Austria

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.

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

47 20 N, 13 20 E

Europe

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

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

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

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

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

382 sq km (2016)

Donau (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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

landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

<strong>note 1</strong>: 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<br><br><strong>note 2</strong>: 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

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

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.)

0.28% (2025 est.)

8.81 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

29.7 years (2020 est.)

6 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.35 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.66 (2025 est.)

5.52 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

7.1 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

20.1% (2016)

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

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

10.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

77.7 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

federal parliamentary republic

9 states (<em>Bundeslaender</em>, singular - <em>Bundesland</em>); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

16 years of age; universal

Austrian People's Party or OeVP <br>Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe <br>The Greens - The Green Alternative <br>NEOS - The New Austria and Liberal Forum <br>Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe 

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red<br><br><strong>history: </strong>one of the oldest national flags in the world; according to tradition, after a fierce battle in the Third Crusade in 1191, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became blood-spattered; when his sash was removed, a white band was revealed, and the red-white-red color combination was adopted as his banner

eagle, edelweiss, Alpine gentian

red, white

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

$521.642 billion (2024 est.)

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

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

-5.5% (2024 est.)

4.768 million (2024 est.)

14.8% (2021 est.)

25.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Germany 25%, USA 9%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 5%, Hungary 4% (2023)

cars, packaged medicine, vaccines, vehicle parts/accessories, nitrogen compounds (2023)

Germany 34%, China 7%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 5%, Czechia 4% (2023)

cars, garments, vaccines, vehicle parts/accessories, refined petroleum (2023)

public broadcaster, Oesterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), is a major player in the TV and radio markets; private broadcasters, cable, and satellite TV are available in most homes are widely used; some German stations carry programs for Austrian viewers; national and regional newspapers compete fiercely for readers; the print media are owned by a handful of mostly Austrian and German media groups (2023)

.at

OE

62 (2025)

112 (2025)

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer): Land Forces, Air Force, Cyber Forces, Special Operations Forces, Militia (reserves) (2025)

approximately 22,000 active Armed Forces (includes about 14,000 regular troops and around 8,000 reservists/militia undergoing refresher training) (2025)

the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported armaments from European countries and the US; the Austrian defense industry produces a range of equipment and partners with other countries (2025)

registration requirement at age 17, the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; men above the age of 18 are subject to compulsory military service; women may volunteer; compulsory service is for 6 months, or optionally, alternative civil/community service (Zivildienst) for 9 months (2025)

210 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR stabilization force); 100 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); 160 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2025)

the military’s primary responsibilities are national defense and protecting Austria’s neutrality; it also has some domestic security and disaster response responsibilities; each of the nine federal states has a military command that provides a link between the military and civil authorities; the main tasks of these commands include providing military assistance during disasters and supporting security police operations<br><br>the Austrian military contributes to international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions; Austria has been constitutionally militarily non-aligned since 1955 but is an EU member and actively participates in EU peacekeeping and crisis management operations under the EU Common Security and Defense Policy; Austria is not a member of NATO but joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework in 1995 and participates in some NATO-led crisis management and peacekeeping operations; more than 100,000 Austrian military and civilian personnel have taken part in more than 50 international peace support and humanitarian missions since 1960 (2025)

Aeronautics and Space Agency (ALR; established in 1972 as the Austrian Space Agency) (2025)

established a national space program in 2002; develops, builds, operates, and tracks satellites, including remote sensing and research/scientific satellites; member of the ESA; works closely with ESA and EU member states and the commercial sector to develop a range of space capabilities and technologies, including applications for satellite payloads, space flight, and space research; participates in a range of ESA/EU programs, including Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), Copernicus Earth observation, and Galileo global navigation satellite system; also cooperates with other foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, India, Russia, and the US (2025)

1981 - became an associate ESA member (full member in 1987)<br><br>1991 - first Austrian in space on Soviet Mir Space Station<br><br>2013 - first domestically built science/technology (star observation) satellites (TUGSAT-1 and UniBRITE) launched by India<br><br>2017 - worked with China to produce world’s first quantum-encrypted satellite communications teleconference from Beijing to Vienna<br><br>2024 - signed US-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for cooperative space exploration

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)