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Austria Index
Figure 8. Structure of the Education System, 1993
Source: Based on information from Austria, Federal Press Service,
Austria: Facts and Figures, Vienna, 1990, 119.
Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years
of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-
technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to
three additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory
level (see
table 5, Appendix). The legal basis for primary and
secondary education in Austria is the School Law of 1962. The
federal Ministry for Education is responsible for funding and
supervising primary and secondary education, which is
administered on the provincial level by the authorities of the
respective provinces.
The country's university system is also free. The General
Law for University Education of 1966 and the University
Organization Law of 1975 provide the legal framework for tertiary
education, and the federal Ministry for Science and Research
funds and oversees education at the university level. Twelve
universities and six academies of music and art enjoy a high
degree of autonomy and offer a full spectrum of degree programs.
Established in 1365, the University of Vienna is Austria's oldest
and largest university.
Federal legislation played a prominent role in the education
system, and laws dealing with education effectively have a
constitutional status because they can be passed or amended only
by a two-thirds majority in parliament. For this reason,
agreement between the ÖVP and the SPÖ is needed to pass or amend
legislation relating to education.
Private schools that provide primary and secondary education
and some teacher training are run mainly by the Roman Catholic
Church and account for approximately 10 percent of the 6,800
schools and 120,000 teachers. Roman Catholic schools have a
reputation for more discipline and rigor than public
institutions, and some are considered elite institutions. Because
there is no tradition of private university education in Austria,
the state has a virtual monopoly on higher education.
The history of the Austrian education system since World War
II may be characterized as an attempt to transform higher
education from a traditional entitlement of the upper social
classes to an equal opportunity for all social classes. Before
the School Law of 1962, Austria had a "two-track" education
system. After four years of compulsory primary education from the
ages of six to ten in the elementary school, or
Volksschule (pl., Volksschulen), children and their
parents had to choose between the compulsory secondary level for
eleven- to fourteen-year-olds called the middle school, or
Hauptschule (pl., Hauptschulen), or the first four
years of an eight-year university preparatory track at higher
schools of general education (Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schulen--
AHS). AHS is an umbrella term used to describe institutions
providing different fields of specialization that grant the
diploma (Reifeprüfung or Matura) needed to enter
university.
Before the 1962 reform, the great majority of children--more
than 90 percent--attended the compulsory Hauptschule,
where they were divided according to their performance in
elementary school into two groups: an "A group," which was
directed toward two- to four-year vocational-technical training
schools after graduation from the Hauptschule; and a "B
group," which was required to complete one additional year of
compulsory education before entrance into apprenticeship programs
or the work force. The remaining elementary-school graduates--
less than 10 percent--enrolled in the AHS at age eleven. Children
attending these university-track schools also had to choose a
specific course of study.
The rigidity of the two-track system required that the most
important educational decision in a child's life--with all of he
implications it had for the future--be made at the age of ten.
The decision depended to a great extent on the parents'
background, income, and social status. Children from agricultural
backgrounds or of urban working-class parents generally attended
the Volkschule and the Hauptschule and then entered
the work force. Children having lower-middle-class backgrounds
frequently received vocational-technical training after the
Hauptschule, while children from the upper-middle and
upper classes, boys in particular, attended the AHS, which gave
them access to university-level education.
The early selection process meant that children of the
largest segment of the population, farmers and workers, were
grossly underrepresented at higher schools and universities,
whereas the children of a relatively small segment of the
population, those who had attended higher schools or the
universities, were overrepresented. Consequently, the education
system tended to reproduce or to reinforce traditional social
structures instead of being a vehicle of opportunity or social
mobility.
