Credit: Statec
On the occasion of International Day for Older Persons 2019 (1 October), Statec has gathered statistics on people aged 60 and over; a report by the national statistical agency has revealed that people aged 60 and over represent 19.8% of the total population in Luxembourg.
As of 1 January 2019, Luxembourg was home to 121,759 people aged 60 and over, thus representing 19.8% of the total population. The oldest person at the time was an 111-year-old man. Similarly, on 1 January, an older woman celebrated her 110th birthday.
Since the 2011 census, the number of people aged 60 and over has increased only slightly, from 19.1% to 19.8% of the total population. It is thanks to the strong immigration of mostly young people that the Luxembourg population is aging much less rapidly than in other EU member states. Indeed, older people represented 26% of the EU-28 population as of 1 January.
The share of older people varies from municipality to municipality: 12.7% in Fischbach compared to 30.1% in Mondorf-les-Bains. The highest concentrations of older people were observed in municipalities with one or more retirement homes, such as Mondorf-les-Bains, Remich, Niederanven and Echternach, among others.
Among those aged 60 and over, women made up the majority (53.1%). This predominance of women was more pronounced in the Luxembourgish population (54.8%) than in the foreign population (50.1%). Overall, 68.7% of older people were Luxembourgers (83,615), compared to 31.3% who were foreign nationals (38,144).
Concerning life expectancy at birth, women were expected to reach 84.5 years whilst men could expect to reach 80 years. These figures are from 2017 and have increased by 10 years for men and 7.8 years for women since the mid-1980s.
In addition, 61.2% of older people were married as of 1 January 2019, while just over one fifth (20.3%) were widowed. On the one hand, the number of divorcees has increased significantly over time: 1.3% in 1981 against 11.0% in 2019. On the other hand, the number of widows or widowers decreased sharply (35.2% in 1981).
Regarding employment, 40% of the 55 to 64 age group continued working in 2018. Nevertheless, only one in ten people over the age of 60 was still active in the Luxembourg labour market. Older people were found to spend an average of €3,902 per month, not including an average annual expenditure of €3,500 on holidays.
Whilst 51% of people aged 60 and over said they were in good or very good health, one in five were found to be obese. 14% said they smoked (11% every day and 3% occasionally). The average was 15 cigarettes per day (compared to the national average of 14). Moreover, 58% of older people said they consumed alcohol more than once a week.
Finally, 86% of 60-74 year olds said they used the internet in the three months preceding the survey. They almost all connected outside of work and home (84%).
