Austria’s population would plummet without migrants: Hungarians among top newcomers
The Austrian population would shrink significantly without migration, according to a report released by the state statistics office on Wednesday.
“For decades, Austria’s population has only grown through immigration and, given the negative birth rate, would decline in the long term to the level of the 1950s without immigration,” Statistik Austria noted.
Data from the federal authority showed that an average of 2.51 million people with a migration background lived in Austria in 2024, corresponding to 27.8% of the total population.
The Statistik Austria report also noted that the number of people with a migrant background increased by around 38.4% compared to the last report released in 2015.
According to the report, the largest group of non-Austrian citizens living in Austria comprises 239,500 German nationals, followed by 155,700 Romanian, 124,800 Turkish, and 122,500 Serbian citizens.
The report added that citizens from Hungary, Croatia, Syria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Poland were among the top 10, respectively.
Statistik Austria also reported that since the beginning of 2020, the strongest growth in absolute terms has been among Ukrainians (76,300), Syrians (53,300), Germans (39,500), Romanians (32,300), and Croatians (25,800).
The Statistical Yearbook Migration & Integration 2025 was presented at the Austrian Chancellery by Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm of the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) and Stephan Marik-Lebeck of Statistics Austria.
During the presentation, Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm expressed her dissatisfaction with the integration of people with a migrant background in Austria.
“It takes more than just feeling that you belong in Austria,” the minister explained. She continued: “Integration is a debt that must be paid, and I don’t see that happening sufficiently in the areas of language acquisition, work, and values.”
Austria’s social systems are overburdened, according to Plakolm, who added that this is why family reunification has been stopped. The conservative minister sees harsh sanctions as the key to coexistence. “Social assistance must be used as a lever to promote integration,” the minister explained.
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