Religion in Austria

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Religion in Austria (2021)[1]

  Catholicism (55.2%)
  Eastern Orthodoxy (4.9%)
  Protestantism (3.8%)
  Other Christians (4.3%)
  No religion (22.4%)
  Islam (8.3%)
  Other religions (1.1%)
St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

Religion in

Hindusim, Judaism and others), and 22.4% declared they did not belong to any religion, denomination or religious community.[1]

According to church membership data, in 2021 53.9% of the population were Roman Catholics[2] and 3.0% adhered to Protestant churches.[3]

Austria was historically a strongly Catholic country, having been the centre of the

Protestant Reformation (begun in 1517) was spreading across Europe, the Habsburgs enacted measures of Counter-Reformation as early as 1527 and harshly repressed Austrian Protestantism, albeit a minority of Austrians remained Protestant.[4] A few decades after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy at the end of the World War I, and the transformation of Austria into a federal republic, at least since the 1970s there has been a decline of Christianity (with the exception of Orthodox churches) and a proliferation of other religions, a process which has been particularly pronounced in the capital state of Vienna.[5]

Between the censuses of 1971 and 2021, Christianity declined from 93.8% to 68.2% of the Austrian population (Catholicism from 87.4% to 55.2%, and Protestantism from 6% to 3.8%, while Orthodox Christianity grew from 2.2% to 4.9% between 2001 and 2021).[1] During the same timespan, Islam grew from being the religion of 0.2% to 8.3% of the Austrian population, and the proportion of people neither affiliating with nor belonging to any religion grew from 4.3% to 22.4%.[1]

Demographics

Census statistics, 1921–2021

Religious affiliations in Austria, census 1951–2021*[1]
Religion 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2021
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Christianity 6,632,500 95.7 6,763,400 95.6 7,022,400 93.8 6,821,300 90.2 6,489,100 83.2 6,485,700 80.7 6,093,700 68.2
—Catholicism 6,170,100 89.0 6,295,100 89.0 6,548,300 87.4 6,372,600 84.3 6,081,500 78.0 5,915,400 73.6 4,933,300 55.2
—Orthodox Christianity** – – – – – – – – – – 179,500 2.2 436,700 4.9
—Protestantism 429,500 6.2 438,700 6.2 447,100 6.0 423,200 5.6 388,700 5.0 376,200 4.7 340,300 3.8
—Old Catholicism 32,900 0.5 29,600 0.4 27,000 0.4 25,500 0.3 18,900 0.2 14,600 0.2 4,900 0.1
—Other Christians*** – – – – – – – – – – – – 378,500 4.2
Islam** – – – – 22,300 0.3 76,900 1.0 158,800 2.0 339,000 4.2 745,600 8.3
Buddhism**** – – – – – – – – – – 10,400 0.1 26,600 0.3
Hinduism**** – – – – – – – – – – 3,600 0.0 10,100 0.1
Judaism 11,200 0.2 9,000 0.1 8,500 0.1 7,100 0.1 7,300 0.1 8,100 0.1 5,400 0.1
Other religions 23,100 0.3 31,400 0.4 74,400 1.0 118,900 1.6 197,400 2.5 62,200 0.9 62,100 0.7
No religion 264,000 3.8 266,000 3.8 321,200 4.3 452,000 6.0 672,300 8.6 963,300 12.0 1,997,700 22.4
Not stated 3,100 0.0 4,000 0.1 42,800 0.6 79,000 1.0 271,000 3.5 160,700 2.0 – –
Total population 6,933,900 7,073,800 7,491,500 7,555,300 7,795,800 8,032,900 8,935,800
*1951–2001: religious affiliations of the entire population counted in the census. 2021-: religious affiliations counted in a microcensus and extrapolated to the total population.[1][a]
**Orthodox Christianity and Islam were counted as part of "other religions" until, respectively, the censuses of 1971 and 2001, in which they began to be counted separately.[1]
***In 2021, 378,500 people were counted in the "Christianity" category in one census table but in the "other religions" category in another table, making the distinction blurry.[1]
****Buddhism and Hinduism were counted separately, albeit only in some data reports, at least since the census of 2001.[1]

