Population by demographic characteristics
Slight decline in the surplus of women; aging population; more single persons and divorcees, fewer married persons; one eighth of the Austrian population born abroad; percentage of foreigners 8.9%; three quarters of the population Roman Catholic; new language groups among (naturalised) Austrians already stronger than the languages used by the recognised ethnic groups: These headlines reflect some of the principal results of the 2001 Population Census relating to the demographic characteristics that are described in detail in the publications.
The gender ratio of 866 men to 1 000 women generated by the 1951 Population Census had, by 2001, increased again to 939 men to 1 000 women. One reason for the excess of women – the men who fell during the two World Wars – has become ever less significant as more and more war widows have died. The fact that there is nevertheless a larger proportion of women is related to the higher life expectancy of females. That women live to a greater age than men can be seen from average ages, for example. In 2001, the average age was 41.4 for women, while men were 3.5 years younger on average. Owing to the increasing life expectancy of both genders and declining birth rates, the population is aging. For instance, the average age has increased by 3.6 years since 1971 (2001: 39.7). The proportion of elderly people in 2001 was 15.5%; the “quotient of seniors” (ratio of people aged 65 and above to 100 people of primary working age between 20 and 64 years) was 25.1. The quotient of young people (ratio of children and youngsters up to 19 years to 100 people of primary working age) was 37.1 in 2001. Because the percentage of children has declined sharply compared to the baby boom years, however, the “overall dependency quotient” is currently falling (62.2 against 63.4 in 1991).
Just over one million men and women (12.5% of the population) were not born in Austria. In an international comparison, the share of foreign-born persons is greater than that of the classic immigration country the USA, where, according to the 2000 Census, 11% of inhabitants were born abroad. Around two fifths of the Austrian population born abroad have Austrian citizenship: for the most part they moved to Austria as aliens and were subsequently naturalised. The largest group of Austrians born abroad (79 000 people) reported Germany as the country of their birth. In second place is the Czech Republic, followed by Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Romania, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the Population Census, more than four fifths of non-Austrian nationals were also born abroad (84%), while 116 000 came into the world in Austria. Of these, 57 500 are citizens of a country comprising the former Yugoslavia, and 33 600 are Turks. Altogether in 2001, non-Austrian nationals accounted for approximately 9% of the population. The proportion of aliens was highest in Vienna at 16%, followed by the western federal provinces of Vorarlberg (13%), Salzburg (12%) and Tyrol (9%).
The growing percentage of the population with a migration background is also evident in the population structure according to religion and language of habitual use. The Christian denominations traditionally represented in Austria are losing members, while the proportion of people with Muslim beliefs and those of “other religions” (which were surveyed until 1991) is increasing. The 2001 Population Census was the first for which data on religious beliefs was compiled in more detail: 180 000 people belonged to an Orthodox church. It can also be noted that among the other Christian denominations there were 23 000 Jehovah’s Witnesses and among the other non-Christian communities, 10 400 Buddhists.
A minority of the Austrian population uses a different language to or alongside German in daily life. This minority comprises members of the Austrian ethnic groups and “new” Austrians. In the 2001 Population Census, some 82 000 Austrian citizens cited one of the recognised ethnic languages in addition to or instead of German as their language of habitual use, but three times as many Austrians (249 000 people) cited other languages, for instance Turkish, Serbian, Croatian or English.
Please consult our German website for tables and charts containing further information.
| Results (overview): population by demographic characteristics |  |  |  |
|---|
Guglgasse 13, A
Tel.:
Fax:
info@statistik.gv.at
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8.00 am - 4.00 pm
