Population census 2021 - Territorial distribution of the population: a new approach to Luxembourg by 1 km2 grid

STATEC continues its series presenting the results of the 2021 population census, with two new publications: the first on the territorial distribution of the population and a second, innovative one on the distribution according to a 1 km2 grid. This is the first time that STATEC has published statistics at such a fine geographical level.

Territorial distribution

On 8 November 2021, 643,941 inhabitants were enumerated in Luxembourg. The population is distributed very unevenly across Luxembourg. The southern part of the country, which is highly urbanised, is much more populated than the rural regions in the centre and north of the country.

At cantonal level, Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette are the most populous cantons, with 197,932 and 186,224 inhabitants respectively. They alone account for approximately 60% of the national population. The other cantons have fewer people, with shares of the total population varying between 8.0% in Capellen and 0.9% in Vianden.

At municipal level, Luxembourg City has by far the largest population with 128,097 inhabitants. Its residents represent about one fifth of the total population of the country. In contrast, the least populated communes are located outside the country's more urban areas. The least populated municipality is Saeul with 960 inhabitants, followed by Wahl (1,043), Putscheid (1,127), Grosbous (1,130), Kiischpelt (1,226) and Fischbach (1,256).

Immigration and gender distribution

On 8 November 2021, 339,890 people had Luxembourg nationality, while 304,051 people had another nationality. The population of Luxembourg is thus composed of 52.8% Luxembourgers and 47.2% people with a foreign nationality. The number of foreign nationals has grown rapidly since the end of the Second World War. Since 1961, the foreign population has risen from 13.2% to 47.2%. Following numerous naturalizations, the share of foreigners has stabilized in recent years.

See the map of the share of foreign people by municipality on the Statistics portal

At national level, the proportion of women (49.6%) is slightly lower than that of men (50.4%). The share of women in the Luxembourg population has long been higher than that of men. In 1981, women still represented 51.2% of the national population, whereas in 2011, this share was only 50.2%. In 2014, the proportion of men exceeded that of women. The share of men has thus been growing continuously for several decades, which can be explained by the surplus of male immigrants.

Map 1: Number of inhabitants per municipality on 08/11/2021

The distribution of the Luxembourg population according to a 1 km2 grid: a new representation of the demographic situation in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is subdivided into 2,795 cells of 1x1 km. This is the first time that STATEC has published statistics at such a fine geographical level.

Map 2: Population per 1 km2 grid in the 2021 population census

Luxembourg City and its surroundings, as well as the southwest of the country, are the most populated

The 643,941 inhabitants counted in the population census are not evenly distributed across Luxembourg. The one km2 cells in the southern part of the country, which are more urbanised, are much more densely populated than those in the rural regions of the centre and north. It should be noted that 41.5% of the cells are not inhabited at all. These are mainly agricultural and forest areas, where the construction of residential buildings is generally prohibited. In addition, the cells along the national borders are largely uninhabited.

Of the occupied cells, 48.0% are inhabited by 1 to 499 persons (in white). It can therefore be seen that an overwhelming majority of the territory (89.5%) is not at all or only sparsely populated. Only 7.9% of the squares are already more densely populated, with between 500 and 1,999 people per km2 (in beige).

The cells with more than 1,999 inhabitants are relatively rare and cover the most urban areas of the country. 2.0% of the cells are populated by 2,000 to 4,399 inhabitants (in light orange), 0.5% by 4,400 to 8,999 inhabitants (in dark orange) and only 0.1% by more than 8,999 inhabitants (in dark red).

It is in the City of Luxembourg and its surroundings, as well as in the former mining basin in the south and south-west of Luxembourg, that the cells of one km2 have the highest populations. The most densely populated cell is in the city of Luxembourg, with 14,663 inhabitants per km2. The second most populated cell is in the municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette, with 11,196 residents.

See the zoom on the cantons of Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette on the Statistics portal

Population census maps on the national geoportal

STATEC, in collaboration with the Administration du cadastre et de la topographie, will progressively offer the interactive maps with the results of the population census on the Luxembourg geoportal at the following address: https://map.geoportail.lu

Further results

In the coming months, various publications for the general public, but also for specialists in demographic issues, will be produced. At the same time, statistical tables on the various census topics will be published on the Statistics Portal.