Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

AUSTRIAN CITIZENSHIP

IN NUMBERS: One in four Austrian residents now of foreign origin

Data shows that more than a quarter of Austria's population has a 'migration background'. Which nationalities are most common?

Published: 25 July 2022 16:52 CEST
IN NUMBERS: One in four Austrian residents now of foreign origin

Austria’s population is growing, which is necessary for economic growth and maintaining the social system that is such a vital part of the country.

However, the only reason the country keeps growing is because of immigration, according to the statistics institute Statistik Austria.

“Austria’s population is growing solely due to immigration. Without it, according to the population forecast, the number of inhabitants would fall back to the level of the 1950s in the long term”, says Statistik Austria’s director general Tobias Thomas.

READ ALSO: Could Austria change the rules around citizenship?

Since 2015, the share of the population with a “migration background” has risen continuously from 21.4 percent to 25.4 percent, the institute stated. As Austria has about 8.8 million people, this means 2.24 million people have a migration background in the country.

For the survey, Statistik considered people with a “migration background” to be those whose parents were both born abroad, regardless of their own nationality or place of birth. Persons with one parent born in Austria do not have a “migration background” according to this definition.

And while German is still the most common nationality among foreigners in Austria (218,347 people), much has changed since 2015 (when there were 170,475 Germans).

The number of Romanians has almost doubled (from 73,374 to 140,454), bringing them to the second-largest foreigner community in Austria, behind German citizens.

READ ALSO: Why has naturalisation in Austria doubled in 2022 – and who are the new citizens

In 2015, Turkish was the second-largest foreign nationality in Austria (there were 115,433), but they are now the fourth (with 117,944 people), behind German, Romanian, and Serbians (121,643).

Numbers of Ukrainians, Syrians, and Afghanis are soaring

The data shows that the most significant jump in the number of foreigners is from those countries with a recent history of conflicts.

For example, in 2015, there were 11,255 people with Syrian nationality living in Austria, and the number soared to 70,901 in April 2022, almost five times more people.

In early 2015, Austria had 16,779 Afghani residents, a number that jumped 170 percent to 45,394.

READ ALSO: Ukrainian refugees push Austria’s population past nine million

When it comes to Ukrainians, the phenomenon is more recent, and the numbers show that.

While in 2015, there were 8,582 people with Ukrainian nationality living in Austria, on January 1st 2022, that number went to 12,673. And just three months later, after the Russian invasion, it soared to 52,803.

Member comments

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

AUSTRIAN CITIZENSHIP

How does Austria’s citizenship application fee compare to other countries?

Becoming Austrian via naturalisation is a lengthy and expensive process. But how do the fees in Austria compare to other countries in Europe?

Published: 5 June 2024 10:56 CEST
How does Austria's citizenship application fee compare to other countries?

Austrian citizenship through naturalisation is a notoriously difficult process. In most cases, the applicant needs to have lived in Austria for at least six (sometimes ten or more) years to be able to apply. They also need to be able to “support themselves” (which means they should have a stable source of income or financial support), have a high level of German, pass an exam, and pay the fees. The expensive fees.

In Austria, you need to be prepared to pay the initial application fee of €130 and then €1,100 to €1,500 if citizenship is granted. This does not include costs for certified translations, certificates, or the issuance of documents such as a passport.

Becoming Austrian is not cheap, and the payable fees are some of the highest in Europe, according to research done by The Local Denmark, where the Danish government is raising the cost of applying for citizenship to 6,000 kroner from 4,000 kroner (around €800 and €530, respectively). 

READ ALSO: How much do you need to earn to qualify for citizenship in Austria?

For a comparative perspective, France’s application fee is just €55, while in Spain, it is €104 and in Italy, €250. In Norway, the fee is lower than in its neighbour Denmark, at 2,500 Norwegian kroner (around €250). In Sweden, the fee is 1,500 kronor or €130, the cheapest of the three Scandinavian countries.

Germany’s citizenship application fee is €255. However, extensive changes to German citizenship rules are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, so this is expected to change. 

Although Austria figures at the top of the list of countries detailed above, other countries (not covered by The Local) do have similarly high citizenship fees. These include the Netherlands (€925), Ireland (€175 on application, €950 if approved) and the UK, which has a £1,630 (around €1.900) application fee.

In Switzerland, applicants need to pay local, regional, and federal fees, which vary depending on cantons. In certain regions, costs could surpass CHF 3,000 (around €3,100).

Please note that the fees and requirements mentioned in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but they may be subject to change.

It’s always best to check with the official government websites for the most up-to-date information.

READ NEXT: Five surprising Austrian citizenship rules you should know about

SHOW COMMENTS