Vienna has now taken in 208% of its assigned refugee quota, according to a response from the Ministry of the Interior. As of early January, around 31,000 people were receiving basic care in the Austrian capital—more than twice the target set by the federal government.
One major reason for this is the high number of people with subsidiary protection living in Vienna. Although asylum seekers are supposed to be the main group covered by the basic care system, they made up just 7.5% of welfare recipients in the capital. In contrast, they accounted for 48.5% in Tyrol and 47% in Upper Austria.
Vienna has a particularly high number of people under subsidiary protection. Of the 13,100 individuals in this category nationwide, 11,000 live in Vienna—about 84% of the total. This may be because the benefits available in Vienna are higher, something that has also been noted in Tyrol.
People with subsidiary protection are not classified as directly persecuted, but they still face serious threats to their life or health if they return to their home countries. In recent years, the largest groups in this category have been Syrians and Afghans.
