2019 Edition

Background

Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839 but gained a larger measure of autonomy. In 1867, Luxembourg attained full independence under the condition that it promise perpetual neutrality. Overrun by Germany in both world wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the EEC (later the EU), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency zone.

Area

Land

2,586 sq km

Total

2,586 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly smaller than Rhode Island; about half the size of Delaware

Climate

modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

Highest Point

Buurgplaatz 559 m

Lowest Point

Moselle River 133 m

Mean Elevation

325 m

Environment Current Issues

air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland; unsustainable patterns of consumption (transport, energy, recreation, space) threaten biodiversity and landscapes

Environment International Agreements

Party To

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

Signed But Not Ratified

Environmental Modification

Geographic Coordinates

49 45 N, 6 10 E

Geography Note

landlocked; the only grand duchy in the world

Irrigated Land

0 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

Border Countries

Belgium 130 km, France 69 km, Germany 128 km

Total

327 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land

50.7% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Arable Land

24% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Crops

0.6% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture

26.1% (2011 est.)

Forest

33.5% (2011 est.)

Other

15.8% (2011 est.)

Location

Western Europe, between France and Germany

Map References

Europe

Maritime Claims

none (landlocked)

Natural Hazards

occasional flooding

Natural Resources

iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land

Population Distribution

most people live in the south, on or near the border with France

Terrain

mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast

Age Structure

0 14 Years

16.74% (male 52,243 /female 49,183)

15 24 Years

12.06% (male 37,391 /female 35,650)

25 54 Years

44.18% (male 137,381 /female 130,252)

55 64 Years

11.9% (male 36,670 /female 35,442)

65 Years And Over

15.11% (male 41,002 /female 50,550) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

11.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

6.2% (2016)

Death Rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio

20.1 (2015 est.)

Potential Support Ratio

5 (2015 est.)

Total Dependency Ratio

43.6 (2015 est.)

Youth Dependency Ratio

23.5 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural

100% of population

Improved Total

100% of population

Improved Urban

100% of population

Unimproved Rural

0% of population

Unimproved Total

0% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

0% of population

Education Expenditures

3.9% of GDP (2015)

Ethnic Groups

Luxembourger 51.1%, Portuguese 15.7%, French 7.5%, Italian 3.6%, Belgian 3.3%, German 2.1%, Spanish 1.1%, British 1%, other 14.6% (2019 est.)

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.3% (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<100 (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

1,200 (2018 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

4.9 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female

3 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Luxembourgish (official administrative and judicial language and national language (spoken vernacular)) 55.8%, Portuguese 15.7%, French (official administrative, judicial, and legislative language) 12.1%, German (official administrative and judicial language) 3.1%, Italian 2.9%, English 2.1%, other 8.4% (2011 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female

85 years

Male

79.9 years

Total Population

82.4 years (2018 est.)

Major Urban Areas Population

120,000 LUXEMBOURG (capital) (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female

39.9 years

Male

38.7 years

Total

39.3 years (2018 est.)

Mother's Mean Age at First Birth

30.1 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

Adjective

Luxembourg

Noun

Luxembourger(s)

Net Migration Rate

14.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

22.6% (2016)

Physicians Density

3.03 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

605,764 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.9% (2018 est.)

Religions

Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 70.4%, Muslim 2.3%, other (includes Buddhist, folk religions, Hindu, Jewish) 0.5%, none 26.8% (2010 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural

98.5% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Total

97.6% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Urban

97.5% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Rural

1.5% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Total

2.4% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

2.5% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female

14 years (2016)

Male

14 years

Total

14 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years

1.06 male(s)/female

15 24 Years

1.05 male(s)/female

25 54 Years

1.05 male(s)/female

55 64 Years

1.03 male(s)/female

65 Years And Over

0.81 male(s)/female

At Birth

1.06 male(s)/female

Total Population

1.01 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.62 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female

13.2% (2017 est.)

Male

17.2%

Total

15.4%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization

1.55% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Urban Population

91.2% of total population (2019)

Administrative Divisions

12 cantons (cantons, singular - canton); Capellen, Clervaux, Diekirch, Echternach, Esch-sur-Alzette, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg, Mersch, Redange, Remich, Vianden, Wiltz

Capital

Daylight Saving Time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Geographic Coordinates

49 36 N, 6 07 E

Name

Luxembourg

Time Difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

Citizenship By Birth

limited to situations where the parents are either unknown, stateless, or when the nationality law of the parents' state of origin does not permit acquisition of citizenship by descent when the birth occurs outside of national territory

Citizenship By Descent Only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Luxembourg

Dual Citizenship Recognized

yes

Residency Requirement For Naturalization

7 years

Constitution

Amendments

proposed by the Chamber of Deputies or by the monarch to the Chamber; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Chamber in two successive readings three months apart; a referendum can be substituted for the second reading if approved by more than a quarter of the Chamber members or by 25,000 valid voters; adoption by referendum requires a majority of all valid voters; amended many times, last in 2009 (2016)

