Austria

2025

2022

2018

The highest possible score for a country is 100, and the lowest is -15. You can expand the different sections below to understand how the score was calculated for each indicator.

Indicator scores

Anti-Discrimination Legislation Applicable to Education

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

Anti-LGBTQI Measures

Anti-discrimination protections are put in place at the regional level in Austria. All nine Austrian regional states (Vienna, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Upper Austria and Lower Austria) offer comprehensive protection from discrimination in the field of education on the ground of sexual orientation. However, only Vienna also provides protection on grounds of gender identity.

The only federal document in this area is the Fundamental Decree on Sexual Pedagogy (2015), issued by the (then) Federal Ministry of Education and Women’s Affairs. The decree sets out that schools should contribute to enabling children and adolescents to develop their own values, without having to be afraid of being discriminated against on grounds of who they are. SOGIGESC grounds are not specified and there is only one reference to “sexist, homophobic, and transphobic” statements that should not be allowed in school. The Decree does also not take into account students who may be outside of the gender binary.

Policies and Action Plans

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

No anti-bullying policy or national action plan: 0/10 | Anti-bullying policy or national action plan covering one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

There are no national policies or action plans to tackle anti-LGBTQI bullying or promote LGBTQI inclusion. The 2008 national anti-bullying strategy, Weisse Feder does not mention SOGIGESC grounds.

Inclusive Compulsory Education Curricula

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

No evidence of compulsory national curricula inclusive of LGBTQI people: 0/10 | The compulsory national curricula includes representation of one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

SOGIGESC issues are not part of the national civic education curricula. As ECRI reported (2020), schools can decide how they design their curriculum and to what extent they include LGBTQI issues.

Sex education is mandatory, but there are no minimum hours specified and schools have discretion on its content. LGBTQI issues are not addressed in a systematic way. In 2019, UN CEDAW recommended that Austria’s sex education curriculum includes LBT women’s issues.

Mandatory Teacher Training on LGBTQI Inclusion

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

No mention of SOGIGESC in the mandatory teacher training programme: 0/10 Mandatory teacher training program with mention of one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

There is currently no mandatory teacher training on LGBTQI awareness, and schools have to invite external trainers.

The Viennese Anti-discrimination Unit for LGBTIQ Issues (WASt), established in 1998, continues to hold trainings in schools. The intersex organisation VIMÖ, in collaboration with PIÖ (Intersex Platform Austria), holds training events on sex characteristics and gender identity in schools, universities, and for teachers. Since 2022, VIMÖ has held more than 60 training events, consultations and speeches a year, commissioned by private universities, companies and public institutions.

A number of other programs are run across the country, including Schule der Vielfalt by Hosi Salzburg. Queeconnexion holds workshops in Vienna.

School Environment and Partnerships

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

Hostile environment

Hostile school environment and no government partnership with civil society: -5/10 | There is no evidence of the government providing funding or working in partnership with civil society: 0/10 | The government provides funding and works in partnership with civil society to promote inclusive education for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

Several LGBTQI organisations offer workshops on LGBTQI issues and/or comprehensive sex and relationship education to school and youth centers.

Based on the above information, it would appear that the federal government does not provide funding, nor does it actively partner with NGOs to promote LGBTQI-inclusive education.

Legal Gender Recognition

/10

Legal gender recognition without self-determination

Legal gender recognition with self-determination (over 16)

Legal gender recognition with self-determination (under 16)

No gender recognition provisions: 0/10 | There are laws and provisions, but with legal/medical/psychological approval: 5/10 | There are laws for self-determination, but only for those over 16 years of age: 7,5/10 | There are laws on gender self-determination, including those under 16 years of age: 10/10

Legal gender recognition procedures are in place, and minors can change their name and gender marker without age restriction. LGR however is not available on the basis of self-determination and requires a psychiatric evaluation. Additionally, a new, gender-specific first name may only be adopted following LGR.

A 2018 Constitutional Court judgment called for ID documents with gender markers that reflect an individual’s own self-determined gender identity. Intersex persons can apply for alternative gender markers or to have no gender marker on their documents. However, these alternative gender markers (‘inter’, ‘divers’, ‘open’, or no entry) are only available to intersex people with a medical diagnosis, which can only be obtained after overcoming significant barriers (an attestation certificate from a panel of doctors).

The country has no national or regional policies allowing students to use their preferred name in schools and universities before LGR.

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Data Collection on Bullying and Harassment

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

There is no evidence of national or regional data collection on bullying and harassment in education environments, or SO, GIGE and SC are not specifically mentioned: 0/10 | National or regional data on bullying and harassment in education environments is collected and disaggregated for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

The government does not collect data on bullying on the basis of actual or perceived SOGIGESC. However, in 2021, the Ministry of Interior started recording data on hate crimes.

The nine education inspectorates in each federal state can collect specific information within their region, but there is no national regulation about how they disaggregate it.

Support Systems for LGBTQI Young People

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

There is no evidence of support systems specifically designed for LGBTQI learners: 0/10 | Direct or indirect support systems are provided by schools or local authorities, but the providers lack training in LGBTQI-related issues: 0/10 | Direct or indirect support systems are provided by schools or local authorities for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

Local authorities and schools provide direct support and relief services for victims of bullying, but do not receive mandatory training on SOGIGESC issues.

In June 2024 the city of Vienna opened the first center for LGBTQI youth in Ottakring. This resulted from local study showing alarming rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts in the community.

Information and Guidelines

/10

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

Anti-LGBTQI Measures

Policies prohibiting the presence of LGBTQI-related information are in place: -5/10 | Schools are not required to adopt inclusive education guidelines: 0/10 | Information or guidelines for LGBTQI inclusion adopted by schools that mention one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

Schools generally provide information regarding the LGBTQI community through leaflets and posters in their premises. School employees are allowed to independently provide information regarding LGBTQI issues.

NGOs have made available a number of toolkits, lesson plans, and other resources (see under Teacher training).

International Commitments

/10

Member of the European Governmental LGBTI Focal Points Network

Ratified the UNESCO Ministerial Call to Action

Neither Member in the EFPN or ratification of the UNESCO Call for Action: 0/10 | Member of the EFPN or ratification of the UNESCO Call for Action: 5/10 | Member of the EFPN and ratification of the UNESCO Call for Action: 10/10

Austria has ratified eight of the nine core UN treaties, including the ICESCR and the CRC, which enshrine the right to education. Austria is a member of the European Governmental LGBTI Focal Points Network and has signed the 2016 UNESCO Call for Action. During its third UPR review, Austria received 11 recommendations on LGBTI issues, including to strengthen anti-discrimination safeguards and ban surgeries performed on intersex children.

View the map scored by indicator

Grounds of discrimination

Here is the country's score for each ground of discrimination on which we based our observations for 8 of the 10 indicators presented above.

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

See the map scored by ground of discrimination

Country score evolution

2025

/100

2022

/100

2018

/100

To enable a meaningful comparison of country progress over time, we have retroactively aligned the scoring systems used in the 2018 and 2022 Editions of IGLYO’s LGBTQI Inclusive Education Index with the updated 2025 scoring criteria. While each edition of the research has built on the previous one, reflecting evolving standards and priorities in inclusive education, minor changes to indicators and scoring weights were introduced in 2022 and 2025 to improve clarity, consistency, and comprehensiveness.
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By recalculating the earlier scores according to the 2025 framework, we have tried to ensure comparability across all three editions and provide a more accurate picture of progress, stagnation, or regression in each country’s approach to LGBTQI-inclusive education. For this reason, you might find some scores in the PDF Report & Index 2018 and 2022 differing from those on the Education website for these two years.

Good practices

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