Line chart of the trends, 1951–2021

Census statistics 1951–2021:[1]

  
Catholicism
  Protestantism and Old Catholicism
  Orthodox Christianity
  Islam
  Other religions, including other Christians
  No religion
  Not stated

Religion by federal state

Religious affiliations in Austria by
federal state, 2021 national survey[1]
Federal state Christianity total Catholicism Orthodox Christianity Protestantism Islam Other religions No religion
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Burgenland 237,900 80.3 194,100 65.5 8,000 2.7 33,700 11.4 6,400 2.2 2,100 0.7 49,900 16.8
Carinthia 434,500 77.2 356,900 63.4 20,700 3.7 41,800 7.4 31,100 5.5 3,900 0.7 93,100 16.5
Lower Austria 1.242,000 73.4 983,100 58.1 49,000 2.9 56,700 3.3 83,200 4.9 21,500 1.3 346,500 20.5
Upper Austria 1.098,600 73.4 931,300 62.3 43,000 2.9 48,500 3.2 125,500 8.4 12,800 0.9 259,200 17.3
Salzburg
 415,500 74.2 322,000 57.5 28,100 5.0 17,100 3.0 36,400 6.5 6,600 1.2 101,900 18.2
Styria 894,300 71.7 789,300 63.3 34,100 2.7 39,600 3.2 63,400 5.1 8,400 0.7 281,500 22.6
Tyrol
 556,300 73.2 502,600 66.2 23,400 3.1 22,700 3.0 65,900 8.7 2,500 0.3 134,800 17.8
Vienna 942,000 49.0 611,700 31.8 215,200 11.2 70,300 3.7 284,900 14.8 38,700 2.0 655,400 34.1
Vorarlberg 272,700 68.3 242,400 60.7 15,100 3.8 10,000 2.5 48,800 12.2 2,500 0.6 75,400 18.9
N.b. Percentages do not add up to 100%; the remainder, which is not reported in this table, was counted as part of "Christianity" by the 2021 census compilers.[1]

History

Much of eastern Austria adopted Lutheranism until counterreformational efforts changed it in the late 16th century.

The

Habsburgs
imposed a strict regime to restore the influence of the Catholic Church among Austrians and their campaign proved successful. The Habsburgs for a long time viewed themselves as the vanguard of Catholicism, while all the other Christian confessions and religions were repressed.

In 1775,

Mechitarist Congregation of the Armenian Catholic Church
to settle in the Habsburg Empire.

In 1781, in the era of Austrian enlightenment,

Bosnia Hercegovina in 1908, Islam was officially recognised in Austria.[6]

The

Bukharan Jews).[8] Buddhism was legally recognised as a religion in Austria in 1983.[9]

Austria was greatly affected by the

Habsburgs in the Counter-Reformation, however, saw Protestantism all but wiped out beginning in 1545
, restoring Catholicism as the dominant religion once more.

The significant Jewish population (around 200,000 in 1938), mainly residing in

Pagan
movements in Austria in recent years.

Religions

Letzehof Buddhist Monastery at Feldkirch, in Vorarlberg.
Cathedral of Saints Rupert and Vergilius in Salzburg
The Lutheran Christuskirche (Church of Christ) in Salzburg.
A mosque in Telfs.
The Temple of Apollo at Hundstalsee, built by local artists in honour of the Greek god Apollo.

Christianity

Catholic Church

Main article: Catholic Church in Austria

Catholicism is the largest religion in Austria, representing 57.9%

Primate of Germany
).