History

previous 1842 (heavily amended 1848, 1856); latest effective 17 October 1868

Country Name

Conventional Long Form

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Conventional Short Form

Luxembourg

Etymology

the name derives from the Celtic "lucilem" (little) and the German "burg" (castle or fortress) to produce the meaning of the "little castle"; the name is actually ironic, since for centuries the Fortress of Luxembourg was one of Europe's most formidable fortifications; the name passed to the surrounding city and then to the country itself

Local Long Form

Grand Duche de Luxembourg

Local Short Form

Luxembourg

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador James Randolph "Randy" EVANS (since 19 June 2018)

Embassy

22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City

Fax

[352] 46-14-01

Mailing Address

Unit 3560, APO AE 09126-3560 (official mail)

Telephone

[352] 46-01-23 00

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery

2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Sylvie LUCAS (since 16 September 2016)

Consulate's General

New York, San Francisco

Fax

[1] (202) 328-8270

Telephone

[1] (202) 265-4171

Executive Branch

Cabinet

Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister, appointed by the monarch

Chief Of State

Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981)

Elections Appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; following elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

Head Of Government

Prime Minister Xavier BETTEL (since 4 December 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Etienne SCHNEIDER (since 4 December 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Felix BRAZ (since 5 December 2018)

Flag Description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; the coloring is derived from the Grand Duke's coat of arms (a red lion on a white and blue striped field)

Government Type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

1839 (from the Netherlands)

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts

Supreme Court of Justice includes Court of Appeal and Court of Cassation (consists of 27 judges on 9 benches); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)

Judge Selection And Term Of Office

judges of both courts appointed by the monarch for life

Subordinate Courts

Court of Accounts; district and local tribunals and courts

Legal System

civil law system

Legislative Branch

Description

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - a 21-member Council of State appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies

Election Results

percent of vote by party - CSV 28.3%, LSAP 17.6%, DP 16.9%, Green Party 15.1%, ADR 8.3%, Pirate Party 6.4%, The Left 5.5%, other 1.9%; seats by party - CSV 21, DP 12, LSAP 10, Green Party 9, ADR 4, Pirate Party 2, The Left 2; composition - men 46, women 14, percent of women 23.3%

Elections

last held on 14 October 2018 (next to be held by October 2023)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music

Michel LENTZ/Jean-Antoine ZINNEN; Nikolaus WELTER/unknown

Name

"Ons Heemecht" (Our Motherland); "De Wilhelmus" (The William)

National Holiday

National Day (birthday of Grand Duke HENRI), 23 June; note - this date of birth is not the true date of birth for any of the Royals, but the national festivities were shifted in 1962 to allow observance during a more favorable time of year

National Symbol S

red, rampant lion; national colors: red, white, light blue

Political Parties And Leaders

Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR [Jean SCHOOS] Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Marc SPAUTZ] Democratic Party or DP [Corinne CAHEN] Green Party [Francoise FOLMER, Christian KMIOTEK] Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Claude HAAGEN] The Left (dei Lenk/la Gauche) [collective leadership, Central Committee] other minor parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agriculture Products

grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy and livestock products

Budget

Expenditures

26.8 billion (2017 est.)

Revenues

27.75 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

1.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2010

0%

31 December 2017

0%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016

1.98%

31 December 2017

1.9%

Current Account Balance

2016

$2.988 billion

2017

$3.112 billion

Debt External

31 March 2015

$3.806 trillion

31 March 2016

$3.781 trillion

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

2005

26

2013

30.4

Economy Overview

This small, stable, high-income economy has historically featured solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. Luxembourg, the only Grand Duchy in the world, is a landlocked country in northwestern Europe surrounded by Belgium, France, and Germany. Despite its small landmass and small population, Luxembourg is the fifth-wealthiest country in the world when measured on a gross domestic product (PPP) per capita basis. Luxembourg has one of the highest current account surpluses as a share of GDP in the euro zone, and it maintains a healthy budgetary position, with a 2017 surplus of 0.5% of GDP, and the lowest public debt level in the region.Since 2002, Luxembourg’s government has proactively implemented policies and programs to support economic diversification and to attract foreign direct investment. The government focused on key innovative industries that showed promise for supporting economic growth: logistics, information and communications technology (ICT); health technologies, including biotechnology and biomedical research; clean energy technologies, and more recently, space technology and financial services technologies. The economy has evolved and flourished, posting strong GDP growth of 3.4% in 2017, far outpacing the European average of 1.8%.Luxembourg remains a financial powerhouse – the financial sector accounts for more than 35% of GDP - because of the exponential growth of the investment fund sector through the launch and development of cross-border funds (UCITS) in the 1990s. Luxembourg is the world’s second-largest investment fund asset domicile, after the US, with $4 trillion of assets in custody in financial institutions.Luxembourg has lost some of its advantage as a favorable tax location because of OECD and EU pressure, as well as the "LuxLeaks" scandal, which revealed advantageous tax treatments offered to foreign corporations. In 2015, the government’s compliance with EU requirements to implement automatic exchange of tax information on savings accounts - thus ending banking secrecy - has constricted banking activity. Likewise, changes to the way EU members collect taxes from e-commerce has cut Luxembourg’s sales tax revenues, requiring the government to raise additional levies and to reduce some direct social benefits as part of the tax reform package of 2017. The tax reform package also included reductions in the corporate tax rate and increases in deductions for families, both intended to increase purchasing power and increase competitiveness.

