Map of Luxembourg | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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. 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) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. In January 2013 Luxembourg assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.


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Location: Western Europe between France and Germany

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N 6 10 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 179
Land: 2,586 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries
Border countries: (3) Belgium 148 km; France 73 km; Germany 138 km

Coastline: 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 flood plain in the southeast

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m

Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited) arable land

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.58%
Other: 75.52% (includes Belgium) (2011)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 3.1 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world


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Population: 520,672 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 174
Growth rate: 1.12% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 109
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups: Luxembourger 63.1% Portuguese 13.3% French 4.5% Italian 4.3% German 2.3% other EU 7.3% other 5.2% (2000 census)

Languages: Luxembourgish (official administrative language and national language (spoken vernacular)) French (official administrative language) German (official administrative language)

Religions: Roman Catholic 87% other (includes Protestant Jewish and Muslim) 13% (2000)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 12.7% (male 33,657/female 32,212)
25-54 years: 42.1% (male 109,528/female 109,662)
55-64 years: 12% (male 31,076/female 31,212)
65 years and over: 15.2% (male 33,892/female 46,365) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 25.6 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 21 %
Potential support ratio: 4.8 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 38.5 years
Female: 40.7 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.12% (2014 est.)
Rank: 109

Birth rate: 11.75 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 169

Death rate: 8.53 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 76

Net migration rate: 7.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 17

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.62% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: LUXEMBOURG (capital) 94,000 (2011)

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas soil pollution of farmland
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.2

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 193
Male: 4.32 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.24 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 36
Male: 76.77 years
Female: 83.46 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 158

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 2.78 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 5.4 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 98
People living with hivaids: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 148
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 144

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 26% (2008)
Rank: 50

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2001)
Rank: 118

Literacy
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years (2010)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Luxembourg
Local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg
Local short form: Luxembourg

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 49 36 N 6 07 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch Grevenmacher Luxembourg

Dependent areas

Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day (birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896 but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year

Constitution: previous 1842 (heavily amended 1848 1856); latest effective 17 October 1968; amended many times last in 2008 (2008)

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Xavier BETTEL (since 4 December 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Etienne SCHNEIDER (since 4 December 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch; the prime minister and deputy prime minister are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 20 October 2013 (next to be held by June 2018)
Election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 33.7% LSAP 20.3% DP 18.3% Green Party 10.1% ADR 6.6% The Left 4.5% other 6.1%; seats by party - CSV 23 LSAP 13 DP 13 Green Party 6 ADR 3 The Left 2

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: judges of both courts appointed by the monarch for life
Subordinate courts: district and local tribunals and courts

Political parties and leaders:

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) 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 UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNRWA UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,200 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-4,171 through 72
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-8,270
In the us consulate general: New York San Francisco
From the us embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais L-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; the coloring is derived from the Grand Duke's coat of arms (a red lion on a white and blue striped field)

National symbols: lion

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Michel LENTZ/Jean-Antoine ZINNEN; Nikolaus WELTER/unknown

National heritage


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Economy overview: This small stable high-income economy - benefiting from its proximity to France Belgium and Germany - has historically featured solid growth low inflation and low unemployment. The industrial sector initially dominated by steel has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals rubber automobile components and other products. Growth in the financial sector which now accounts for about 36% of GDP has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings but Luxembourg has lost some of its advantages as a favorable tax location because of OECD and EU pressure. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 40% of its labor force. Luxembourg like all EU members suffered from the global economic crisis that began in late 2008 but unemployment has trended below the EU average. Following strong expansion from 2004 to 2007 Luxembourg's economy contracted 3.6% in 2009 but rebounded in 2010-11 before slowing again in 2012. The country continues to enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks among the highest in the world and is the highest in the euro zone. Turmoil in the world financial markets and lower global demand during 2008-09 prompted the government to inject capital into the banking sector and implement stimulus measures to boost the economy. Government stimulus measures and support for the banking sector however led to a 5% government budget deficit in 2009. Nevertheless the deficit was cut to 1.1% in 2011 and 0.9% in 2012. Even during the financial crisis and recovery Luxembourg retained the highest current account surplus as a share of GDP in the euro zone owing largely to their strength in financial services. Public debt remains among the lowest of the region although it has more than doubled since 2007 as percentage of GDP. Luxembourg's economy while stabile grew slowly in 2012 due to ongoing weak growth in the euro area. Authorities have strengthened supervision of domestic banks because of their exposure to the activities of foreign banks.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 103

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 187

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 6

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 17.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 22.2%
Investment in inventories: -2.4%
Exports of goods and services: 170.5%
Imports of goods and services: -140.1%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 13.3%
Services: 86.4% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: grapes barley oats potatoes wheat fruits; dairy and livestock products

Industries: banking and financial services iron and steel information technology telecommunications cargo transportation food processing chemicals metal products engineering tires glass aluminum tourism biotechnology logistics

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2013 est.)
Rank: 177

Labor force: 208,800
Rank: 168
By occupation industry: 19.4%
By occupation services: 79.4% (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate: 6.1% (2012 est.)
Rank: 44

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 23.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26 (2005)
Rank: 134

Budget
Expenditures: $24.94 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 78

Taxes and other revenues: 39.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 46

Public debt: 20.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 133

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2012 est.)
Rank: 62

Central bank discount rate: 1.5% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 120

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money: $89.87 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 38

Stock of broad money: $238.2 billion
Rank: 36

Stock of domestic credit: $97.39 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 51

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 43

Current account balance: $3.428 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 37

Exports: $15.93 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 77
Commodities: machinery and equipment steel products chemicals rubber products glass
Partners: Germany 21.5% France 15.5% Belgium 14.5% UK 5.8% Italy 5.6% Switzerland 4.7% (2012)

Imports: $23.78 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 75
Commodities: minerals metals foodstuffs quality consumer goods
Partners: Belgium 30.6% Germany 23.6% France 10.4% US 8.3% China 7.2% Netherlands 5.1% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.014 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 135

Debt external: $2.084 trillion (31 December 2011)
Rank: 7

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 2.07 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 134
Consumption: 6.445 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 103
Exports: 2.623 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 38
Imports: 6.684 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 33
Installed generating capacity: 1.723 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 108
Generation sources fossil fuels: 28.3% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 183
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 128
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 138
Generation sources other renewable sources: 5.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 39

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 190
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 145
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 83
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 157

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 166
Products consumption: 61,380 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 93
Products exports: 52 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 120
Products imports: 56,780 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 64

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 157
Consumption: 1.364 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 85
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 138
Imports: 1.206 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 53
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 162

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 11.87 million Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 266,700 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 122
Mobile cellular: 761,300 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 161

Telephone system
Domestic: fixed line teledensity over 50 per 100 persons; nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones virtually saturated
International: country code - 352 (2010)

Broadcast media: Luxembourg has a long tradition of operating radio and TV services to 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 (2008)

Internet
Country code: .lu
Hosts: 250,900 (2012)
Hosts rank: 68
Users: 424,500 (2009)
Users rank: 121

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 123

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 202
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 142 km; refined products 27 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 123
Standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 167
Paved: 2,899 km (includes 152 km of expressways) (2011)

Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2010)
Rank: 105

Merchant marine
Rank: 71
By type: bulk carrier 2 cargo 3 chemical tanker 20 container 10 petroleum tanker 2 roll on/roll off 12
Foreign owned: 48 (Belgium 11 Denmark 1 France 15 Germany 9 Japan 3 Netherlands 3 Switzerland 1 UK 5)
Registered in other countries: 18 (Italy 14 Malta 3 Panama 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs