According to Statistics Austria, there were 9,159,993 people living in Austria on January 1, 2024, 55,221 (plus 0.6 percent) more than at the beginning of 2023. The biggest increase was recorded in Vienna, while the increase was smallest in Carinthia. The proportion of foreign citizens increased from 19 to 19.7 percent within a year.
“After the immigration of Ukrainian citizens caused record growth of 1.4 percent in 2022, the population increase in 2023 was significantly more moderate at plus 0.6 percent,” analyzed Thomas. This means that Austria recorded a much smaller increase in population in 2023 than in the previous year (2022: plus 125,843 people or plus 1.4 percent), but a slightly larger increase than two years ago (2021: plus 46,265 people or plus 0.5 percent) .
Carinthia with the lowest growth
“Vienna had the largest percentage increase in population of all federal states,” Thomas continued: “In the course of 2023, the federal capital exceeded the two million mark. The smallest increase was in Carinthia, whose population was exceeded by Salzburg’s for the first time in 2023.”
Specifically, Vienna recorded a population increase of 1.2 percent. At the beginning of 2024, 2,006,134 people lived in the federal capital. Vorarlberg also showed strong growth (plus 0.9 percent). With an increase of 0.6 percent each, Tyrol and Salzburg corresponded exactly to the national average, while Upper Austria (plus 0.5 percent), Styria (plus 0.4 percent), Lower Austria (plus 0.3 percent) and Burgenland ( plus 0.2 percent) recorded somewhat smaller increases. The increase was lowest in Carinthia at 0.1 percent. At the beginning of 2024, for the first time more people lived in Salzburg (571,528) than in Carinthia (569,835).
26 districts with declining numbers
At the regional level, there was an increase in population in 67 political districts in 2023. The gains were strongest in the statutory cities of Sankt Pölten (plus 2.1 percent), Eisenstadt (plus 1.8 percent), Wels, Wiener Neustadt and Graz (plus 1.4 percent each). These cities are also the only five districts with a larger increase than Vienna.
Population numbers declined in 26 political districts. The districts that shrank the most were Leoben (minus 1.1 percent), Murau (minus 0.9 percent), Gmünd (minus 0.6 percent) and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag (minus 0.5 percent). In the Scheibbs district, the population on January 1, 2024 was exactly the same size as on January 1, 2023.
Within Vienna, ten municipal districts recorded a decrease and 13 an increase. The strongest increases occurred in the districts of Donaustadt (plus 3.8 percent), Liesing (plus 2.9 percent) and Leopoldstadt and Landstrasse (plus 1.7 percent each). The biggest losses were recorded in Wieden (minus 1.4 percent), Alsergrund (minus 1.3 percent) and Margareten (minus 1.1 percent).
According to preliminary data, the proportion of people with foreign citizenship in the population has increased to 1,801,184 as of January 1, 2024. According to Statistics Austria, there were above-average shares in Vienna (35.4 percent), Vorarlberg (20.6 percent) and Salzburg (20.3 percent), the lowest shares were recorded in Carinthia (13.2 percent), Lower Austria (12.2 percent). percent) and Burgenland (11.4 percent).
