Austria – Country Performance, Brand Strength and Reputation

Austria is renowned for its stunning Alpine landscapes, charming villages, and vibrant cities like Vienna and Salzburg, which offer a high quality of life enriched by history, music, and the arts.

Austria’s strategic location in Europe, excellent infrastructure, and efficient transportation network make it an ideal hub for businesses seeking access to both Western and Eastern European markets. But what do leading rankings and indices have to say about Austria, its economic performance, sustainability, country brand strength, soft power and reputation?

Let’s take a closer look at:

• Austria’s economic performance
• Its soft power and country brand strength
• How appeal to talent, investors, and visitors?
• The country’s global contribution to peace and well-being
• How well it fares in terms of happiness and sustainability

Soft Power and Country Brand Strength

In the Global Soft Power Index 2024 by Brand Finance, Austria secures the 23^rd spot, above Finland (24^th) and Türkiye (25^th). Its position improved by two places from last year’s index.

In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Austria secures 22^nd position behind South Korea (21^st) and China (20^th). It ranks the best in these key areas: Social Purpose (11^th), Quality of Life (12^th), Adventure (17^th), Open for Business (18^th), and Heritage (18^th). However, the critical area Movers (73^rd) needs improvement.

Talent Attraction and Competitiveness

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 places Austria at 21^st position among 141 countries. However, it’s important to note that an updated version of this report hasn’t been released in the past five years, and rankings may have shifted since then.

Austria, classified as a high-income country within the European regional group, currently holds the 17^th overall position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. It ranks 25^th or better in all pillars, the strongest being RETAIN (5^th) and VT SKILLS (5^th). The GT skills pillar presents Austria’s biggest challenge, ranking 92^nd.

In terms of educational excellence, Austria does not have any universities ranked within the top 100 globally, according to the World University Rankings 2024. However, the University of Vienna ranked 119^th.

Is Austria a ‘Good’ Country?

In the Caf World Giving Index 2024, Austria ranked 46^th, trailing behind Germany (45^th) and Libya (44^th). Notably, it performs best in the subfactor of donated money, with 55% of the adult population partaking in such activity. Austria experiences a significant drop from the 33^rd position in the ranking’s previous list.

In the Good Country Index, Austria currently holds the 10^th overall position, climbing from 14^th position in 2022. It was admirably ranked 4^th in Culture, 7^th in Science and Technology, 6^th in World Order, 12^th in Planet and Climate, and 14^th in Prosperity and Equality. Other vital factors: 33^rd in Health and Well-Being and 84^th in International Peace and Security.

Austria experienced the most significant improvements in Prosperity and Equality (from 32^nd place in 2022 to 14^th place in 2023) and Planet and Climate (from 22^nd place in 2022 to 12^th place in 2023).

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Austria ranks in the darker blue (8-9 range) with an 8.20 out of 10. This is a similar score to other neighbouring countries, such as the Czech Republic (8.00), Germany (8.80), Slovenia (7.80), and Italy (7.70).

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks Austria 22^nd, behind France (21^st) and above the Seychelles (23^rd).

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Austria 5^th. The report highlights that, despite its position in the top 10, it still faces significant challenges in certain SDGs (notably SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 Climate Action). That said, Austria is not experiencing any downward trend.

Appeal to Digital Nomads, Business, Trade, and Travel

The Expat Insider 2023 ranks Austria 42^nd. The country performs well in the areas of Environment and Climate (6^th), Travel and Transit (3^rd), Healthcare (8^th), Salary and Job Security (10^th). However, it ranks relatively low in Local Friendliness (53^rd), Culture and Welcome (52^nd), Finding Friends (52^nd), Work Culture and Satisfaction (39^th), and Language (47^th). These figures show Austria is a well-developed country; however, expats might experience a hard time integrating into society, making friends, and feeling good at work.

The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2022-2023 assesses investment-related variables, emphasising perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, Austria ranks 33^rd, behind Croatia (32^nd) and Slovakia (31^st). Worldwide, Austria ranks 81^st.

In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Austria at 8^th position in Europe, climbing by two positions since last year’s ranking. Austria ranks behind Portugal (7^th) and the UK (6^th). Worldwide, it ranks 13^th, behind Mexico (12^th) and surpassing Croatia (14^th).

In the IMD 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Austria secured the 24^th position, dropping by four positions since 2022. Currently, it sits just behind Israel (23^rd) and Germany (22^nd) while surpassing Bahrain (25^th) and Estonia (26^th). Regarding specific characteristics, it ranked 22^nd in economic performance in 2023, improving from 24^th position in 2022. Government efficiency ranked 36^th and experienced a drop from 34^th position in 2022. Austria also dropped its position for business efficiency, from 18^th in 2022 to 26^th in 2023. Infrastructure in the country ranked 15^th in 2023, with a slight drop from 10^th place in 2022.

How Peaceful?

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Austria 5^th, dropping by one position since last year’s edition. Austria now sits ahead of Singapore (6^th) and Portugal (7^th). It sits at the very high end of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum, as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Austria is positioned 4^th regionally, making it a very peaceful country.

The Institute for Economics & Peace ranks Austria within the very low zone regarding the ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index. Austria ranks 68^th, behind Mexico (67^th).

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2024, which displays the ranking of happiness based on a three-year average (2021–2023), ranks Austria 14^th, behind Kuwait (13^th) and ahead of Costa Rica (12^th). Austria dropped by two positions since 2023. Austria also ranked 12^th for happiness amongst the youth (aged below 30) and 15^th for happiness amongst the elderly (aged 60 and above).

Environmental Performance

The 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Austria 8^th. The EPI analyses the performance of 180 countries, scoring and ranking these countries on their environmental performance using the most recent year of data available, as well as providing calculable changes in scores over the previous decade. Austria has experienced a positive change in score of 5.80 in the past ten years.

Last updated in May 2024. Explore more country profiles here.

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Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to provide a general overview of Austria’s economic and cultural landscape and facilitate comparison over time. While we strive for accuracy and completeness, we are not responsible for any typographical errors or inaccuracies. The data is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Users should verify any information before relying on it for decision-making purposes.