Vienna [Austria], July 17: Statistics Austria has revealed that migration is the sole driver of population growth in the country, with more than a quarter of Austria's residents-27.8 percent-being of migrant origin.
The announcement came during the presentation of Austria's Statistical Yearbook Migration & Integration 2025, which showed that the number of people with migrant backgrounds reached 2.51 million in 2024, marking a 38.4 percent increase compared to 2015, when the figure stood at 1.81 million, or 21.4 percent of the population.
Stephan Marik-Lebeck, an official at Statistics Austria, emphasised that migration is a key factor in Austria's demographic development. He cautioned that, without migration, the country's population would have declined to levels last seen in the 1950s.
He credited migration entirely with maintaining demographic balance amid declining birth rates and a slight rise in mortality.
Experts at the statistics authority expect this reliance on migration to continue, with projections suggesting that Austria will need to welcome approximately 30,000 new residents annually to maintain its population size and prevent a rapid decline.
Source: Emirates News Agency