Over the past decade, Luxembourg has witnessed a remarkable surge in linguistic diversity, experiencing a 55% increase in the emergence of "new languages," Statec reports.

Substantial population growth and a substantial diversification in the Grand Duchy's linguistic fabric are notable hallmarks of the past decade - according to a recently published report by Statec, Luxembourg's national statistics institute.

Amid a 25.7% surge in population growth since the 2011 census, the country's linguistic profile has undergone a similarly profound transformation - including a minimal number of newcomers familiar with Luxembourgish.

While Luxembourgish is still spoken by nearly half of those who responded to the census - even experiencing a slight increase, rising from 265,731 to 275,361 - its actual prevalence dipped from 55.8% to 48.9%. Portuguese emerged as the second most spoken language, surpassing French, English, and Italian, closely followed by German. 52 small language communities emerged, indicative of Luxembourg's most recent waves of migration - each boasting over 100 speakers, including Arabic, Tigrigna, and Pular.

Patterns at home & work

Language usage patterns at home and in public spaces uncovered intriguing trends. Although Luxembourgish remains widely used, 'other languages' and English have notably increased by 55% and 27%, respectively. Luxembourgish continues to dominate both at home and in the workplace for half of the surveyed population. French is most prominent in school or work settings, while English exhibits a unique trend: it is primarily used in professional or academic environments.

While older citizens continue to predominantly speak Luxembourgish, the working-age population - particularly those aged 30 to 59 - now falls below the 50% mark in their use of Luxembourgish. This change correlates with a demonstrable increase in the foreign population over the past decade.

Growing divide

The recent data shows that a large group of immigrants, even after staying in Luxembourg for many years, do not regularly speak Luxembourgish. It should be noted that Statec's survey rule of picking just one language creates complications as choosing 'Luxembourgish language' doesn't always reflect actual language use.

While native Luxembourgish people primarily speak their native language, only a small percentage of foreign residents—4.9%—do so. Also, first-generation Luxembourgish citizens without native-born parents have significantly reduced their use of Luxembourgish as their main language, with the survey indicating a downward trend from 76.9% to 45.5% across the past ten years.

These results reveal a growing divide in language use: native speakers mostly use Luxembourgish, but foreigners typically don't, indicating a gradual decline in the language's use overall.

This situation may create difficulties for 'new Luxembourgish' individuals, who are citizens but don't make Luxembourgish their main language, affecting their integration and participation into Luxembourgish-speaking parts of society.

Multilingualism for inclusion

Statec's findings highlight the critical importance of Luxembourg's multilingualism and underscore the necessity of accepting and embracing its diverse linguistic landscape. Recognising and valuing this diversity are key to fostering inclusion and understanding within Luxembourg's vibrant and diverse community.

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Read also our various opinion articles on the matter:

Your Voice: Please don't heckle me for not speaking Luxembourgish

Alannah Meyrath: Why you should bother with the Luxembourgish language

Tom Weber: I'll admit it, we Luxembourgers are also rubbish at learning languages