The number of children and adolescents in Austria with a foreign passport has recently increased. No Austrian citizenship has a little more than one fifth of the under-18 year olds. This is demonstrated by a report from the Austrian Institute for Family Research.
Last year there was also a “all time low with regard to the birth figure,” said Institute Manager Wolfgang Mazal, who presented the figures with the responsible minister Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP). Not only the number of children, but also the desire to have children, has decreased, Mazal said during the press conference on Tuesday.
In 2023, around 1.6 million children and young people lived in Austria. Between 2015 and 2023 there was “a bit of an upward development in children under the age of six and under the age of 14”, this was flattened in 2024.
Change in schools noticeable
The number of children and adolescents with Austrian citizenship has fallen relatively. In 2023, about 339,000 of 1.6 million, in 1985 81,000 of 1.8 million no Austrian citizenship. For example, the growth of this group is noticeable in schools, Mazal stated. The government has already taken a step here with the stop of the family reunification, Plakolm said.
Expenditure on family services “Randragen”
The family -Minister emphasized that Austria is a country that offers children and families social security and a perspective for the future. Moreover, the government continues to commit families with children. According to Mazal, the expenditure for family services in recent years have “risen enormously” from around 3.0 billion euros in 1985 to 12.4 billion euros in 2023. About 56,700 among the 15-year-old in 2023, with around 40,400 most of them in Vienna.
The government recently suspended the valorization of family services in the course of budget consolidation for two years. On request, Mazal said, he hoped that it will remain in the case of an interruption and cannot be abolished. In short, he would have liked a more consistent procedure, because the family allowance would not be caseorized, but the care allowance would be. Plakolm emphasized that no benefits were removed for families during budget consolidation.
High school popular with foreign citizens
The choice of school then differs considerably according to citizenship. 4.6 percent of children with Austrian, but almost every fifth with a foreign passport visits the new high school (NMS). Mazal thinks that this is worrying and a lot has to be done in terms of affinity for education and educational success. The relationship is almost the same as general higher schools (AHS), each attended by about a quarter of young people with Austrian and that with other citizenship.
“That should be very worried for all of us”
Regardless of the passport, the quota of those who cancel a school -based school is relatively high. 28.6 percent of the students who attended the ninth school level in 2018/19 broke off early. “That should all be worried,” said Mazal, who also sees a need for action here. The number of school leavers has hardly changed in recent years.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
