People

Source: Statistik Austria

At the beginning of 2005, Austria had around 8 206 524 inhabitants, an increase of 65 000 over the previous year. The increase in population is due not only to the excess of births over deaths, but in particular also to an increase in immigration since the beginning of the 1990s. Foreign nationals now make up 9.6% of the total population, and 18% of the population in Vienna.

The majority of the population are women (51%). The average life expectancy in 2004 was 76 years for men and 82 years for women. The demographic breakdown of the population in Austria was as follows in 2004:

Source: Statistik Austria

Around 98.5% of the Austrian population speak German. Members of the other six recognised indigenous minority groups live in the east and south of the country. These groups are defined in the Ethnic Groups Act as Austrian citizens of mother tongue other than German, with their own distinct customs, living and having their origins in Austrian territory. Article 1 of the Ethnic Groups Act guarantees protection to the minority groups, their language and their customs.

Indigenous minority groups in Austria

• Croatian (Burgenland)

• Slovenian (South Carinthia, South Styria)

• Hungarian (Burgenland)

• Czech (Vienna, Lower Austria)

• Slovak (Vienna, Lower Austria)

• Roma and Sinti (Burgenland, Vienna)

Religion

In the 2001 census, 73.7% (about 6 million) of the population indicated that they were Roman Catholic and 4.7% Protestant. Some 4.2% of the population are Muslim, 2.2% Orthodox Christians, 0.9% belong to other Christian communities and 0.1% are Jewish. Approximately 12% of the population do not belong to any faith.

Officially recognised churches and faiths in Austria:

• Catholic Church

• Protestant Church (Augsburg Confession and Helvetian Confessions)

• Greek Oriental Church (including: Serbian Orthodox, Rumanian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and Bulgarian Orthodox)

• Judaism

• Islam

• Old Catholic Church

• Methodist Church

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon)

• Armenian Apostolic Church

• New Apostolic Church

• Buddhism

• Syrian Orthodox Church

• Coptic Orthodox Church