Luxembourg

• 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

noun:

Luxembourger(s)

adjective:

Luxembourg

total:

39.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

39.4 years

female:

40.4 years

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.85 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

3.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

83.4 years (2024 est.)

male:

80.9 years

female:

85.9 years

total:

11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

4.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

21.1% (2020 est.)

male:

22.4% (2020 est.)

female:

19.8% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

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

urban population:

92.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

8.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

8.99 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.61 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

356,000 tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

100,997 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

28.4% (2015 est.)

municipal:

50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

1.6 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

1

global geoparks and regional networks:

Mëllerdall (2023)

conventional long form:

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

conventional short form:

Luxembourg

local long form:

Grand Duché de Luxembourg

local 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

name:

Luxembourg

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

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 city that grew around the fortress

• 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

history:

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

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 2020

chief of state:

Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000)

head of government:

Prime Minister Luc FRIEDEN (since 17 November 2023)

cabinet:

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

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

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)

elections:

last held on 8 October 2023 (next to be held by 31 October 2028)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - CSV 29.2%, LSAP 18.9%, DP 18.7%, ADR 9.3%, Green Party 8.6%, Pirate Party 6.7%, The Left 3.9%;
• seats by party - CSV 21, DP 14, LSAP 11, ADR 5, Green Party 4, Pirate Party 3, The Left 2;
• composition - men 40, women 20, percentage women 33.3%

note: a 21-member Council of State is appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister and serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies

highest court(s):

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

• Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR
• Christian Social People's Party or CSV
• Democratic Party or DP
• Green Party
• Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP
• Pirate Party
• The Left (dei Lenk/la Gauche)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nicole BINTNER-BAKSHIAN (since 15 August 2021)

chancery:

2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-4171

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-8270

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://washington.mae.lu/en.html

consulate(s) general:

New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Thomas M. BARRETT (since 10 February 2022)

embassy:

22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City

mailing address:

5380 Luxembourg Place, Washington DC 20521-5380

telephone:

[352] 46-01-23-00

FAX:

[352] 46-14-01

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://lu.usembassy.gov/

• 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)

name:

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

lyrics/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

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Luxembourg City Old Quarters and Fortifications

• high-income EU and eurozone economy;
• global, highly capitalized banking sector;
• one of highest GDP-per-capita countries;
• trending toward recovery after economic contraction from energy-driven inflation, reduced exports and investments, and financial sector weakness

Fitch rating:

AAA (1994)

Moody's rating:

Aaa (1989)

Standard & Poors rating: AAA (1994)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

0.2% (2023 est.)

industry:

10.5% (2023 est.)

services:

80.6% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

19% (2023 est.)

male:

15.7% (2023 est.)

female:

22.9% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2.8% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

24.6% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

consumption:

62,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

30.2 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

3,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

594.24 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

590.144 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• Luxembourg has a small telecom sector;
• there remains some pressure from regulatory measures, though no further reductions to fixed and mobile interconnection tariffs have been imposed through to 2024;
• high mobile penetration has slowed subscriber growth in the mobile market since 2005, though a recent law requiring SIM card registration has not had an adverse effect on the number of mobile subscribers despite network operators deactivating unregistered cards (2021)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity about 42 per 100 persons; 140 per 100 mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)

international:

country code - 352

• 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

number of registered air carriers:

4 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 66

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

2,099,102 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

7,323,040,000 (2018) mt-km

refugees (country of origin):

6,065 (Ukraine) (as of 11 August 2023)

stateless persons:

174 (2022)