Orthodox Christianity

Main article: Eastern Orthodoxy in Austria

Oriental Orthodox churches grew over the last decades due to the coming of South Slavic immigrants from the Balkans to Austria. The largest group of Eastern Orthodox in Austria are Serbs. The Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
estimated in that there were 397,219 Eastern Orthodox Christians in Austria in 2016, representing the 4.6% of the total population.

Protestantism

The

Habsburgs
imposed a strict regime to restore the influence of the Catholic Church among Austrians and their campaign proved successful; the Habsburgs for a long time viewed themselves as the vanguard of Catholicism, while all the other Christian confessions and religions were suppressed.

Protestantism reached a peak percentage of 6.2% by 1951 for the first time in Austrian history since the success of the Counter-Reformation. Currently, it claims around 3.5% of the population. Austrian Protestants are overwhelmingly

Pentecostals
.

A study from the

Calvinist
body, has roughly 13,590 members.

Islam

Main article: Islam in Austria

Due to immigration, especially from the

Muslims in Austria has grown exponentially over the latest decades, with an estimated number of Muslims of 686,599, or 7.9% of the total population as of 2016, up from 4.2% in 2001.[14][15][12]

Number of Muslims in Austria
Year Absolute number Percentage Source
1981 76,939 1.0% [16]
1991 158,776 2.0% [16]
2001 345,906 4.1% [14]
2009 515,914 6.2% [14]
2016 686,599 7.9% [12]
2021 745,600 8.3% [1]

Buddhism

Main article: Buddhism in Austria

Buddhism is a legally recognized religion in Austria and it is followed by thousands of people. Although still small in absolute numbers (10,402 at the 2001 census), Buddhism enjoys widespread acceptance in Austria. A majority of Buddhists in the country are Austrian nationals (some of them naturalized after immigration from Asia, predominantly from China and Vietnam), while a considerable number of them are foreign nationals.

As in most

Vienna Central Cemetery
.

Hinduism

Main article: Hinduism in Austria

Hinduism is a minority religion in Austria, and according to the 2001 census, it was the religion of 3629 people. Since 1998, the 'Hindu Community in Austria' (HRÖ), the official representative of Hindus in Austria, has been able to call itself an 'Official registered confessional community', yet does not enjoy full legal recognition from the state.[17][self-published source?]

Paganism

Austria has seen a growth of

Germanic Heathen (Heidentum), Wiccan and Neopagan witchcraft (Hexentum) groups. As of 2010 Austrian motorway authorities have been hiring Druids for geomantic works intended to reduce the number of accidents on the worst stretches of Austrian speedways.[18][19]

Celtic Neopaganism and Neo-Druids are particularly popular in

Kärnten combines archaeological reconstruction with "European geomancy
". The Europäische Keltische Gemeinschaft has been active since 1998.

Freedom of religion

In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom;[20] in 2021, the government established a new staff unit in the fight against antisemitist sentiment and violence.

Membership of churches

Main denominations in Austria[21][22][23][13][11]
Year Population Catholics Percentage Protestants[24] Percentage
1951 6,933,905 6,170,084 89.0% 429,493 6.2%
1961 7,073,807 6,295,075 89.0% 438,663 6.2%
1971 7,491,526 6,548,316 87.4% 447,070 6.0%
1981 7,555,338 6,372,645 84.3% 423,162 5.6%
1991 7,795,786 6,081,454 78.0% 388,709 5.0%
2001 8,032,926 5,915,421 73.6% 376,150 4.7%
2011 8,408,121 5,403,722 64.3% 319,752 3.8%
2012 8,451,860 5,359,151 63.4% 325,905 3.9%
2013 8,507,786 5,308,515 62.4% 313,352 3.7%
2014 8,584,926 5,265,378 61.4% 309,158 3.6%
2015 8,700,471 5,211,238 59.9% 306,183 3.5%
2016 8,773,686 5,162,622 58.8% 301,729 3.4%
2017 8,823,054 5,112,330[11] 57.9% 296,338 3.4%
2018 8,859,992 5,053,074 57.0% 292,597 3.3%
2019 4,980,000[25]
2022 8,978,929 4,830,000 [26] 53.7%

