2021 Census: 49.3% of Luxembourg Population Born Abroad

Luxembourg's national statistical institute, STATEC, has presented the latest results of the 2021 census, which reveal information about foreign residents and the migration background of the Luxembourg population.

According to these figures, 49.3% of the population was born abroad, whilst 47.2% of the population did not have Luxembourgish nationality in 2021.

Among people born in Luxembourg, the figures distinguish between those with two parents born in Luxembourg and those with at least one parent born abroad and who therefore have an indirect migration history. 26.3% of the population was found to have no migration background (according to the aforementioned criteria); these were Luxembourgers born in Luxembourg to two parents who were also born in Luxembourg. 73.7% of the population had a direct or indirect migration history.

Concerning nationality, data from the 2021 census showed that 52.8% of respondents had Luxembourgish nationality, while 38.2% had a "main" nationality from another EU Member State. Among the latter, the most common foreign nationalities were Portuguese (14.5% of the population), followed by French (7.6%), Belgian (3.1%) and German (2.0%). Citizens of other European countries made up 2.7% of the population, while non-Europeans represented 6.3%.

Moreover, Luxembourgers born in Luxembourg represented 44.1% of the population, while 5.1% of residents were born in another EU Member State and 1.3% were born in other European countries.

In total, during the 2021 census, 70,825 respondents indicated having obtained Luxembourgish nationality through naturalisation, thus representing 20.8% of the population with Luxembourgish nationality. Most of these naturalised citizens (i.e. 50,205 people) acquired their nationality between 2002 and 2021, a period marked by several reforms to the naturalisation law.

According to STATEC, the 2017 reform immediately led to an immediate increase in naturalisations. The number of acquisitions of Luxembourgish nationality increased by more than 50% that year compared to 2016. Furthermore, the number of people obtaining Luxembourgish nationality more than doubled in subsequent years, particularly in 2018 and 2019, compared to the 2016 figures.

Almost half of naturalised Luxembourgers (i.e. 44.1%) were born in the Grand Duchy. The rest mainly includes people born in Portugal (8.3%), former Yugoslavia (6.5%), France (6.1%), Belgium (5.3%) and Germany (5.1%).

In Luxembourg in 2021, 10.9% of the population held several nationalities. Among residents, 10.5% had two nationalities, while 0.4% had three or more. STATEC noted that 80.4% of foreign residents had another EU nationality, thus allowing them to stay in Luxembourg without a visa and enjoy equal rights as in other EU countries.