Total population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(c. 9 million) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regions with significant populations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Austria 7.46 million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States | 684,184 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Germany | 345,620 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Canada | 197,990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australia | 45,530 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 40,300–65,090 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United Kingdom | 21,600–25,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Argentina | 17,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
France | 12,500–20,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italy | 16,331 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Africa | 14,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spain | 10,100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brazil | 10,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungary | 9,044 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Israel | 6,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Netherlands | 6,600–8,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sweden | 4,100–5,936 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liechtenstein | 3,868 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Poland | 3,790 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slovakia | 3,154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slovenia | 3,052 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Belgium | 3,020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romania | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mexico |
3,000 |
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Languages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German (Standard: Austrian German; Dialects: Austro-Bavarian and Alemannic) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Religion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Historically: primarily Roman Catholic minority Lutheran Nowadays (2016): Christian (68%) Irreligious (24%) |
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Related ethnic groups | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Germanic peoples (especially Germans, the Swiss and Liechtensteiners) |
3,000
c. 7,000
Austrians (German: Österreicher) are a Germanic people and nation, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria, who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent and history. The English term Austrians was applied to the population of Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, it referred to the citizens of the Empire of Austria (1804–1867), and from 1867 until 1918 to the citizens of Cisleithania. In the closest sense, the term Austria originally referred to the historical March of Austria, corresponding roughly to the Vienna Basin in what is today Lower Austria.
Historically, Austrians were regarded as ethnic Germans and viewed themselves as such. Austria was part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian war in 1866 which resulted in Prussia expelling Austria from the Confederation. Thus, when Germany was founded as a nation-state in 1871, Austria was not a part of it. In 1867, Austria was reformed into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 at the end of World War I, Austria was reduced to a rump state and adopted and officially used the name the Republic of German-Austria (Republik Deutschösterreich) in an attempt for union with Germany, but was forbidden due to the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919). The First Austrian Republic was founded in 1919. The Third Reich annexed Austria with the Anschluss in 1938.