Austria | Countries, Compared

Austria is a landlocked nation in Central Europe, officially the Republic of Austria. It is a United Nations member state listed under UN M49 code 040, ISO alpha-2 code AT, and ISO alpha-3 code AUT. The UN places Austria in the Europe region and the Western Europe subregion. The World Bank’s capital field lists Vienna. These administrative facts are for data management; they are not political or territorial claims about the nation’s borders or international status.

Quick-reference table

Attribute	Value	Source
UN M49 code	040	UN Statistics Division
ISO alpha-2	AT	ISO / IANA
ISO alpha-3	AUT	ISO / IANA
UN region	Europe	UN M49 overview
UN subregion	Western Europe	UN M49 overview
UN membership	Member state	UN M49 overview
World Bank capital field	Vienna	World Bank country API

The UN M49 overview is the foundation for data grouping. It defines Austria under the region Europe, subregion Western Europe. This is a statistical grouping, not a political or territorial statement. The World Bank country API provides the same nation code and a live endpoint for current metadata.

Capital

The capital of Austria is Vienna. Vienna is also a federal state (Bundesland) in Austria’s federal structure, which means its municipal and state governments are one body. The World Bank lists Vienna as the capital in its country profile. For city-level statistics, check the national statistical office rather than a global dataset, because urban definitions vary between sources.

People and demographics

Where to get current figures

Population figures change continuously and are revised after each census. For the most recent estimate, use the United Nations World Population Prospects, which publishes annual revisions, or the national statistical office, Statistik Austria. The World Bank also publishes inhabitant data via its country API and its country overview page. These sources will not match exactly because they use different definitions, reference dates, and estimation methods.

How to cite a figure

Always name the reference year when citing a figure. Census counts, mid-year estimates, and projections are not interchangeable. For a country profile, cite the source and the reference year for any demographic figure you use.

Languages

Austria’s official language is German, specifically the national variety called Austrian German. The linguistic landscape also includes recognized minority languages such as Hungarian, Slovenian, and Burgenland Croatian, with regional status in parts of the nation. Austrian Sign Language is also recognized. In parts of Carinthia and Burgenland, Slovene, Croatian, and Hungarian have minority status.

For current figures on language use, consult Statistics Austria (Statistik Austria) and the Council of Europe’s language policy database. The CIA World Factbook also provides language percentages, but note that its figures are compiled from national sources and may lag by several years. Language data also appears in Ethnologue or UNESCO compilations; check the reference year.

Currency

Austria uses the euro (EUR). The euro is the official currency of the euro area member states of the European Union, and the European Central Bank manages monetary policy. The euro was introduced as a physical currency in 2002, replacing the Austrian schilling.

For current exchange rates, use the European Central Bank’s euro foreign exchange reference rates or your own bank’s published rates. Do not rely on a travel blog for rate data.

Government

Austria is a federal parliamentary republic. The federal president is the head of state, the chancellor is the head of government, and legislative power is shared between the National Council and the Federal Council. This structure is defined by the Federal Constitutional Law of Austria.

For current government composition, consult the Austrian Federal Chancellery or the National Council (Nationalrat). For elections and political parties, link to the national parliament site.

Economy

Primary data source

For economic data, use the World Bank country API to retrieve the current country profile. The API returns metadata including the nation code, region, income level, and lending type, with the reference year for each indicator. The World Bank classifies Austria as a high-income economy; the exact GDP figure and growth rate change annually and should be cited to the specific World Bank indicator you used.

Key indicators to compare

Key indicators to compare across economies: GDP per capita (PPP), Gini index, and the World Bank income grouping. Always note the reference year of the dataset you cite. GDP figures are released quarterly and revised. Distinguish nominal GDP from GDP per capita (PPP) and name the reference year for every figure you cite.

Companion data sources

For demographic data, use the UN World Population Prospects, which publishes biennial estimates with a clear reference date. National statistical offices (Statistik Austria) may publish more recent census or register-based figures. The UN M49 standard defines Austria as code 040, ISO alpha-2 AT, ISO alpha-3 AUT, in the UN region Europe, subregion Western Europe. The UN M49 overview also explains the statistical-territorial framework: M49 codes are for data convenience and do not imply political or territorial claims.

Travel, visas, and official guidance

Do not offer travel or visa advice; direct readers to official government sources. For Austria, that means the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) and the traveller’s own foreign ministry or embassy.

How to use this guide

For nation comparison, link to the pillar guide. For data literacy, link to the source-literacy pillar. For adjacent nations, link to the comparison guide.