The School Law of 1962 and subsequent amendments require that
all state-funded schools be open to children regardless of birth,
gender, race, status, class, language, or religion. The law also
attempts to introduce more flexibility into the traditional two-
track system and to provide students with a greater degree of
latitude within it so that educational (and hence career)
decisions can be made at an older age. Although the primary and
secondary school system continues to be fundamentally based on
the two-track idea, after a series of reforms in the 1970s and
1980s, ten- to fourteen-year-olds are no longer streamed into A
and B groups in the Hauptschule. Graduates of this kind of
school also have the opportunity to cross over into certain
branches of the AHS track at the age of fourteen or to attend a
series of different "higher vocational-technical schools"
(Berufsbildende Höhere Schulen and Höhere Technische
Lehranstalten), which have five-year programs of
specialization
(see
fig. 8).
Shifts in enrollment patterns reflect these changes in the
school system. In the mid-1960s, less than 10 percent of all
students finished the university preparatory AHS track, and more
than 66 percent of them were male. By the early 1990s, more than
30 percent of all students finished the AHS track and just above
50 percent of them were female. Furthermore, a second educational
path was developed that permitted some students without a diploma
from the university-track AHS to enroll in a university.
As a general rule, the quality of Hauptschule
education is high especially in rural areas and small communities
where the schools have maintained their traditional social
importance and where attendance at an AHS involves commuting
considerable distances, or, for the inhabitants of more remote
areas, boarding. In urban centers with a full spectrum of
educational opportunities, the Hauptschule has become less
popular, and parents who earlier would not have enrolled their
children in an AHS have begun doing so. The increased enrollments
have overburdened the AHS and created a shortage of students at
the Hauptschulen and at vocational-technical schools (see
table 6, Appendix).
In some areas, this trend has been strengthened by the number
of children of foreign workers in the compulsory schools. In
1991, for example, almost 30 percent of school-age children in
Vienna were the children of foreign workers. In some districts of
the city, these children exceeded 70 percent. Although the
children of long-term foreign workers frequently speak German
well, the numbers of classes in which students with inadequate
mastery of German are overrepresented has overburdened the
Hauptschule system and made it a less desirable
alternative than in the past. Therefore, special remedial and
intercultural programs are being developed so that the compulsory
school system in Austria can continue to fulfill its educational
and social roles.
The SPÖ has continued to press for further reforms of the
school system. It argued for an abolition of the two-track system
for ten- to fourteen-year-olds and for combining the
Hauptschule and the first four years of the AHS into a new
comprehensive middle school. As of 1993, however, because of the
resistance of other political parties, this alternative has been
limited to a number of experimental schools.
As a result of the reforms since the 1960s, the university
system has changed from one serving the elite to one serving the
masses. The increasing number of students at Austrian
universities reflects the liberalization of educational policy at
secondary and higher levels. Between the 1955-56 and 1991-92
academic years, the number of students enrolled in institutions
of higher education increased from about 19,000 to more than
200,000 (see
table 7, Appendix). The number of students beginning
university-level education after having completed the AHS program
also increased and amounted to 85 percent in 1990, compared with
60 percent in the mid-1960s.
The reforms have also meant that university education ceased
to be a male privilege. Between the 1960-61 and 1991-92 academic
years, the number of female students enrolling in universities
rose from 23 to 44 percent. Yet, although women account for
almost half of the students at university level, only 2 percent
of the professors at institutions of higher learning were women
in 1990.
Despite the increase in the numbers of university students
and the greater presence of women, universities remain primarily
the domain of middle- and higher-income groups. The number of
students with working-class backgrounds has doubled from 7 to 14
percent, and the number of these with agricultural backgrounds
increased from less than 2 percent to more than 4 percent between
1960 and 1990. But children of white-collar workers, civil
servants, and the self-employed accounted for more than 80
percent of enrollments at Austrian institutions of higher
education in the early 1990s.
Increased accessibility to university-level education has a
number of consequences. The dramatic expansion in the number of
students led to overcrowding at many institutions. Some critics
maintain that the increasing number of students diminishes the
overall quality of university-level education despite increases
in federal investment. One obvious problem was that more than 50
percent of students enrolled at the universities in the 1980s did
not successfully complete a degree program. Complex reasons
account for this high drop-out rate. Some students enroll simply
to acquire student benefits. Others study for the sake of
personal enrichment without intending to get a degree. Some are
unable to complete their studies for financial reasons. Although
a university degree provides students with a substantial amount
of social status and better income opportunities, there has been
an increase in "academic unemployment," especially among degree-
holders in the humanities and social sciences.
