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Contents
In brief
The country
- 3
9.2 million people, a rich economy growing slowly
- 4
More deaths than births, growth from migration
Where the market is now
- 5
Permits peaked in 2024 and fell in 2025
- 6
Below Germany, and far below the EU rate
- 7
China leads, and India is second
- 8
China has been the largest origin since 2024
- 9
Steady rules, 210,000 fewer people aged 20 to 64 by 2041
The outlook
- 10
About 7,120 permits in 2026, between 4,400 and 10,800
- 11
Shares held at 2025, and a falling working age
- 11
What could change this
Method and sources
- 12
How to read this report
- 12
Sources, photographs and flags
Cover: Vienna at night, the Danube Tower seen across the Danube. Photograph by Alireza Javaheri, CC BY 3.0, lightened, Wikimedia Commons.
Austria issued 7,126 first residence permits for work in 2025 to citizens of countries outside the EU, 14.3 percent fewer than the 8,318 of 2024 and 75 percent more than in 2019. That is 1.3 for every 1,000 residents aged 20 to 64, against 2.2 in Germany and 4.9 across the EU. China was the largest origin with 1,299 permits; the seven sourcing centres of Werklist received 1,247, India 630 of them. The rules are holding: the Red-White-Red Card and the EU Blue Card set points, pay and a labour market check. The count fell in 2025. Eurostat projects about 210,000 fewer people aged 20 to 64 by 2041. Our estimate for 2026 is about 7,120 permits; for 2027 the range is too wide for a yearly number, and the direction is flat. By 2031 the working age scenario, a scenario and not a forecast, reaches 9,030 a year; held flat, the count stays at 7,120.
First residence permits for work issued in 2025, down 14.3 percent on 2024
Permits in 2026, between 4,400 and 10,800
Permits a year in 2031, working age scenario, not a forecast; held flat 7,120
Fewer people aged 20 to 64 in 2041 than in 2026
9.2 million people, a rich economy growing slowly
On 1 January 2026, 9,215,956 people lived in Austria, 631,030 more than in 2015. Deaths have outnumbered births every year since 2020, so the growth comes from migration. GDP per head is 134 percent of the EU average, but the economy shrank in 2023 and 2024 and grew 0.8 percent in 2025.
People living in Austria on 1 January 2026
7.4 percent more than in 2015, and 2.0 percent of the EU's 452.0 million. People aged 65 and over were 20.2 percent of the population in 2025.
GDP in 2025, billion euro at current prices
2.7 percent of the EU economy.
GDP per head in 2025
134 percent of the EU average of 41,700 euro in 2025. Counting higher prices at home, 118 percent, down from 128 percent in 2015.
Real growth in 2025
Against 1.4 percent across the EU. Over 2021 to 2025 the economy grew 9.7 percent in all, the EU grew 13.7 percent (our estimate from the yearly rates).
People aged 20 to 64 in work, 2025
Against 76.1 percent across the EU.
The EU and Schengen
Sources: Eurostat, demo_gind (population, updated 21 July 2026), nama_10_gdp and nama_10_pc (GDP, updated 21 September 2026), tec00114 (price adjusted GDP per head), tec00115 (growth), lfsi_emp_a (employment), demo_pjanbroad (age). All retrieved 27 September 2026. Figures for 2025 GDP, GDP per head and growth are provisional. Key dates: European Union, country page of Austria (european-union.europa.eu), retrieved 28 September 2026.
Austria
Germany
Belgium
Netherlands
France
China
India
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The United States
Serbia
Türkiye
The Philippines
Colombia
Iran
The United Kingdom
Nepal
Indonesia
Vietnam
Bangladesh
UzbekistanWhat this report answers
How many first residence permits for work has Austria issued each year since 2019?
7,126 in 2025, 14.3% fewer than the 8,318 of 2024, the peak, and 75 percent more than the 4,077 of 2019. Permits tripled from 2020 to 2024.
Which countries do the new hires come from?
Citizens of China received 1,299 permits in 2025, of India 630 and of Bosnia and Herzegovina 606. The seven Werklist sourcing centres received 1,247, 17.5 percent of the total.
How does Austria compare with the EU and Germany?
1.3 first residence permits for work for every 1,000 residents aged 20 to 64 in 2025, down from 1.5 in 2024 and about a quarter of the EU rate of 4.9. Germany issued 2.2.
How long do the permits run?
84.9% of the permits of 2025 run for 12 months or more, up from 72.3% in 2019.
Which rules apply to employers who hire from abroad?
A Red-White-Red Card for a shortage occupation needs listed training, a binding job offer and 55 of 90 points, and is issued for 24 months. The EU Blue Card needs a gross salary of at least 55,678 euro a year in 2026.
How is the working age population changing?
Eurostat projects 5,552,090 people aged 20 to 64 in 2026 and 5,341,926 in 2041, a fall of 3.8 percent, about 210,000 fewer.
How many first residence permits for work do we expect Austria to issue in 2026, and what comes after?
About 7,120 in 2026, between 4,400 and 10,800; for 2027 the range is too wide for a yearly number, and the direction is flat. By 2031 the working age scenario, not a forecast, reaches 9,030 a year; held flat, a stated assumption, the count stays at 7,120.
The full report answers each question with its figures, charts and sources. Request the full report