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.

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N 6 10 E

Map reference: Europe

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

Land boundaries
Total: 327 km
Border countries: (3) Belgium 130 km; France 69 km; Germany 128 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 lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
Extremes highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 50.7%
Forest: 33.5%
Other: 15.8%

Irrigated land: NA

Total renewable water resources: 3.1 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Population: 570,252 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 174
Growth rate: 2.13% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 44
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Luxembourger
Adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups: Luxembourger 57% Portuguese 16.1% French 6.1% Italian 3.5% Belgian 3.3% German 2.4% British 1.1% other 10.5%
Note: represents composition by citizenship

Languages: Luxembourgish (official administrative language and national language (spoken vernacular)) 88.8% French (official administrative language) 4.2% Portuguese 2.3% German (official administrative language) 1.1% other 3.5% (2011 est.)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.93%
15-24 years: 12.28%
25-54 years: 44.37%
55-64 years: 11.51%
65 years and over: 14.91% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.7%
Youth dependency ratio: 23.6%
Elderly dependency ratio: 20.1%
Potential support ratio: 5%

Median age
Total: 39.2 years
Male: 38.6 years
Female: 39.9 years

Population growth rate: 2.13% (2015 est.)
Rank: 44

Birth rate: 11.37 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 173

Death rate: 7.24 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 122

Net migration rate: 17.16 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 3

Urbanization
Urban population: 90.2% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.71% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: LUXEMBOURG (capital) 107,000 (2014)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male/female
55-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.46 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.84 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.05 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 205

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.17 years
Male: 79.73 years
Female: 84.76 years
Rank: 12

Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 178

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 2.9 physicians/1000 population (2013)

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

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.8% (2014)
Rank: 50

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years

Country name
Conventional 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
Name: Luxembourg
Geographic coordinates: 49 36 N 6 07 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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

Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)

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 festivities were shifted 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI ; Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch born 11 November 1981)
Head of government: Prime Minister Xavier BETTEL ; Deputy Prime Minister Etienne SCHNEIDER (since 4 December 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister appointed by the monarch
Electionsappointments: 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

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes ; 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
Elections: last held on 20 October 2013
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
Highest court: Superior Court of Justice includes Court of Appeal and Court of Cassation ; Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)
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) 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Louis WOLZFELD
In the us chancery: 2,200 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 265-4,171 through 72
In the us FAX: [1] 328-8,270
In the us consulate general: New York San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Alison SHORTER-LAWRENCE
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 ; 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 colors: red white light blue

National anthem
Name: 'Ons Heemecht' ; 'De Wilhelmus' (The William)
Lyrics and music: Michel LENTZ/Jean-Antoine ZINNEN; Nikolaus WELTER/unknown
Note: 'Ons Heemecht' adopted 1864 is the national anthem while 'De Wilhelmus' adopted 1919 serves as a royal anthem for use when members of the grand ducal family enter or exit a ceremony in Luxembourg

Economy overview: This small stable high-income economy has historically featured solid growth low inflation and low unemployment. The industrial sector initially dominated by steel has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals machinery and equipment rubber automotive components and other products. The financial sector which accounts for about 36% of GDP is the leading sector in the economy. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 39% of its labor force. Luxembourg experienced uneven economic growth in the aftermath of the global economic crisis that began in late 2008. Luxembourg's GDP contracted 3.6% in 2009 rebounded in 2010-12 fell again in 2013 but recovered in 2014. Unemployment has remained below the EU average despite having increased from a historically-low rate of 4% in the 2000s to 7% in 2014. 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. 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 and the lowest public debt levels in the region. Luxembourg has lost some of its advantage as a favorable tax location because of OECD and EU pressure. In 2015 the government’s compliance with EU requirements to implement automatic exchange of tax information on savings accounts - thus ending banking secrecy - has depressed banking activity and dampened GDP growth. Likewise changes to the way EU members collect taxes from e-Commerce has cut Luxembourg’s tax revenues requiring the government to raise additional levies and to reduce some direct social benefits.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 108

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 123

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 2

Gross national saving:
Rank: 50

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 31.3%
Government consumption: 17.1%
Investment in fixed capital: 18.6%
Investment in inventories: 1.6%
Exports of goods and services: 174.5%
Imports of goods and services: -143.1%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.3%
Industry: 12%
Services: 87.7%

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2014 est.)
Rank: 144

Labor force: 253,600
Note: data exclude foreign workers; in addition to the figure for domestic labor force about 150,000 workers commute daily from France Belgium and Germany
Rank: 165
By occupation agriculture: 1.1%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 78.9%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 76

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.5%
Highest 10: 23.8%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 118

Budget
Revenues: $27.95 billion
Expenditures: $27.82 billion
Surplus or deficit: 0.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 35

Taxes and other revenues: 43.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 28

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds such as for retirement medical care and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Rank: 134

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 49

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Rank: 131

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 21

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 35

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 53

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 47

Current account balance:
Rank: 36

Exports:
Rank: 75
Commodities: machinery and equipment steel products chemicals rubber products glass
Partners: Germany 23.5% France 17% Belgium 16.2% Italy 5.6% Switzerland 4.4% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 70
Commodities: commercial aircraft minerals chemicals metals foodstuffs luxury consumer goods
Partners: Belgium 30.8% Germany 24.5% France 11.9% US 7.1% China 5.9% Netherlands 4.9% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 138

Debt external:
Rank: 7

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 2.211 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 136
Consumption: 6.37 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 106
Exports: 1.907 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 44
Imports: 6.889 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 35
Installed generating capacity: 1.74 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 112
Generation sources fossil fuels: 76.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 98
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 129
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 5.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 126
Generation sources other renewable sources: 17.9% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 16

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 193
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 146
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 84
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 158

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 166
Products consumption: 59,010 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 94
Products exports: 52 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 120
Products imports: 56,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 66

Natural gas
Production: 4 million m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 94
Consumption: 1.034 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 89
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 135
Imports: 1.03 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 60
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 162

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 11.69 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 99

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 270,000
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48
Fixed lines rank: 119
Mobile cellular total: 796,400
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 143
Mobile cellular rank: 162

Telephone system
General assessment: highly developed completely automated and efficient system mainly buried cables
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

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 (2008)

Internet
Country code: .lu
Users total: 530,400
Users percent of population: 95.0%
Users rank: 130

Military expenditures:
Rank: 123

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)

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

Heliports: 1 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 275 km
Standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 124

Roadways
Total: 2,899 km
Paved: 2,899 km (2011)
Rank: 168

Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2010)
Rank: 104

Merchant marine
Total: 49
By type: bulk carrier 2 cargo 3 chemical tanker 20 container 10 petroleum tanker 2 roll on/roll off 12
Foreign owned: 48
Registered in other countries: 18 (2010)
Rank: 71

Ports and terminals
River port: Mertert

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 81