The Grand Duchy may be tiny but its dwellings, on average, are larger than in its European neighbours.
In 2017, the average dwelling in Luxembourg was 130 square metres, according to data from Statec. This figure places Luxembourg comfortably above the EU average of 91 square metres (as of 2012), but falls short of the generous 169 square metres that defined the average American dwelling in 2020, as per the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
In the United States, the land of spacious living, the average dwelling size shrinks to 115 square metres for households earning below $40,000 (€37,000) annually, a threshold generously set to define 'poor households'.
This stark contrast underscores the economic divide that permeates the American housing landscape. Apartments, on the other hand, averaged a more modest 86 square metres in 2020, dipping slightly to 79 square metres for households earning below $40,000.
| Country/Region | Average Dwelling Size (m²) | Average Dwelling Size for Lower-Income Households (m²) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 169 | 115 (Income below $40,000) |
| Luxembourg | 130 | 92 (Bottom quintile) |
| European Union | 91 | 77 (Bottom quintile) |
Luxembourg's housing landscape, while smaller on average than that of the United States, exhibits less disparity. Houses in Luxembourg averaged 166 square metres, offering less space than the average American house but still providing ample room. Apartments were almost identical in size to those in the US, averaging 85 square metres.
The poorest American households tend to have more people on average than European households. Nevertheless, the average poor American had more living space on average than the average citizen in every European nation apart from Luxembourg and Denmark, according to 2011 analysis by the Heritage Foundation.
Given the average dwelling size in both the US and Luxembourg has remained relatively stable over the past decade, this disparity likely still stands.
Regional comparison
When compared to the EU, Luxembourg's dwellings stand out for their larger size. Even for the bottom quintile, Luxembourg's average dwelling size of 92 square metres in 2012 outstripped the EU average of 77 square metres for the same income group.
Across the population as a whole, only Cyprus had a larger average dwelling size in 2012, at 141 square metres.
However, average dwellings for the poorest Luxembourgers were smaller than the equivalent in not only Cyprus, but also Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal and Spain.
These statistics not only reveal the differences in living spaces between Luxembourg, the US, and the EU, but also hint at broader socio-economic trends. Luxembourg, as one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the world, exhibits less disparity in housing sizes, potentially indicating more evenly distributed wealth.
Nonetheless, poorer Luxembourgers have smaller homes on average than a number of countries on both sides of the Atlantic.
