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Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart

Unemployment rate
2010: 4.5%
2009: 4.7%
2008: 3.9%

Public debt
2010: 70.4% of GDP
2009: 66.5% of GDP

Budget
revenues 90.9% of expenditures and 51% of GDP

External debt
June 2010: $755 billion, divided by revenues= 4.4, compared to 6.7 for the U.S. and 9.4 for Britain.

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
2007: Top ten% of population, 22%; lowest ten%: 4%

People

Migration
2011: More arriving than leaving. A net gain of 1.81 per 1,000 population.

Religion
Fifteen percent of Catholics attend mass weekly (New York Times, April 19, 2005). Roman Catholics 78.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, (2001 census)

Geography

Just south of Germany and the Czech Republic. The western half is mountainous - in the Alps. 

Government

Federal republic, suffrage for age sixteen and up. Parliamentary system. Bicameral legislature. Capital: Vienna

Recent History

May 15, 1955: Allied occupation ends. Austria regains full independence in an agreement with the Soviet Union. Soviet forces are pulled from the country. Austria has agreed to remain neutral and therefore will not join NATO.

1994, in a referendum more than two-thirds vote in favor of membership in the European Union. Membership begins on January 1, 1995.