The image is AI-generated (source: Gemini) 

In its latest report on migration and integration, Statistik Austria estimates that around 612,000 people in Austria in 2025 had a migration background from the Western Balkan countries. Importantly, 32% of people with a migration background from these countries were already born in Austria.

The report suggests that Turkish citizens are the third-largest foreign-nationality group after Germans and Romanians, with 123,400 Turkish citizens living in Austria. 

These figures help explain why discussions about Balkan migration increasingly focus on questions of identity, language, education and belonging among people who may never have migrated themselves.

The demographic picture also varies considerably between communities. 

Serbian citizens in Austria have an average age of around 42 years, as do Bosnian citizens. By comparison, Kosovo citizens are part of the younger large foreign-nationality groups, with an average age in the early 30s. 

Language is one of the most revealing indicators of integration, and Statistik Austria’s 2026 migration survey highlights an interesting pattern among Western Balkan communities. 

Overall, 61% of people born abroad rated their German-language proficiency as at least good. Among those born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the figure was 70%, while 67% of those born in Serbia gave themselves a similar rating. Only 51% of those born in Türkiye rated their German-language skills as at least good, compared with 61% among immigrants overall.  

This reflects different stages of migration history. Some communities have been established since the guest-worker era, while others experienced substantial migration more recently.

The result is a diverse Balkan population in Austria, ranging from first-generation migrants to Austrians whose family histories extend back to the former Yugoslavia.