Austria
Government finance and cost-of-living data from Eurostat — spending, debt, tax, and comparative prices.
Headline stats
Government debt
81.5% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 81.7% GDP (2025)
Govt expenditure
55.2% GDP
2024
Budget deficit
4.2% GDP
2025
EU27 avg: 3.1% GDP (2025)
Tax revenue
13.7% GDP
2024
Public sector jobs
1,140k
2024
Tax rates
What Austria takes — statutory rates and effective burden on workers.
Labour tax wedge
32.4% of labour cost
2025
Top income tax rate
50%
2024
Corporate tax rate
24%
2024
Standard VAT rate
20%
2024
Labour tax wedge: effective % of gross labour cost (salary + employer contributions) going to income tax and social contributions for a single person at average wage. Source: Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate. Statutory rates: OECD Taxing Wages 2024 / EC Taxation Trends 2024.
Comparative prices
Austria is 14.8% more expensive than the EU average overall (2024). Index: EU27 = 100.
| Category | Price index | vs EU avg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level | 114.8 | +14.8% |
| Food & non-alcoholic drinks | 110.5 | +10.5% |
| Housing, utilities & energy | 113.3 | +13.3% |
| Restaurants & hotels | 110.0 | +10.0% |
| Transport | 109.1 | +9.1% |
| Health | 148.4 | +48.4% |
| Education | 162.8 | +62.8% |
| Clothing & footwear | 105.7 | +5.7% |
| Recreation & culture | 118.3 | +18.3% |
| Alcohol & tobacco | 90.4 | -9.6% |
| Household furnishings | 110.6 | +10.6% |
| Communication | 111.9 | +11.9% |
| Miscellaneous | 116.4 | +16.4% |
Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind. EU27_2020 = 100. Green = cheaper than EU average.
Government debt since 2011
| Year | Debt (% GDP) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 83.4 | — |
| 2012 | 82.9 | -0.5 |
| 2013 | 82.4 | -0.5 |
| 2014 | 85.2 | +2.8 |
| 2015 | 85.6 | +0.4 |
| 2016 | 83.4 | -2.2 |
| 2017 | 79.1 | -4.3 |
| 2018 | 74.6 | -4.5 |
| 2019 | 71 | -3.6 |
| 2020 | 83.2 | +12.2 |
| 2021 | 82.4 | -0.8 |
| 2022 | 78.1 | -4.3 |
| 2023 | 77.8 | -0.3 |
| 2024 | 80 | +2.2 |
| 2025 | 81.5 | +1.5 |
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Data sources
| Dataset | Source | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Govt expenditure / debt / deficit | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | 1995–2025 |
| Tax revenue | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 1995–2025 |
| Public employment (NACE O-Q) | Eurostat nama_10_a64_e | 1995–2024 |
| Tax breakdown (VAT, income, social) | Eurostat gov_10a_taxag | 2000–2023 |
| Labour tax wedge | Eurostat earn_nt_taxrate | 2000–2023 |
| Statutory tax rates (income, corporate, VAT) | OECD / EC Taxation Trends 2024 | 2024 |
| Comparative price levels (13 categories) | Eurostat prc_ppp_ind | 1995–2024 |