Austria's population grows only slightly in 2025 – Vienna accounts for two-thirds of the increase

In 2025, around 162,000 people immigrated to Austria from abroad, while 131,000 people left the country heading abroad. "Insgesamt zogen im Jahr 2025 knapp 162.000 Menschen aus dem Ausland nach Österreich, während 131.000 von Österreich ins Ausland abwanderten", Statistik Austria announced. The migration balance with foreign countries was thus clearly positive.

Migration balance clearly positive

At the same time, the natural population movement – that is, the balance between births and deaths – was again negative. In the past year, around 12,000 more women and men died than babies were born. "Die Bilanz fiel bereits das sechste Jahr in Folge negativ aus", the publication stated. As a result, population growth in Austria continues to depend entirely on immigration from abroad.

Growth only half as high as in 2024

The increase of 18,743 people corresponds to only about half the value from 2024, when the population had grown by 38,463 people, or 0.4 percent. Growth as low as in 2025 was last recorded in 2009, when the population increased by 16,640 people, or 0.2 percent.

Vienna as the growth driver

At the regional level, developments varied considerably. Vienna recorded by far the largest absolute increase, with a plus of 12,625 people, accounting for around two-thirds of total population growth in Austria. In relative terms, Vienna's population rose by 0.6 percent – more than in any other federal state. At the beginning of 2025, 2,040,914 people were living in the federal capital.

In addition to Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, and Vorarlberg each recorded a slight plus of 0.1 percent. Tyrol grew by 0.2 percent, while Styria posted only a minimal increase. In Burgenland and Carinthia, the population fell slightly; for Carinthia, a decline was even recorded at the beginning of 2026.

Another finding of the statistics concerns life expectancy. It reached a new high at birth: for men, it stood at 80.15 years based on 2025 data, surpassing the 80-year threshold for the first time. For women, life expectancy was recorded at 84.60 years. Statistik Austria commented: "Einen neuen Höchststand verzeichnete die Lebenserwartung bei der Geburt. Sie betrug bei Männern 80,15 Jahre und bei Frauen 84,60 Jahre. Damit überschritt sie bei Männern erstmals die Schwelle von 80 Jahren."

Life expectancy at a new high

Overall, the figures make clear that the growth of Austria's population has continued to slow. While immigration from abroad supports the demographic balance, the negative birth balance cannot offset the effect. Vienna remains by a wide margin the country's growth engine, while individual federal states in the east and south – Burgenland and Carinthia – are already recording slight declines.