Of the approximately 1.8 million adolescents under the age of 19 who lived in Austria on average in 2024, 29.6 percent had a migration background. This value was highest in Vienna with around 54.2 %, the lowest in Burgenland with 17.6 %. The new ÖIF-Factsheet “School and Integration” provides current figures, data and facts about schoolchildren with a non-German colloquial language, extraordinary pupils and German support classes at the start of school.
Syrian largest group among young people born abroad
Of the approximately 518,400 young people with a migration background, a third was born abroad (first generation), while two thirds were born in Austria and have parents who were born abroad (second generation). If you look at the young people to the country of birth (as of 1.1.2025), Syrians (28.503) represent the largest group among those born abroad, followed by Ukrainians (24,995), German (21,655), Romanians (13,644) and Hungarian (9.924).
Every fifth student in Austria has a foreign nationality
The proportion of foreign students in Austria has increased continuously in recent years: in the 2006/07 school year, 9 percent of the students were still foreign nationals, the Austria -wide share was already 20% in the school year 2023/24 and has more than doubled. The proportion in Vienna (37 %) is particularly high, followed by Salzburg (19 %) and Vorarlberg (18 %). The proportion of students with foreign citizenship in Carinthia (14 %), Burgenland (15 %) and Tyrol (16 %) is the lowest.
26 percent of the students in Austria with non-German colloquial language-around half of all students in Vienna
Throughout Austria, a total of 26 percent of the students had a non-German colloquial language in the school year 2023/24. Vienna recorded the highest proportion with 49 percent, followed by Vorarlberg (25 %) and Salzburg (21 %). According to school types, there are particularly high shares in elementary schools (32.8 %), polytechnic schools (40.0 %) and special schools (44.1 %). In the comparison of the Viennese districts, it can be seen that the proportion of students with non-German colloquial language was highest in the 10th district of Vienna (favorites) with 72 % in the school year 2023/24. The 16th district of Vienna (Ottakring) and the 11th Viennese municipal district (Simmering) each came in second and third place. The 8th Vienna municipal district (Josefstadt) and the 1st Vienna district (inner city) had the slightest shares in students with non-German colloquial language with 25 % and 22 %.
More than 52,000 extraordinary students in Austria
In the school year 2023/24, around 52,500 children and adolescents were registered all over Austria as extraordinary students – this corresponds to 4.6 % of all students. The extraordinary students are those who do not have sufficient knowledge of German in order to be able to follow the regular lessons. In Vienna, the proportion was highest with 7.6 %, followed by Upper Austria (4.6 %) and Vorarlberg (4.1 %). The least extraordinary pupils were available in Carinthia (2.7 %), in Burgenland (2.8 %) and in Tyrol (3.2 %).
45 percent of the first graders at Viennese vibrations are extraordinary students
For the first graders at Viennese elementary schools, the proportion of extraordinary students in the school year 2024/25 was 44.6 percent – an increase of around 25 percent compared to 2022/23, when it was still 36 percent. The highest values were recorded in Margareten (73.8 %), favorites (63.1 %) and Brigittenau (62.7 %), while the lowest shares in Mariahilf (18.9 %), Wieden (27.4 %) and the inner city (29.2 %) were registered.
Religious commitment to public compulsory schools: Islam with 41.2% at the top
In the school year 2024/25, around 112,600 pupils attended public folk, middle, special and polytechnic schools in Vienna. 41.2 % had an Islamic confession of religion and thus formed the largest group. 34.5 % became known as a Christian denomination-17.5 % of them Roman Catholic, 14.5 % Orthodox and 1.7 % Evangelical. 23 % had no religious commitment. Small proportions accounted for Buddhism (0.2 %) and Judaism (0.1 %).
The composition varies greatly according to school type: in middle schools and polytechnic schools, Muslim students, with around 49 % each, provided almost half of the student body. The Christian share there was 31–33 percent, that without a commitment at 13–16 percent. In elementary schools, the picture was more balanced (37.7 % Islamic, 32.1 % Christian, 26.2 % without confession).
Every sixth apprentice has foreign citizenship / adolescents with a migration background more often without training or employment
In 2024, around 106,500 young people were in a apprenticeship in Austria. Of these, 16.2 percent – around every sixth apprentice – had foreign nationality. The proportion is particularly high in inter -company apprenticeship training (37 %), in tourism (22.5 %) and in retail (19.3 %). The largest groups come from Germany, Turkey and Romania.
At the same time, 9 percent of 15 to 24 year olds were neither in training nor in employment (Neet). In adolescents with a migration background, the proportion was almost twice as high at 13 percent as with peers without a migration background (7 %). Young people of the first generation of immigrants are most affected with 14 percent.
About the ÖIF factsheets
The ÖIF-factsheets provide figures, data and facts about the labor market, asylum, school and naturalizations and provide compact and clearly relevant information on focus issues from the areas of integration and migration. The new ÖIF factsheet “School and Integration” is in the ÖIF media library for download available.
Free ÖIF speaker materials for children and adults
The ÖIF provides all immigrants – regardless of the residence permit – about the freely accessible ÖIF language portalthe largest free online German learning platform in German-speaking countries, comprehensive online German courses and learning materials. There are over 5,000 interactive exercises, more than 500 audiovisual features and over 70 live online courses every week. Language skills can be purchased independently of location, at any time and flexibly. Around 25,000 people use this offer every day.