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Since 2011, Statistics Austria switched the census methodology from the traditional face-to-face and module-based census to a register-based census; the latter does not allow populations to be directly queried about certain topics, such as religious affiliation. As a consequence, the 2011 census did not provide information about the religious affiliations of Austrians. In 2021, Statistics Austria adopted a combined census methodology, and the question about religion was introduced again through a microcensus, or national survey, complementing the register-based census.[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Religion in Austria.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Official census data provided by Statistics Austria:
    • "Bevölkerung 2001 nach Religionsbekenntnis und Staatsangehörigkeit" [2001 population by religious confession and nationality]. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
    • "Bevölkerung nach dem Religionsbekenntnis und Bundesländern 1951 bis 2001" [Population by religious confession and federal states from 1951 to 2001] (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2022.
    • "Religionsbekenntnis, 1951–2021" [Religious confession, 1951–2021]. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022.
    • "Religionszugehörigkeit 2021: drei Viertel bekennen sich zu einer Religion" [2021 religious affiliation: three fourths profess a religion] (PDF) (with comparative data from the censuses from 1951 to 2021). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2022.
  2. ^ Austrian church statistics, katholisch.at
  3. ^ Evangelische Kirche in Österreich: Data and facts
  4. ^ a b Zulehner 2004, p. 1.
  5. ^ Potančoková & Berghammer 2012, pp. 219, 230.
  6. ^ "Imperial Gazette −1912". IGGIO Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Osterreich. 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  7. ^ Expulsion, Deportation and Murder – History of the Jews in Vienna Vienna Webservice
  8. ^ Bukharian Jews find homes on Long Island, Bukharian Reviews, 16 September 2004
  9. ^ "Religionsbekenntnis". AEIOU. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  10. ^ "Religion in Austria on Sacred Destinations". Archived from the original on 2006-05-23. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
  11. ^ a b c Austrian Catholic Church data 2017
  12. ^ a b c Goujon, Anne; Jurasszovich, Sandra; Potančoková, Michaela (August 2017). "Religious denominations in Austria" (PDF). Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences: 102.
  13. ^ a b "Zahlen und Fakten" [Numbers and Facts]. Evangelical Church in Austria. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Mathias Vogl; Alexander Janda, eds. (2010). "Islam in Österreich" [Islam in Austria] (PDF). Österreichischer Integrationsfonds (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2014.
  15. ^ WZ-Recherche 2016. Published in article: "Staat und Religion". Wiener Zeitung, January 2016.
  16. ^
    S2CID 194611223. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2020-02-18.
  17. ^ "HRÖ - Our History". Hroe.at. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  18. ^ Druids cut death toll with divine intervention. The Telegraph.
  19. ^ Motorway druids tackle road accidents. Austrian Times.
  20. ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  21. ^ "Bevölkerung nach dem Religionsbekenntnis und Bundesländern 1951 bis 2001" [Population by religious denomination and Federal State from 1951 to 2001] (PDF) (in German). Statistical Office of Austria. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Katholische Kirche Österreich: Statistik" [Catholic Church Austria: Statistics] (in German). Katholisch.at. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Statistical Data 2001–2016" (in German). Evang.at. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  24. ^ Only Evangelical Lutherans & Evangelical Reformed
  25. ^ "Kirchenaustritte in Österreich um 14,9 Prozent gestiegen". 15 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Kirchenaustritte stiegen nach CoV-Beruhigung wieder". 12 January 2022.

Sources

Further reading

  • Hödl, Hans Gerald; Pokorny, Lukas, eds. (2012–2021). Religion in Austria. Vol. 1–6. Praesens Verlag.
  • Kosinsky, Danuta; Stiegnitz, Peter, eds. (1990). Religions in Austria. Federal Press Service.
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