Austrian citizenship was granted to a total of 8 996 persons in 2020 (including 200 non-residents). Compared to 2019 (10 606 cases), this means a decrease of 15.2%.
Among people acquiring Austrian citizenship in 2020, 2 991 persons or 33.2% were less than 18 years old. 3 226 people were between the age of 30 and 44 (35.9%), followed by those below 15 years (2 525 or 28.1%). In general, teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 29 (23.4%) were more likely to receive Austrian citizenship as people aged 45 and more (12.7%).
In 2020, Austrian citizenship was awarded to 3 188 people already born in Austria (35.4%). Among people naturalised in 2020, the largest groups were former citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina (967 or 10.7%), Serbia (943) and Turkey (847).
In the 1980s, on average 7 800 persons acquired Austrian
citizenship every year. As a consequence of the growing number of foreign
citizens residing in Austria, this number rose sharply in the mid
There are two factors mainly responsible for the reduction of naturalisations: firstly, the amendments to the Citizenship Act which came into force on 23 March 2006, on 1 January 2010 and on 1 August 2013, respectively, introducing stricter requirements for the acquisition of Austrian citizenship. Secondly, immigration numbers have dropped since 1993 and as a consequence the number of persons eligible for naturalisation (for example those with at least ten years of uninterrupted main residence in Austria - § 10 para. 1 Citizenship Act) have also decreased over the past ten years. While 10 638 persons became Austrian citizens on these legal grounds in 2005 (30.0% of all naturalisations), the figure fell to 917 in 2020 (10.2%).
Please consult our German website for tables and charts containing further information.