Austria Grants Citizenship to 5,479 People in Q1 2025, Driven by Historical Restitution Cases

Austria granted citizenship to 5,479 individuals in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting a modest rise in naturalisations compared to the same period last year. Notably, 2,188 of these new citizens reside abroad, making up 40% of the total—an increase largely attributed to applications from descendants of Nazi persecution victims.

Restitution-Based Naturalisation Continues to Grow

According to Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria, the rise is primarily due to naturalisation of individuals persecuted by the Nazi regime and their descendants, who have been eligible for Austrian citizenship since September 2020 without renouncing other nationalities. In Q1 2025, 2,176 people in this category received citizenship, with only three residing in Austria. This represents a 6.8% increase compared to Q1 2024, when 2,037 such individuals were naturalised.

Top Countries of Origin for New Non-Resident Citizens

• Israel: 1,325 individuals (24.2%)
• United States: 472 (8.6%)
• United Kingdom: 191 (3.5%)

Other Newly Naturalised Citizens

Among the 3,303 other naturalised individuals, many were previously citizens of:

• Syria: 529 (9.7%)
• Turkey: 354 (6.5%)
• Afghanistan: 263 (4.8%)

Regional Distribution in Austria

• Vienna remains the leading city for naturalisation, with 945 new citizens—a 4% increase from 2024.
• Vorarlberg saw the largest year-on-year increase, with 227 naturalisations, up by 40%.
• Burgenland recorded an increase of 31.7% (83), while Lower Austria rose 10.2% to 615.

In contrast, declines in naturalisations were recorded in:

• Carinthia: −22.6% (106)
• Upper Austria: −14.2% (638)
• Styria: −11.4% (296)
• Salzburg: −10.8% (149)
• Tyrol: −5.3% (232)

This data underscores the ongoing impact of Austria’s historical restitution policy and highlights shifting demographic patterns in the country’s citizenship landscape.