Children and young people in Austria are at a notably higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than the general population. According to Statistics Austria 2025 (based on 2024 data from the EU-SILC Study), almost one in four people under the age of 18 and 16% of young adults aged 18 to 34 are affected by these challenges. Key risk factors, such as low educational attainment, migrant (non-EU/EFTA) background, unemployment, challenging family circumstances and disability, compound the risk of exclusion, especially when several factors intersect (see Chapter 4.1).

In 2024, around 143,000 children and young people under the age of 18 in Austria experienced material and social deprivation, meaning their families struggled to afford basic necessities. In 2021, 36% of young people under 18 lived in households receiving minimum income or social assistance (Youth Report 2023: 128). Young adults who come from challenging family backgrounds and have lived in care institutions until the age of 18 are particularly vulnerable to homelessness due to limited welfare support and high housing costs. According to 2021 data, 2,530 individuals aged 14–24 were registered as either homeless or at risk of homelessness, 60.6% of whom were male. Nearly half of these young people were concentrated in Vienna.

Although Austria's youth unemployment rate (10.4%) was well below the EU average (14.5%) in 2023, significant barriers continue for young people seeking access to the labour market. These challenges are increased by low educational attainment, migrant backgrounds, and early school-leaving. In 2023, 78,900 young people aged 15–24 were classified as 'not in education, employment or training' (NEET), of whom nearly half (47.6%) had a migrant background. Young people with a migrant background made up 30.1% of the 10–29 age group that year, yet they were far more overrepresented among NEETs than their share of the general youth population would suggest. Indeed, non-Austrian youth were almost twice as likely to be unemployed as their Austrian counterparts. These disparities reflect the underrepresentation of young migrants in academic secondary schools, apprenticeships, and higher education, limiting their entry into the workforce and heightening the risk of social and economic marginalisation (Youth Report 2023 (Jugendbericht 2023): 24; Integration Report 2024: 24–33; Youth and Work in Austria 2024: 13 ff.).

Despite these challenges, Austria is committed to promoting social inclusion through its comprehensive welfare system and targeted youth initiatives, in line with the Austrian Youth Strategy (see Chapter 1.3). At the national level, the Department for Families and Youth is responsible for overseeing youth agendas and inclusion efforts, while various ministries implement measures relating to their respective fields of action, including education, employment, housing and health. While the federal government establishes overarching policy frameworks, federal provinces, municipalities, and cities are responsible for delivering a wide range of social services, including healthcare, housing, childcare, and means-tested minimum benefits (see Chapter 4.2). This comprehensive, cross-sectoral approach aims to ensure that all young people have equitable access to education, employment, meaningful participation and the opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life, irrespective of their social, cultural or physical background.