Map of Liechtenstein | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the German Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US that went into effect in 2003.


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Location: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Geographic coordinates: 47 16 N, 9 32 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 160 km²
Land: 160 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 75 km
Border countries: (2) Austria 34 km; Switzerland 41 km

Coastline: 0 km (doubly landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Elevation
Highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m
Lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m

Natural resources: hydroelectric potential, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 37.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 18.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.)
Forest: 43.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 19.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides

Geography
Note: along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation


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Population
Distribution: most of the population is found in the western half of the country along the Rhine River: 39,993 (2023 est.)
Note: immigrants make up 67% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)
Growth rate: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
Adjective: Liechtenstein

Ethnic groups: Liechtensteiner 65.6%, Swiss 9.6%, Austrian 5.8%, German 4.5%, Italian 3.1%, other 11.4% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent population by nationality

Languages: German 91.5% (official) (Alemannic is the main dialect), Italian 1.5%, Turkish 1.3%, Portuguese 1.1%, other 4.6% (2015 est.)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Roman Catholic (official) 73.4%, Protestant Reformed 6.3%, Muslim 5.9%, Christian Orthodox 1.3%, Lutheran 1.2%, other Protestant 0.7%, other Christian 0.3%, other 0.8%, none 7%, unspecified 3.3% (2015 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.27% (male 3,389/female 2,718)
15-64 years: 64.38% (male 12,800/female 12,947)
65 years and over: 20.35% (2023 est.) (male 3,738/female 4,401)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.2
Youth dependency ratio: 21.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.3
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021)

Median age
Total: 44.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 42.3 years
Female: 46 years

Population growth rate: 0.7% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 10.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: most of the population is found in the western half of the country along the Rhine River

Urbanization
Urban population: 14.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 5,000 VADUZ (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: some air pollution generated locally, some carried over from surrounding countries
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.05 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.02 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.25 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.25 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 31.3 years (2017)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 80.5 years
Female: 85.6 years

Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020)

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density: NA

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 14 years (2020)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
Conventional short form: Liechtenstein
Local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
Local short form: Liechtenstein
Etymology: named after the Liechtenstein dynasty that purchased and united the counties of Schellenburg and Vaduz and that was allowed by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1719 to rename the new property after their family; the name in German means "light (bright) stone"

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Vaduz
Geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 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
Etymology: may be a conflation from the Latin vallis (valley) and the High German diutisk (meaning "German") to produce Valdutsch ("German valley"), which over time simplified and came to refer specifically to Vaduz, the town

Administrative divisions: 11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz

Dependent areas

Independence: 23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire); 24 August 1866 (independence from the German Confederation)

National holiday: National Day, 15 August (1940); note - a National Day was originally established in 1940 to combine celebrations for the Feast of the Assumption (15 August) with those honoring the birthday of former Prince FRANZ JOSEF II (1906-1989) whose birth fell on 16 August; after the prince's death, National Day became the official national holiday by law in 1990

Constitution
History: previous 1862; latest adopted 5 October 1921
Amendments: proposed by Parliament, by the reigning prince (in the form of "Government" proposals), by petition of at least 1,500 qualified voters, or by at least four communes; passage requires unanimous approval of Parliament members in one sitting or three-quarters majority vote in two successive sittings; referendum required only if petitioned by at least 1,500 voters or by at least four communes; passage by referendum requires absolute majority of votes cast; amended many times, last in 2020

Legal system: civil law system influenced by Swiss, Austrian, and German law

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Liechtenstein; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Prince HANS-ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers on 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent and Regent of Liechtenstein Prince ALOIS (son of the monarch, born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS-ADAM II transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS-ADAM II retains status of chief of state
Head of government: Prime Minister Daniel RISCH; Deputy Prime Minister Sabine MONAUNI (both since 25 March 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in Parliament usually appointed the head of government by the monarch, and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch if there is a coalition government

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members directly elected in 2 multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 7 February 2021 (next to be held on 7 February 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 40%, VU 40%, FL 12%, DpL 8%; seats by party - FBP 10, VU 10, FL 3, DpL 2; composition - men 18, women 7, percent of women 28%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Supreme Court or Fürstlicher Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 5 judges and 5 substitutes); Constitutional Court or Staatsgerichtshof (consists of 5 judges, and 5 alternates)
Judge selection and term of office: judges of both courts elected by the Landtag and appointed by the monarch; Supreme Court judges serve 4-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed for renewable 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal (second instance), Regional Court (first instance), Administrative Court, Tribunal Court, district courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: CD, CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Georg SPARBER (since 1 December 2021)
In the us chancery: 2,900 K Street NW, Suite 602B, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 331-3,221
In the us email address and website:
From the us embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein; the US Ambassador to Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band; the colors may derive from the blue and red livery design used in the principality's household in the 18th century; the prince's crown was introduced in 1937 to distinguish the flag from that of Haiti

National symbols: princely hat (crown); national colors: blue, red

National anthem
Name: "Oben am jungen Rhein" (High Above the Young Rhine)
Lyrics/music: Jakob Joseph JAUCH/Josef FROMMELT
Note: adopted 1850, revised 1963; uses the tune of "God Save the King"

National heritage


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Economy overview: high-income European economy; Schengen Area participant; key European financial leader; integrated with Swiss economy and franc currency user; one of the highest GDP per capita countries; relies on US and Eurozone markets for exports

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7% (2014)
Industry: 41% (2014)
Services: 52% (2014)

Agriculture products: wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force: 38,520 (2015 est.) (2012)
Note: 51% of the labor force in Liechtenstein commute daily from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $995.3 million (2012 est.)
Expenditures: $890.4 million (2011 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 1.6% (of GDP) (2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 14.9% (of GDP) (2012 est.)

Public debt

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2017 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland
Commodities: small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products

Imports:
Note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland
Commodities: agricultural products, raw materials, energy products, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $0 (2015 est.)
Note: public external debt only; private external debt unavailable

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 10,980 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 49,264 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: relies on foreign terrestrial and satellite broadcasters for most broadcast media services; first Liechtenstein-based TV station established August 2008; Radio Liechtenstein operates multiple radio stations; a Swiss-based broadcaster operates one radio station in Liechtenstein

Internet
Country code: .li
Users total: 37,440 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 18,050 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces: no regular military forces; the National Police maintain internal security and report to the Department of Civil Defense

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HB

Airports

Heliports

Pipelines: 434.5 km gas (2018)

Railways
Total: 9 km (2018)
Standard gauge: 9 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (electrified)
Note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland

Roadways
Total: 630 km (2019)
Paved: (2019)

Waterways: 28 km (2010)

Merchant marine
Total: 20 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 16, general cargo 1, other 3 (includes Switzerland)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: has strengthened money laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated offshore financial services sector