Debates about educational policy in Austria frequently are
the result of different perspectives related to the strengths and
weaknesses of the traditional education system. Proponents of the
two-track secondary system, for example, defend it as performance
oriented and criticize the leveling of achievement or lowering of
standards the introduction of one compulsory middle school would
involve. Conversely, opponents of the two-track system criticize
its rigidity and inherent absence of equal opportunity.
Consequently, such bipolar terms as performance and
leveling, elite and mass education, and
achievement and equal opportunity prevail in
educational debates. In some respects, Austrians of different
political and educational policy persuasions may expect too many
different things from one university system. They expect it to
provide general education, as do state university systems in the
United States, and "Ivy League" performance at the same time.
Data as of December 1993
- Austria-Works Councils
- Austria-AUSTRIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY
- Austria-Introduction
- Austria-Foreign Policy
- Austria-The 1955 State Treaty and Austrian Neutrality
- Austria-The Celtic and Roman Eras THE ALPINE-DANUBIAN REGION BEFORE THE HABSBURG DYNASTY
- Austria-SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP
- Austria-Employment, Unemployment, and Pension Benefits
- Austria-Criminal Court Proceedings
- Austria-Foreign Workers in Austria
- Austria-SOCIAL SECURITY
- Austria-Nazi Economic and Social Policies
- Austria-The Founding of the Dual Monarchy AUSTRIA-HUNGARY TO THE EARLY 1900S
- Austria-DEMOGRAPHY
- Austria-Electoral Politics in the Kreisky Era THE KREISKY YEARS, 1970-83
- Austria-The Habsburg Military HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- Austria-Other Minorities
- Austria-The Professions
- Austria-FOREIGN RELATIONS
- Austria-Foreign Policy During the Kreisky Era
- Austria-The Freedom Party of Austria
- Austria-Army
- Austria-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Austria-The Structure of Agriculture
- Austria-Elections and Parties
- Austria-The Thirty Years' War, 1618-48
- Austria-Attitudes Toward Minorities
- Austria-Political Life of the 1920s and Early 1930s
- Austria-Political Developments since 1983
- Austria-Special Courts
- Austria-The 1945 Election and Consolidation of the Austrian Government
- Austria-End of the Kreisky Era
- Austria-The End of the Habsburg Empire and the Birth of the Austrian Republic
- Austria-Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
- Austria-Personnel, Conscription, Training, and Reserves
- Austria-NEUTRALITY AND THE ARMED FORCES
- Austria-Ordinary Courts
- Austria-Four-Power Occupation and Recognition of the Provisional Government
- Austria-Internal Developments in Austria
- Austria-Foreign Trade and the Balance of Payments FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
- Austria-Foreword
- Austria-STRATEGIC CONCEPTS AND MISSIONS OF THE AUSTRIAN ARMED FORCES
- Austria-Growing German Pressure on Austria
- Austria-The Social Democratic Party of Austria
- Austria-The Services Sector
- Austria-Army Equipment
- Austria-Historical Background ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GOVERNMENT POLICY
- Austria-The War of the Spanish Succession The Turkish Wars and the Siege of Vienna
- Austria-Newspapers and Periodicals MASS MEDIA
- Austria-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Austria-RELIGION
- Austria-Acknowledgments
- Austria-The Parliamentary Election of 1990
- Austria-POLITICAL DYNAMICS
- Austria-Domestic Issues
- Austria-Loss of Leadership in Germany
- Austria-Events of 1991-93
- Austria-Judicial System Bundesversammlung
- Austria-The Green Parties
- Austria-Energy
- Austria-Radio and Television
- Austria-Repression and Compliance
- Austria-Election of Kurt Waldheim as President
- Austria-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Austria-Provincial Government
- Austria-Consolidation of Democracy
- Austria-Division and Rebellion
- Austria-HOUSING
- Austria-AUSTRIA
- Austria-The Protestant Reformation in the Habsburg Lands
- Austria-Tourism
- Austria-World War I
- Austria-Jews
- Austria-Overview of the Political Camps THE FIRST REPUBLIC
- Austria-Family Benefits
- Austria-Developments During the 1970s and 1980s
- Austria-Openings Toward the East
- Austria-Transportation and Telecommunications
- Austria-Austria's Integration with the West
- Austria-Absorption of Austria into the Third Reich THE ANSCHLUSS AND WORLD WAR II
- Austria-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Austria-THE COUNTER-REFORMATION AND THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR
- Austria-The Turkish Threat
- Austria-The Chambers of Commerce
- Austria-Immigration
- Austria-Status of Women
- Austria-The Federal President
- Austria-Money and Banking
- Austria-Baroque Absolutism and Enlightened Despotism THE REFORMS OF MARIA THERESA AND JOSEPH II
- Austria-GEOGRAPHY
- Austria-The Chambers of Labor The Chambers of Agriculture
- Austria-Mining and Minerals
- Austria-INTERNAL SECURITY
- Austria-Climate
- Austria-Ecological Concerns
- Austria-The Industrial Sector
- Austria-Chancellor and Cabinet
- Austria-The Foundation of the First Republic
- Austria-The Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession, 1740-48
- Austria
- Austria-The Austrian Trade Union Federation
- Austria-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Austria-Official Minority Groups
- Austria-The Holy Roman Empire and the Duchy of Austria
- Austria-EDUCATION
- Austria-Military Justice
- Austria-Nationalrat
- Austria-The Strategic Impact of the Reform Era
- Austria-The Austrian People's Party