Exchange Rates

2013

0.7634

2014

0.885

2015

0.9214

2016

0.903

2017

0.885

Currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exports

2016

$16.37 billion

2017

$15.99 billion

Exports Commodities

machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass

Exports Partners

Germany 25.6%, Belgium 17.6%, France 14%, Netherlands 5.1%, Italy 4.1%, UK 4.1% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services

230% (2017 est.)

Government Consumption

16.5% (2017 est.)

Household Consumption

30.2% (2017 est.)

Imports Of Goods And Services

-194% (2017 est.)

Investment In Fixed Capital

16.2% (2017 est.)

Investment In Inventories

1.1% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture

0.3% (2017 est.)

Industry

12.8% (2017 est.)

Services

86.9% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$62.53 billion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015

$104,600

2016

$105,400

2017

$105,100

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015

$58.9 billion

2016

$60.71 billion

2017

$62.11 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015

2.9%

2016

3.1%

2017

2.3%

Gross National Saving

2015

23.2% of GDP

2016

23% of GDP

2017

22.3% of GDP

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

Highest 10

23.8% (2000)

Lowest 10

3.5%

Imports

2016

$20.41 billion

2017

$20.66 billion

Imports Commodities

commercial aircraft, minerals, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs, luxury consumer goods

Imports Partners

Belgium 32%, Germany 24.9%, France 11.1%, US 5.7%, Netherlands 4.9% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

1.9% (2017 est.)

Industries

banking and financial services, construction, real estate services, iron, metals, and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation and logistics, chemicals, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism, biotechnology

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016

0%

2017

2.1%

Labor Force

282,800 (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture

1.1%

Industry

20%

Services

78.9% (2013 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

31 December 2013

$78.64 billion

31 December 2014

$63.17 billion

31 December 2015

$47.13 billion

Public Debt

2016

20.8% of GDP

2017

23% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016

$974 million

31 December 2017

$878 million

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016

$229.2 billion

31 December 2017

$275.6 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

NA

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

31 December 2008

$11.21 billion

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016

$109.9 billion

31 December 2017

$128.5 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016

$229.2 billion

31 December 2017

$275.6 billion

Taxes And Other Revenues

44.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016

6.3%

2017

5.8%

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

10.72 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

6.475 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

1.42 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

25% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

67% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

7.718 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

1.709 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

334.5 million kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

792.8 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

792.8 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

59,850 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

59,020 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

36 (2017 est.)

Total

212,900

Broadcast Media

Luxembourg has a long tradition of operating radio and TV services for pan-European audiences and is home to Europe's largest privately owned broadcast media group, the RTL Group, which operates 46 TV stations and 29 radio stations in Europe; also home to Europe's largest satellite operator, Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES); domestically, the RTL Group operates TV and radio networks; other domestic private radio and TV operators and French and German stations available; satellite and cable TV services available

Internet Country Code

.lu

Internet Users

Percent Of Population

97.5% (July 2016 est.)

Total

567,698

Telephone System

Domestic

fixed-line teledensity about 46 per 100 persons; nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones virtually saturated with 134 per 100 mobile-cellular (2018)

General Assessment

highly developed, completely automated and efficient system; by 2020 the government&rsquo;s program is to provide a 1Gb/s service to all citizens, and to make Luxembourg the first fully fibred country in Europe; new law requiring SIM cards be registered has slowed down growth for mobile subscribers; 5G launch by 2020 (2018)

International

country code - 352

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

46 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

275,300

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

134 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

794,000

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

Over 3 047 M

1 (2017)

Total

1 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

Total

1 (2013)

Under 914 M

1 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

LX (2016)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant Marine

By Type

bulk carrier 4, container ship 9, general cargo 6, oil tanker 2, other 131 (2018)

Total

152

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

6,309,473,324 mt-km (2015)

Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

1,830,972 (2015)

Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers

119 (2015)

Number Of Registered Air Carriers

3 (2015)

Pipelines

142 km gas, 27 km refined products (2013)

Ports And Terminals

Mertert (Moselle)

Railways

Standard Gauge

275 km 1.435-m gauge (275 km electrified) (2014)

Total

275 km (2014)

Roadways

2,875 km (2019)

Waterways

37 km (on Moselle River) (2010)

Military And Security Forces

Luxembourg Army (l'Arm&eacute;e Luxembourgeoise) (2019)

Military Expenditures

2015

0.44% of GDP

2016

0.4% of GDP

2017

0.52% of GDP

2018

0.51% of GDP

2019

0.56% of GDP

Military Service Age And Obligation

18-26 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2019)

Disputes International

none

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

83 (2018)