Vorarlberg leads Austria in youth share and mothers’ part-time rate

Vorarlberg remains Austria’s youngest state by population, with children and teenagers accounting for 18.7 percent of residents, according to a new family report reported by broadcaster ORF. The report also found that the share of under-18s has been declining for decades and that Vorarlberg has Austria’s highest part-time employment rate among mothers.

As of January 1, 2026, Vorarlberg had 76,907 residents under the age of 18. They made up 18.7 percent of the state’s total population of 412,307, compared with 17.1 percent across Austria. Vorarlberg ranked first in every reported age group, from children under four to those aged 15 to under 18.

The state also had a younger population than neighbouring Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

These are the findings of Family data for Vorarlberg 2026, prepared by Markus Kaindl and Rudolf Karl Schipfer of the Austrian Institute for Family Research at the University of Vienna on behalf of the Vorarlberg provincial government.

Share of young people has fallen steadily

Vorarlberg’s current position looks different in historical perspective. In 1969 and 1970, more than one-third of the population was under 18, at 34 percent. The share has declined continuously since then and is now below one-fifth, a drop of more than 15 percentage points.

The child and youth ratio, which measures the number of people under 18 for every 100 people aged 18 to 65, has followed a similar trend. It stood at 60 to 100 in 1970 and at 30.1 to 100 at the beginning of 2026. Vorarlberg has led the ranking among Austria’s states since 1967, although its lead over the national average has narrowed from 11.5 points in 1968 to 2.7 points today.

The number of babies is also declining. Statistics recorded 3,613 children under one year old at the beginning of 2026, compared with 3,755 a year earlier and 3,896 two years earlier. The number of children aged zero and one is now below the level recorded just over a decade ago.

Families and citizenship

Some 79.1 percent of Vorarlberg’s residents hold Austrian citizenship, while 5.0 percent are German citizens and 15.4 percent hold another nationality. Liechtensteiners account for 0.1 percent and Swiss citizens for 0.5 percent. Vorarlberg has the highest share among Austria’s states of German citizens under 18, as well as the highest shares of Liechtenstein and Swiss citizens in its total population. The proportion of German citizens has more than doubled since 2004.

Families in Vorarlberg are more likely to be married couples than elsewhere in Austria. In 2025, married couples accounted for 73.1 percent of families with children under 18, the highest proportion among the states, compared with 68.7 percent nationally. Unmarried couples made up 13.7 percent, the lowest share, while single parents accounted for 13.2 percent. Mothers made up 12.0 percent and fathers 1.2 percent of single parents.

Despite this more traditional pattern, the long-term trend is similar to that elsewhere. Since 1971, the number of unmarried couples with children under 18 has increased twentyfold, while the number of married couples with children in that age group has fallen by about 10 percent. Only children are relatively uncommon in Vorarlberg: 18.5 percent of under-18s live without siblings in their household, the second-lowest proportion among Austria’s states.

Mothers record highest part-time rate

The report found marked differences in employment. In 2025, only 9.8 percent of mothers in Vorarlberg with at least one child under 15 worked full time, the lowest rate among Austria’s states. Some 63.8 percent worked part time, the highest rate. Among fathers in the same situation, 85.2 percent worked full time and 7.4 percent part time.

Among families with children under four, mothers worked full time in 4.5 percent of cases and part time in 42.3 percent. One-quarter of mothers were on parental leave or maternity leave, while another quarter were not employed.

Many women cited childcare responsibilities as the reason for working part time. Among women aged 20 to under 40 with childcare responsibilities, 44.8 percent said they wanted to provide the care themselves, the second-highest proportion among the states.