“The further decline in births and the renewed increase in deaths have led to a negative birth balance in Austria in 2022 for the third year in a row,” said Director General Tobias Thomas. The “birth deficit” is 9,909.Vienna. The results, which are based on preliminary data, correspond to nine births and ten deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The birth balance was negative again with a minus of 9,909, after a minus of 5,884 in 2021. Compared to the pre-Corona year 2019, 3.2 percent fewer children were born.
11.1 percent more deaths than 2015-2019
The preliminary number of deaths in 2022 was 11.1 percent above the five-year average from 2015 to 2019, i.e. before the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. If the increased population and changes in the age structure are taken into account, even without Corona and its consequences, slightly more deaths than between 2015 and 2019 would have been expected, according to the experts from Statistics Austria. As part of the main variant of the population forecast prepared in autumn 2019, a total of 85,427 deaths were forecast for 2022. This value has now been exceeded by 7.8 percent.
The balance of the number of live births and deaths was positive in four federal states in 2022, most strongly in Vienna with 1,536. More births than deaths were also registered in Tyrol (plus 494), Vorarlberg (plus 402) and Salzburg (plus 171). In five federal states there were fewer newborns than deaths, led by Lower Austria (minus 4,888) and Styria (minus 3,455).
The provisional birth rate was higher than the national average in Vorarlberg, Upper Austria, Vienna, Tyrol and Salzburg. In Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria and Styria, the death rate was above the Austrian average. The number of those who died in the first year of life was 191 in 2022. The infant mortality rate was therefore 2.3 per thousand.
Source: Nachrichten
