New data released in Austria's latest Statistical Yearbook on Migration and Integration has revealed that women from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq living in the country have birth rates nearly three times higher than Austrian-born women.
According to the report, Austrian-born women have an average of 1.22 children, while the overall average for women not born in Austria is 1.57. However, the figures vary significantly depending on the country of origin.
For instance, women from the former Yugoslavia average 1.94 children and Turkish-born women have a rate of 1.8. The highest fertility rates were recorded among women from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, with an average of 3.3 children per woman.
The data also highlights differences in the age at which women become mothers. Austrian-born women give birth at an average age of 30.4 years, while the average age for non-Austrian-born women is 28.7 years. Among Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi women, the average age at first birth is even lower, at 26.2 years.
Austrian Freedom Party leader claims migration crisis in Europe is "a consciously controlled ethnic and cultural transformation"
The findings come amid ongoing discussions in Austria over the social and demographic impact of migration, as several data and reports point to rapid cultural shifts and mounting pressure on the country's education system.
In October 2024, federal data showed that more than 75 percent of students in Vienna's middle schools speak a language other than German at home. Their classrooms, once designed for a primarily German-speaking student body, are now struggling to adapt to an increasingly multilingual and multicultural environment.
Meanwhile, a concurrent survey by Vienna's teachers' union exposed deeper concerns. The report, conducted across a sample of the city's 100 compulsory schools, detailed language barriers, frequent cultural clashes and even alarming incidents such as assaults on educators, mock executions staged by students and parental demands for teachers to wear religious attire, including burqas.
These developments have led to burnout and attrition within the teaching profession. In 2024, an average of 20 teachers left their jobs each day in Austria, many citing stress, lack of support and an inability to manage growing classroom tensions. Some educators have gone public with their concerns.
Further compounding concerns, a December 2024 report from Austria's Office for the Protection of the Constitution highlighted an uptick in Islamist radicalization among young girls in Upper Austria. The report cited online propaganda networks and community-level influences as key factors.
"Islam is changing our society in ways we do not want," said longtime principal of a Vienna middle school, Christian Klar, in an interview with Christian magazine Corrigenda in 2024.
Herbert Kickl, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, echoed a similar stance. At CPAC Hungary in May, Kickl asserted that mass immigration to Europe is part of a deliberate plan to "consciously control ethnic and cultural transformation."
"What is happening in Europe is no coincidence. It is the result of an agenda, a consciously controlled ethnic and cultural transformation. Because migration is not being stopped, no, it is being organized, promoted and glorified," he said.
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