STATEC’s census of 2021 shows that 304,501 foreigners were living in the Grand Duchy two years ago.
Almost every fifth resident (18%) has a different nationality than Luxembourgish, marking a significant increase from 2011, when this figure was only 5.2%.
6 out of 10 people living in Luxembourg have the Luxembourgish nationality or were born in Luxembourg. 13% of the inhabitants who were born in the Grand Duchy do not have the Luxembourgish nationality.
While the number of Luxembourgers grew by 16.5% in the last decade, this is only due to the fact that more people have accepted Luxembourgish citizenship since the reforms in 2008 and 2009 that simplified naturalisation. 50.7% of Luxembourgers received their nationality at birth.
The Portuguese community is the largest foreign population in Luxembourg, with 93,659 residents in 2021, or 30.8% of the total foreign population. They are followed by French (49,071 or 16.1% of the foreign population), and Italians (23,881 or 7.9%).
The evolution and growth in communities are reflected in geopolitical developments and crises: In 2011, for example, only 25 Syrians and 21 Eritreans lived in Luxembourg, in 2021 there were 2,688 and 1,725, respectively. The British community, on the other hand, has declined, which is also due to the fact that many English people have adopted Luxembourgish citizenship.
Around 180 different nationalities are represented in Luxembourg.
Of the 10 nationalities most represented in Luxembourg, the number of Germans increased the least and the number of Romanians the most. The Romanian community in this country increased by almost 300 percent, giving them a 1% total share of Luxembourg’s population in 2021.
Foreigners are on average 3.4 years younger than Luxembourgers, which is due to the fact that people come to Luxembourg primarily for work. Among Luxembourgers there are more women than men, amongst foreigners it is the other way around.
Fun fact: 28 people in Luxembourg had four different nationalities in 2021!