- Austria-The Agricultural Sector
- Austria-Penal Codes
- Austria-World War II and the Defeat of Nazi Germany
- Austria-The Magic Pentagon
- Austria-Foundation of the Second Republic RESTORED INDEPENDENCE UNDER ALLIED OCCUPATION
- Austria-The Early Medieval Era
- Austria-Domestic Tranquillity under the Grand Coalition
- Austria-The Crisis over Bosnia and Hercegovina THE FINAL YEARS OF THE EMPIRE AND WORLD WAR I
- Austria-The National Election of 1986 and the Grand Coalition of 1987-90
- Austria-The Administrative Court
- Austria-FAMILY LIFE
- Austria
- Austria
- Austria-Two World Wars: 1914-18 and 1939-45
- Austria
- Austria-International Developments, 1815-48 AUSTRIA IN THE AGE OF METTERNICH
- Austria-Incidence of Crime
- Austria
- Austria-Preface
- Austria
- Austria-The Habsburg Dynasty in the Late Medieval Era RISE OF THE HABSBURG EMPIRE
- Austria-Domestic and Foreign Sources of Military Equipment
- Austria-Local Government
- Austria
- Austria-The Congress of Vienna
- Austria-Final Defeat in Germany and Reconciliation with Prussia
- Austria-ECONOMY
- Austria-Domestic Policies
- Austria-The Constitutional Court
- Austria-Air Force
- Austria-Efforts to Improve Competitiveness
- Austria-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Austria-Territorial Expansion, Division, and Consolidation
- Austria-Family Developments after the 1960s
- Austria
- Austria-New Focus on Europe
- Austria-The Subsidy Policy
- Austria-Penal System
- Austria-Health and Health Insurance
- Austria-The Peace of Westphalia
- Austria
- Austria-Emigration
- Austria-SOCIAL MINORITIES
- Austria-NATIONAL DEFENSE
- Austria-The Failure of Neoabsolutism
- Austria-Austria and European Integration
- Austria-Revolutionary Rise and Fall THE REVOLUTION OF 1848 AND NEOABSOLUTISM
- Austria-PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC INTEREST GROUPS
- Austria-Police
- Austria-SOCIETY
- Austria-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Austria-Human Geography
- Austria
- Austria-GEOGRAPHY
- Austria-STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Austria-Foreign Workers
- Austria-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Austria-Regional Issues
- Austria-Political and Religious Consolidation under Leopold THE BAROQUE ERA
- Austria-Bundesrat
- Austria-The Federation of Austrian Industrialists
- Austria-SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Austria-The Defense Budget
- Austria-Electoral System
- Austria -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Austria
Background | | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. In January 2009, Austria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
|
Location | | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 83,871 sq km land: 82,445 sq km water: 1,426 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 47 20 N, 13 20 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
|
Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
Climate | | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
|
Natural resources | | oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 40 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 84 cu km (2005)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%) per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
|
Natural hazards | | landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
|
Environment - current issues | | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
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Population | | 8,210,281 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 14.5% (male 609,748/female 581,144) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,785,091/female 2,756,402) 65 years and over: 18% (male 612,613/female 865,283) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 42.2 years male: 41.1 years female: 43.2 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 0.052% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 8.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 9.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 67% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 79.5 years male: 76.6 years female: 82.56 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.39 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
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Religions(%) | | Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
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Languages(%) | | German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich
|
Government type | | federal republic
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Capital | | name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
|
Administrative divisions | | 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
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Constitution | | 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
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Legal system | | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
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Legislative branch | | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
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International organization participation | | ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Flag description | | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world; according to tradition, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner
