Fewer and fewer babies

Number of births also fell in the previous year

(Bild: Simon Dannhauer)

The number of births in Austria continues to fall. Last year, 76,873 children were born. According to preliminary results from Statistics Austria, this is 0.9% fewer than in 2023. The average number of children per woman fell to an all-time low of 1.31.

Births were down in eight federal states in the previous year compared to the final results for 2023. The decline in births was most pronounced in Burgenland (-5.7 percent) and Salzburg (-5.3 percent), followed by Styria (-4.5 percent) and Vorarlberg (-4.1 percent). The number of newborns fell least sharply in Upper Austria (-0.3%) and Tyrol (-1.3%). Only Vienna registered an increase in births, with a rise of 4.7 percent. In the federal capital, 18,926 girls and boys were born. Burgenland had the lowest number of births in Austria with 1866.

Negative birth balance
The number of deaths in 2024 was lower than in the previous year in seven federal states. The sharpest decline was in Vienna (minus five percent) and the lowest in Salzburg (minus 0.7 percent). In Burgenland (up 3.7 percent) and Vorarlberg (up 3.2 percent), more deaths were registered last year than in the previous year. The birth balance, the balance of live births and deaths, was negative for the fifth time in a row since 2020 at minus 10,534. A total of 87,407 people died in the previous year, 2.6% fewer than in 2023.

Even though the final figures may still change slightly due to late registrations, the trend towards fewer births is visible. "Based on the experience of recent years, the final number of births in 2024 is expected to be around 400 higher. Around 1,200 additional deaths are also expected for 2024," according to Statistics Austria.