Statistical information Luxembourg 1998

Luxembourg in the World
top of pageBackground: 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. Full independence was attained in 1867. 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 European Economic Community (later the European Union).
top of pageLocation: Western Europe, between France and Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 2,586 km²
Land: 2,586 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundariesTotal: 359 km
Border countries: (3) Belgium 148 km;
, France 73 km;
, Germany 138 kmCoastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle floodplain in the southeast
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
Extremes highest point: Burgplatz 559 m
Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)
Land useArable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 21%
Other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: landlocked
top of pagePopulation: 425,017 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 1.02% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Luxembourger(s)
Adjective: Luxembourg
Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)
Languages: Luxembourgian, German, French, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 18% (male 39,565; female 37,824)
15-64 years: 67% (male 145,060; female 139,628)
65 years and over: 15% (male 25,449; female 37,491) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 1.02% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 11.12 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 8.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: air and water pollution in urban areas
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 5.04 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 77.49 years
Male: 74.41 years
Female: 80.68 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (1980 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Conventional short form: Luxembourg
Local long form: Grand-Duche de Luxembourg
Local short form: Luxembourg
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Luxembourg
Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Dependent areasIndependence: 1839
National holiday: National Day, 23 June (1921) (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday)
Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branchChief of state: Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964); Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of Grand Duke JEAN, born 16 April 1955): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the sovereign, responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
Elections: none; the grand duke is a hereditary monarch; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the sovereign but are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 12 June 1994 (next to be held by June 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CSV 21, LSAP 17, DP 12, Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights 5, Greens 5
Note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed for life, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice or Cour Superieure de Justice, judges are appointed for life by the Grand Duke; Administrative Court or Tribunale Administratin, judges are appointed for life by the Grand Duke
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alphonse BERNS
In the us chancery: 2,200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-4,171
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-8,270
In the us consulates general: New York and San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Clay CONSTANTINOU
From the us embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2,535 Luxembourg City
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 9,126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9,500, APO AE 9,123 (personal mail)
From the us telephone: [352] 46 01 23
From the us fax: [352] 46 14 01
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; design was based on the flag of France
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The stable, prosperous economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified. During the past decades, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion of the economy. Luxembourg participates in an economic union with Belgium on trade and most financial matters, is also closely connected economically to the Netherlands, and, as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European market.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 3.6% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $33,700 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 5%
Industry: 21%
Services: 74% (1995)
Agriculture products: barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products
Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 213,100 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany)
By occupation trade restaurants hotels: 20%
By occupation quarrying manufacturing: 16%
By occupation othermarketservices: 18%
By occupation community social personalservices: 14%
By occupation construction: 11%
By occupation finance insurance realestate businessservices: 9%
By occupation transport storage communications: 8%
By occupation agriculture hunting forestry fishing: 1%
By occupation electricity gas water: 1% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.5% (1997)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $5.46 billion
Expenditures: $5.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products
Partners: Germany 28%, France 18%, Belgium 15%, UK 7%, Netherlands 5%
Imports: total value:$9.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
Commodoties: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods
Partners: Belgium 38%, Germany 25%, France 11%, Netherlands 4%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $NA
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1_37.459 (January 1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993; note_the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 138,000 kW (1995)
Production: 470 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 13,518 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 221,900 (1994 est.)
Telephone system: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
Domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
International: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $142 million (1995)
Percent of gdp: 0.8% (1995)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 2 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: petroleum products 48 km
RailwaysTotal: 275 km
Standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1995)
RoadwaysWaterways: 37 km; Moselle
Merchant marineTotal: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 775,336 GRT/1,028,012 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, container 3, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 5, passenger 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8 (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs