Strong decline in inflation will support recovery of Austrian economy
"The volatile upward trend of the Bank Austria Business Indicator continued in January with an increase to minus 0.5 points. The indicator thus reached its highest level since summer 2022 and signals a further slight expansion of the Austrian economy at the beginning of the year, continuing the positive development of the second half of 2025," says Bank Austria Chief Economist Stefan Bruckbauer.
- The UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator improved to minus 0.5 points at the beginning of 2026
- Mixed economic sentiment in individual economic sectors with significant improvement in the service sector but further deterioration in construction
- After GDP growth of 0.5 per cent in 2025, economic growth is expected to increase to 1.0 per cent in 2026 and 1.5 per cent in 2027
- The economic recovery will continue, supported by domestic demand and a more stable export economy
- A smaller increase in the labour supply will enable the unemployment rate to fall to 7.3 per cent in 2026 and 7.2 per cent in 2027
- Falling energy prices, weaker food price inflation and the phasing out of second-round effects in the service sector could even push annual average inflation below the ECB's 2 per cent target in 2026
UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator (PDF)
UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator – Computation method (PDF)
as of February, 2026
About UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator
The UniCredit Bank Austria Business Indicator provides an overview of the current economic situation in Austria.
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