Romani people in Austria

Romani people in Austria
Chromolithograph of young Roma in Austria
Total population
  • c. 40,000–50,000
Languages
Romani, Sintitikes, German
Religion
Christianity, Romani folklore
Related ethnic groups
Romani people in Germany, Romani people in Hungary, Romani people in Slovenia, Romani people in Switzerland

The Romani people in Austria (German: Roma in Österreich) have lived in the country since the Middle Ages.[1] According to the 2001 census, there were 6,273 Romani speakers in Austria, or less than 0.1% of the population. Estimations count between 10,000 and 25,000.[2] A more recent estimation count between 40,000 and 50,000 Romani people or about 0.5%.[3] Most indigenous Romani people in Austria belong to the Burgenland-Roma group in East-Austria. The majority live in the state of Burgenland, in the city of Oberwart and in villages next to the District of Oberwart. The Burgenland-Roma speak the Vlax Romani language.

In Upper Austria there are also some Sinti families with 80% of the Sinti speaking the Sinte Romani dialect of the Romani language.

Since 1960, there has also been a significant Roma population originally from former Yugoslavian countries, especially from Serbia (Gurbeti and Kalderash Roma-Groups) and Ashkali from Kosovo and also some from Turkey.

  1. ^ "Performance in Gypsy Autobiographies from Austria and Germany". Dickinson College. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  2. ^ "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Austria : Roma/Gypsies". United Nations Human Rights Council. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  3. ^ "Etwa 40.000 Roma und Sinti leben in Österreich | Medien Servicestelle Neue ÖsterreicherInnen" (in German). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-05-15.