 per cent each, in Salzburg and Styria by 1.0 per cent each and in Tyrol by 0.9 per cent. With an increase of 0.8 per cent, Carinthia recorded the smallest population growth in 2022,” the statement reads.
Last year, a total of 82,627 children were born, 4.0 per cent fewer compared to 2021. At the same time, during the same period, a total of 93,332 people died, 1.5 per cent more compared to the figures of the previous year.
Austrian capital experienced the most significant net migration from abroad among all nine federal provinces. Last year, 49,097 more persons (35.8 per cent) immigrants from abroad chose Vienna.
Immigration from abroad was also considered high in the following federal provinces:
- Lower Austria (+19 816)
- Upper Austria (+17 897)
- Styria (+16 983)
In contrast, the lowest net migration was noted in Burgenland (+3 318) and Vorarlberg (+3 308).
According to Statistics Austria, the number of migrations within the country last year was 842,152, or 7.6 per cent higher compared to the figures of the previous year. The same notes that the majority of internal migrations chose short distances, with persons moving within a single municipality in nearly 52.8 per cent of all cases. At the same time, 17.1 per cent of internal migrations took place between federal provinces.
The increase in the number of refugees from Ukraine fleeing the war, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused international net migration to surge significantly in Austria, last year.
The report shows that half of the net migration in Austria last year was due to migration from Ukraine.