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Economy - overview | | Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Following several years of solid foreign demand for Austrian exports and record employment growth, the global economic downturn in 2008 led to a recession that is likely to persist through 2009. The government's stabilization measures could increase the budget deficit to about 2.8% of GDP in 2009 and above 3% in 2010, from about 0.6% in 2008. The Austrian economy has benefited greatly in the past from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, but these sectors have been vulnerable to recent international financial instabilities, and some of Austria's largest banks have required government support. Even after the global economic outlook improves, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation to offset its aging population and exceedingly low fertility rate.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $331.2 billion (2008 est.) $324.7 billion (2007 est.) $313.7 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $414.8 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 2% (2008 est.) 3.5% (2007 est.) 3.5% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $40,400 (2008 est.) $39,600 (2007 est.) $38,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 1.9% industry: 30.7% services: 67.4% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 3.633 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 5.5% industry: 27.5% services: 67% (2005 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 3.9% (2008 est.) 4.4% (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 5.9% (2004)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 26 (2007) 31 (1995)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $196.4 billion expenditures: $200.7 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 3.2% (2008 est.) 2.2% (2007 est.)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $606.2 billion (31 December 2008) $504.8 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008) $228.7 billion (31 December 2007) $191.3 billion (31 December 2006)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 62.6% of GDP (2008 est.) 64.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
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Industries | | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 2.4% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $14.27 billion (2008 est.) $12.03 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $179.1 billion (2008 est.) $162.1 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs
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Exports - partners(%) | | Germany 29.5%, Italy 8.6%, US 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $179.2 billion (2008 est.) $160.3 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
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Imports - partners(%) | | Germany 44.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $16.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $18.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $832.8 billion (31 December 2008) $801.4 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $261.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $247.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $270 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $240.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | euro (EUR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 3.285 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 10.816 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)
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Internet country code | | .at
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Internet users | | 5.937 million (2008)
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Airports | | 55 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 2,721 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 107,262 km paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)
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Ports and terminals | | Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
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Military branches | | Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 6 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation; conscripts cannot be deployed in military operations outside Austria (2009)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,986,411 females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,607,456 females age 16-49: 1,576,335 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 50,540 female: 48,042 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Disputes - international | | while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closed its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 58.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 29.3% hydro: 67.2% nuclear: 0% other: 3.5% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 61.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 14.93 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 19.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 24,850 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 285,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 45,580 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 305,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Economic aid - donor | | ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 50 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 1.532 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 8.65 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 2.788 billion cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 9,800 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.4% of GDP (2005)
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