Press release: 12.686-277/21
Vienna, 2020-12-14
– "How is Austria" doing in terms of material wealth, quality
of life and environment? In the study by Statistics Austria, an independent
scientific panel of experts annually evaluates the development of 31 key
indicators in Austria.
Key indicators of material
wealth tended to be negative in the 2020 COVID-19 crisis year:
GDP (-7.1%, real, per capita vs. 2019) and consumption (-7.7%, real, per
capita) showed significant declines, and the unemployment rate (from
4.5% to 5.4%) and government debt (from 70.6% to 83.2%) increased compared
to pre-Corona year 2019. There were positive or tending positive ratings
for a majority of the key quality of life
indicators: Remarkably, the positive assessment of quality of life continued
in COVID-19 year 2020. It should be noted here that the collection of
the data (EU-SILC survey), took place between March and July 2020, i.e.,
at the beginning of the pandemic or during the first lockdown. The feelings
of physical insecurity declined significantly in 2020 (from 8.4% to
5.7%). Somewhat more positively than in previous years, but still quite
critically, the expert panel assessed the short-term development of
most key environmental indicators. Due
to the high level, energy consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions
as a whole tended to be assessed neutral resp. negatively despite the
decreases in 2020 (energy: -7.6%, greenhouse gases: -7.7%). The increase
in organic farming and the decrease in fine dust emissions continue
to be seen as very positive.
"The Corona pandemic has hit Austria hard in
terms of health and economy. After overcoming the acute crisis, it will
be a matter of mastering challenges that Austria already faced before
the crisis: securing the high level of prosperity in the long term,
financing the social security systems in times of demographic change,
or sustainably protecting the climate and the environment, even if energy
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have temporarily declined strongly
with the Corona restrictions," says Statistics Austria Director General
Tobias Thomas.
For more detailed information, please refer to the German
version.
For further inquiries please contact Directorate
Social Statistics, Statistics Austria:
Alexandra WEGSCHEIDER-PICHLER, Tel. +43 1 71128-7838 resp. alexandra.wegscheider-pichler@statistik.gv.at
Media owner, producer and publisher:
STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Federal Institution under Public Law
1110 Vienna, Austria, Guglgasse 13, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7777
presse@statistik.gv.at
© STATISTICS AUSTRIA
© STATISTICS AUSTRIA,
Last Changed 14.12.2021
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