145,932 People of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Origin Live in Austria

According to research by the "Austrian Integration Fund - ÖIF", based on official data from the Federal Statistical Agency "Statistik Austria", as of January 1, 2013, there were 145,932 people of Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin living in Austria, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

This number, the ÖIF reports further, refers to individuals of BiH origin who hold Bosnian or Austrian citizenship. This figure does not include individuals of BiH origin who immigrated to Austria using another citizenship, e.g., Croatian or from another country.

The number of such individuals is also not small, considering that in just the last few years, a large number of Bosnians and Herzegovinians have immigrated to Austria from Slovenia due to the crisis, using their Slovenian citizenship.

However, since Austria only collects data on the country of origin, it is not possible to obtain an exact number of individuals of Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin who immigrated to Austria with another citizenship.

As for individuals holding exclusively BiH citizenship, according to Statistik Austria data, there were 90,963 in Austria as of January 1, 2014.

The largest number of citizens of BiH origin, according to ÖIF data (as of January 1, 2013), live in Vienna - 38,344, followed by Upper Austria - 31,419, particularly in the cities of Wels and Linz. These two provinces are followed by Lower Austria with 17,444, and Salzburg with 15,266 residents of BiH origin.

Although a large number of people from BiH came to Austria during the aggression against BiH, there are also third and fourth-generation individuals of BiH origin present in Austria, meaning those who immigrated much earlier. In the post-war period, a large number of students from BiH immigrated to Austria, many of whom stayed to work and start their families there.

According to many studies, Bosnians and Herzegovinians are very well integrated into Austrian society and are well-accepted by the local population. Many Bosnians and Herzegovinians are highly respected and popular figures in Austria, including successful athletes and managers. In larger cities, there is a significant number of associations of citizens of BiH origin.

A positive fact is the increasing number of academically educated individuals of BiH origin in Austria, who are not only involved in the economic but also in the political currents of Austria, and actively participate in elections. Among all EU countries, Bosnians and Herzegovinians most prefer to immigrate to Austria, reports Patria.