Factbook
History of Austria — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Austria, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1453Independence: no official date of independence: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 6 January 1453 (Archduchy of Austria acknowledged); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established); 12 November 1918 (First Republic proclaimed); 27 April 1945 (Second Republic proclaimed).
1938Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and the victorious Allies then occupied the country in 1945.
1955As a result, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade after World War II, until a State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany.
1995Austria joined the EU in 1995, but the obligation to remain neutral kept it from joining NATO, although the country became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995.
1999Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
2001Languages: German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in southern Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 est.) Religions: Roman Catholic 55.2%, Muslim 8.3%, Orthodox 4.9%, Evangelical Christian 3.8%, Jewish 0.1%, other 5.4%, none 22.4% (2021 est.) Urban population: 59.5% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 14.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 11.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 56.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 120.211 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and paper, electronics, tourism Agriculture: milk, sugar beets, maize, wheat, barley, potatoes, pork, grapes, triticale, soybeans (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023) one of the strongest EU and euro economies; diversified trade portfolios and relations; enormous trade economy; Russian energy dependence, but investing in alternative energy; aging labor force but large refugee population; large government debt Inflation: 2.9% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1% of GDP (2024 est.).
