RTL Today - More and more residents emigrate: STATEC report shows rising emigration but continued population growth in Luxembourg

Recent data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) show that while Luxembourg continues to attract more people than it loses overall, emigration among Luxembourgers, Portuguese, French, and Italians has been steadily rising in recent years.

For nearly 25 years, Luxembourg nationals have recorded a negative migration balance, meaning that more citizens leave the country than move back. While the numbers were close to equilibrium in the early 2000s, recent years have seen the gap widen sharply.

According to the latest figures from STATEC, 1,830 Luxembourgers moved back to the Grand Duchy in 2024, but 3,346 left, representing the highest number of departures ever recorded.

Luxembourgers are not the only ones leaving in greater numbers. The Portuguese community, long the largest foreign population in Luxembourg, has also seen a growing wave of emigration.

Thousands of Portuguese leaving Luxembourg

The number of Portuguese nationals emigrating from Luxembourg has been steadily increasing since the 1990s. Like the Luxembourgers, this trend has accelerated in recent years. In 2010, around 1,600 Portuguese residents left the country. By 2024, that figure had almost doubled to 2,847.

Despite this, the migration balance for the Portuguese community remains positive, as more people continue to arrive (3,469 in 2024) than depart. However, immigration numbers have stagnated, and even declined slightly compared to 2010 (3,845 arrivals), as Luxembourg's rising housing costs and less attractive job market begin to discourage newcomers.

French and Italian departures also on the rise

The Italian community still records more arrivals (1,818) than departures (1,121), leaving a positive balance of 697. However, the number of Italians leaving Luxembourg has been steadily increasing, and the surplus has shrunk since 2020.

The same trend can be seen among French residents, whose departures have risen sharply over the years. In 2024, 2,230 French citizens left Luxembourg, more than double the number seen in the 2000s (1,086).

Overall migration balance remains positive

Despite these departures, Luxembourg's overall migration balance remains strongly positive, as the country continues to attract more newcomers than it loses. In 2024, immigration from other nationalities reached a record 13,830 arrivals, compared to 5,541 departures, resulting in a net increase of 8,289 residents.

The Portuguese and French nevertheless remain the largest groups settling in Luxembourg each year.