SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

ECONOMY

EXPLAINED: Is there much poverty in Austria?

Austria is known for being a rich country, but there is a considerable part of its population with significant material and social disadvantage.

EXPLAINED: Is there much poverty in Austria?
What is it like to first move to Austria? We asked our readers. (Photo by Dan V on Unsplash)

Austria is generally seen as a rich country, and its cities often rank top in quality of life. According to data from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Austria’s gross domestic product (GDP) is on par with the OECD’s best performing countries, and inequality is lower than in most advanced countries.

Several other indicators also show how rich the country is – including the fact that about 72 percent of people aged 15 to 64 in Austria have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 66 percent.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why is Austria so rich?

However obviously not every household enjoys the same standard of living in Austria. Austrian authorities are very clear when they say, “yes, poverty also exists in Austria”.

According to the country’s data agency Statistik Austria, about 17.3 percent of the people in private households (around 1.5 million people) are at risk of poverty or exclusion.

This means people who are in “significant material and social disadvantage” have a low household income relative to the median of the population or have no or very low “labour intensity” – meaning that they are unemployed or marginally employed.

What is considered poverty?

Poverty always means a lack of opportunities, according to the Austrian Die Armutskonferenz, a network association that fights poverty and social exclusion in Austria.

A “significant material deprivation”, the term for manifested poverty, happens when low incomes are associated with restrictions in central areas of life. For example, not being able to replace worn clothes, eat healthily, not being able to keep a home properly warm or cover unexpected expenses.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Austria’s new finance measures could benefit you

“Poverty is not only affected by those who sleep on the street or in cardboard boxes. In rich countries such as Austria, poverty is often only visible at second glance.”, Armutskonferenz says.

Those who live in poverty in Austria often experience exclusion, loneliness, and isolation – they can no longer afford to invite friends and family to dinner or occasionally go to the cinema, for example.

poverty austria

A man begs for money on the Ring street near the Hofburg palace in Vienna, Austria on April 8, 2021. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

Who are the people at risk of poverty?

Children, women in old age, single parents, the long-term unemployed, and people without Austrian citizenship are particularly at risk, according to Statistik Austria.

A quarter of those affected by poverty in Austria are younger than 26 years old and dependent on their parents, who are most likely immigrants, unemployed, single parents or have jobs that cannot support a family.

READ ALSO: Cost of living: Where are rents rising fastest in Austria?

Women are particularly affected because they often are the primary (if not sole) carers in a family, staying at home or taking minor jobs instead of searching for full-time employment.

Moreover, since Austria’s welfare state is strongly linked to the labour market, women are often marginalised.

Where in Austria are those at risk of poverty?

A federal study shows that Vienna has the highest percentage of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 27 percent. While in Austria, the rate of people at risk is approximately 17 percent, in Vorarlberg, that number reaches 24 percent.

In Carinthia, 17 percent of the population is considered at risk, followed by Tyrol (16) and Styria (15). Salzburg and Burgenland have 13 percent of the people just within the threshold, and Lower Austria and Upper Austria have the lowest rates, at 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

Statistik: Quote der Armuts- oder Ausgrenzungsgefährdung in Österreich nach Bundesländern im Dreijahresdurchschnitt 2019 bis 2021 | Statista
Mehr Statistiken finden Sie bei Statista

What does Austria do to prevent poverty?

Austria has a strong welfare state which reduces the risk of poverty and protects most of the population from it – especially during crises such as the Covid pandemic.

Social benefits reduce the risk of poverty from 45 percent to 14.7 percent in adverse situations, according to Armutskonferenz. Unemployment benefits, emergency and minimum security, and housing and long-term care allowance have the most significant impact.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to claim your €150 energy discount in Austria

However, associations call on the government to implement further measures to combat and prevent poverty. For example, they ask for awareness-raising regarding approaches to minorities and marginalised people, improvement of allowances and family schemes, and more offers of free activities.

Social and care groups also ask for measures to reduce educational inequality, saying it is necessary to ensure education completion for all children – which will help prevent child poverty.

For young people, they claim it is necessary to fight unemployment and offer diversified education and training options.

How can I help reduce poverty in Austria?

There are several known and renowned associations that fight poverty in Austria. Armutskonferenz is one, but Caritas is also a very well-known organisation.

You can also get involved politically and voice demands for better policies and government assistance. It is also essential, the organisations say, to help ensure that prejudices and stereotypes concerning poverty experiences are not spread so that people in this situation can still have opportunities in life.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

PETS

How to register your dog for free in Vienna

If you own a dog and have your main residence in Vienna, you need to register it in the pet database—and now you can do so for free. Here's how.

How to register your dog for free in Vienna

Owning a pet in Vienna comes with many responsibilities, especially if you have a dog. These include paying a yearly tax (€72) and following basic rules such as cleaning up after the animal and keeping dogs leashed unless they are in a leash-free zone.

One of the first steps to owning a dog is chipping it (usually carried out by the breeder or shelter where you got your pet from) and then registering it in the pet database. The registration links the dog’s random chip number to your personal information, ensuring you get him or her back if your pet is ever found wandering the streets. 

Registration is mandatory and usually done in vet’s offices for a fee of around €20. However, many dogs are not registered in Austria.

READ ALSO: What are Austria’s rules for owning pets?

Every year, 500 stray dogs are found and temporarily brought to the animal shelter, where their microchips are read. The information is then compared with the pet database.

“It is noticeable that runaway dogs are often already chipped but not registered in the pet database, even though the Animal Welfare Act requires this,” Ruth Jily, Head of the Veterinary Office, told broadcaster ORF. Because of that, around 60 percent of the dogs cannot be returned to their owners.

What about cats?

Not all cats need to be registered, only those considered “breeding cats”. However, it’s important to note that unneutered outdoor cats are considered breeding cats and must be chipped and registered.

You can also chip and register your house cat. This will help you find them and safely return them to you in case they go outdoors and become lost. 

Free registration of dogs

To encourage dog owners, the city of Vienna has started a new campaign that will run until the end of October 2024. Pet owners can register their dogs for free.

From the end of March to October 2024, Stadtservice Wien and TierQuarTier Wien will be offering free registration of your dogs in the pet database. Stadtservice Wien provides this service in all districts. You can check the locations and dates HERE.

Your dog must already be chipped to register, as dogs cannot be chipped on-site.

People with a valid ID Austria (successor to the Handysignatur) can register their chipped dog online with Stadtservice Wien’s support. Registration is also possible with the basic function of the ID Austria.

READ ALSO:  How to move to Austria with your pets

All others can fill out a registration form on-site. 

You will need a photo ID (e.g. driving license or passport) and proof of the dog’s chip number (e.g. vaccination certificate). The dog itself can stay at home. If you bring your dog with you, it must wear a muzzle, be on a lead and wait outside the Stadtservice Wien mobile office.

SHOW COMMENTS