Austria
| Population | 8.3 m |
| Capital | Vienna |
| Surface area | 82,500 km2 |
| Official language | German |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 248.89 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 2.1 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 123.1 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.948 |
| World rank in HDI | 15 |
| Key economic sectors | Trade and services account for about two-thirds of GDP, and the industrial sector about one-third |
| Leading companies | Raiffeisen Bank; Erste Bank; OMV Group (oil and gas company) |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 5.3% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (% of population) | Roman Catholic (73.6); Evangelical Lutheran (4.7); Muslim (4.2) |
| Political system | A democratic federal republic A federal President is directly elected for no more than two successive six-year terms. There is a bicameral legislature, with a National Council elected for a four-year term and a Federal Council representing the nine states. |
| Electoral system | The National Council is elected by proportional representation; all persons over the age of 16 inclusive can vote. The Federal Council is made up of appointees by the State Assemblies, who serve for the duration of their State Assembly’s term. The number of deputies per state is proportional to the state’s population. |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Heinz Fischer (b. 1938), since July 2004 Federal Chancellor: Werner Faymann (b. 1960), since December 2008 |
| Previous leaders: | Presidents: Thomas Klestil (1992-2004); Kurt Josef Waldheim (1986-92) Federal Chancellors: Alfred Gusenbauer (2007-08); Wolfgang Schüssel (2000-07) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 1995 |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Johannes Hahn (Regional policy) |
| Number of MEPs | 19/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 45.3 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at:
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com