Country Comments

Austria has taken a multitude of measures in the past years to improve the social and economic conditions of families. The average citizen now consumes ⅔ more goods and services than two generations before. Even with being a pioneer with almost 20 percent of crops being grown organically, the current population's overall consumption puts greater pressure on available natural resources and is a major factor to its unsustainability.

The commitment to human development has included addressing maternal, infant and child mortality. Austria ranks among the top ten countries world-wide with the lowest maternal and child mortality rates.(1) Austria’s population growth rate is very modest due to a below replacement fertility rate of 1.5 children per mother. Immigration is what drives population growth in the country which, in 2020, accounted for 65,000 new citizens.

“Austria attaches vital importance to safeguarding and improving the protective function of forests which is indispensable to a mountainous country, and has been a pioneer and trendsetter in organic farming. Approximately 19.2% of the farming area in Austria is organic.”(2)

(1) https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/austria.pdf

(2) https://www.austria.org/environmental-protection

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