A very small developed economy is obliged to open. Therefore, it undergoes very quickly and directly the effects - positive and negative - of global economy changes. During the last half-century, structural changes in the global economy were not only very deep, but they also occurred in an unprecedented rhythm. The globalization process has obviously challenged the foundations and structures of a very small space economy such as Luxembourg.
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06-13 Les autres industries manufacturières depuis 1960
For decades Luxembourg’s industry was marked by the overwhelming weight of the steel industry, to the point that it became fashionable to point out the dangers of the monolithic structure of the industry and to emphasize the need for industrial diversification, and even for greater diversification of the economy as a whole. In this article we leave aside the steel industry and spotlight what happened in the rest of manufacturing industry.
05-13 Le secteur bancaire au Luxembourg
The financial sector plays an important role in the Luxembourg economy and represents 21% of total value added of the economy in 2011. The financial sector includes not only commercial banks but also the central bank, the Undertakings for Collective Investment (UCI), their management companies, the Financial Investment Companies (SOPARFI), the former holding companies, financial auxiliaries apart from management companies (known by the acronym or PSF or professionals of the financial sector) and insurance. The banking sector is at the center of the financial universe as all other financial actors crucially need it to run and manage its financial flows. In addition to the UCIs, SOPARFI and holding companies do not employ their own staff and are often managed by banks. Management companies and PSF often belong to a banking group and it happens that PSF changes status to become a bank and vice versa according to the logic of their financial group. Only insurance have some independence from banks, especially the biggest ones. In this publication we will throw a light on the changes in the banking sector over the past 50 years, ever since the beginning until the climax recently reached before the current banking crisis.
04-13 L'essor du secteur de l'assurance au Luxembourg
From the first law regulating the insurance sector in 1853 to the second half of the 1980s, the Luxembourg insurance sector is essentially centered on the local market. With the creation of a legal framework for reinsurance companies in 1984 and then with the European directives establishing the European single insurance market, the sector expands gradually beyond the national frontiers. This orientation is highly successful and the insurance sector has become a main player of the financial sector in Luxembourg.
03-13 L'évolution de la structure des dépenses publiques depuis le milieu des années 1990
In absolute terms, general government expenditure (central government, local authorities, social security) is very high in Luxembourg, € 34 400 per capita against € 14 000 in the euro area on average in 2011. Relative to GDP, public spending in Luxembourg is however well below the European average: 42% of GDP in the Grand Duchy in 2011, against 50% of GDP in the euro area. With the crisis, as in other European countries, the share of public expenditure in GDP rose sharply in Luxembourg from 36.3% of GDP in 2007 to 44.6% in 2009, returning to 42% in 2011. This trend is largely the result of the GDP slump and not so much of increases in spending. The equilibrium of public finances is weakened by sluggish tax revenues following the economic downturn. Regarding the structure of public spending, benefits and social transfers in kind or in cash account for nearly half of public expenditure (47.3% in 2011) in Luxembourg, a percentage comparable to the average for the euro area (46.8% ). With 27.7%, the share of operating costs (remuneration and intermediate consumption) in total expenditure is below the European average (32.6%). Public investment in Luxembourg reached 9.1% of total public expenditures in 2011, almost double the corresponding share in the euro area (4.7%). Finally, the debt service is still very low: it is equivalent to a little more than 1% of total public expenditure in Luxembourg, but more than 6% in the euro area on average in 2011.
02-13 L'industrie sidérurgique luxembourgeoise depuis les années 60
During the sixties and until the first oil shock in 1973, economic growth and wealth of Luxembourg are created primarily by the steel industry. At the end of the steel crisis (1975), the financial sector takes over. Thus, the share of GDP generated by the steel industry shrinks from about 30% in 1960 to 12% in 1980, reaching just 2% in 2011. Today, its importance for economic growth and employment Luxembourg has decreased considerably. During the second half of the 20th century, the Luxembourg steel industry knows the disappearance of the last mining activity, a steel crisis that lasted ten years (1975-1985), accompanied by profound restructuring in employment, technology and production capacity and by institutional implications. Movements of acquisitions and mergers follow, and in 2006, the ArcelorMittal group is created. In 2011, this group is the largest steel producer in the world with a production of 100 million tonnes.
01-13 Les prélèvements obligatoires depuis les années 1960
The rate of compulsory contributions is higher nowadays than in the 1960s in all OECD countries, except the United States. In Luxembourg, compulsory contributions - taxes, social contributions of employees and employers - represented some 28% of GDP in the mid 1960s. Today, the rate reaches 37% in the Grand Duchy, against 34% on average in the OECD. However, this increase in the tax burden is concentrated within the period from the early 1970s to the mid 1980s. Since the rate of compulsory contributions has remained relatively stable. Regarding the structure of compulsory contributions, excise duties, VAT and registration tax have evolved with great dynamism in Luxembourg. The revenue from these taxes now account for over 30% of the total, against 20% at the beginning of the period. Labour taxation could be reduced in the Grand Duchy and is now among the lowest in Europe.
23-12 L'essor du secteur tertiaire au Luxembourg
Since the mid-1970s, service activities play a major role in the Luxembourgish economy. In general, service activities are growing faster than industrial or construction activities. Financial services as well as business services have contributed the most to the creation of national wealth. This tendency can also be observed in the growth of employment.
22-12 L'évolution économique globale du Luxembourg sur la longue durée
The term "Glorious Thirties", often used to characterize the economic development in post-war Europe to the first oil crisis in the mid-1970s, also applies to Luxembourg. The rate of GDP growth was around 4% (average annual growth) from 1960 to 1974. But unlike what happened in most other European countries, these "Glorious Thirties" were followed in Luxembourg, after the crisis years 1975-1985, by what might be called the "Splendid Twenties”. According to STATEC, the average annual growth, from the mid-1980s to 2007, reached 5.3% in the Grand Duchy whilst EU-15 only reached 2.3%. The recent economic crisis is reflected by a zero annual growth rate from 2008 to 2011.
21-12 Le comportement des Luxembourgeois face aux nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication depuis le début des années 60
During the last decade, the use of the new information and communication technologies has become a daily act to most of the people in Luxembourg. In 12 years, the part of households accessing Internet has increased from 25% to 93%. Mobile Internet is developing rapidly; if in 2005, 26% of the users accessed Internet using a mobile phone, this part was 44% in 2010.
20-12 Les entreprises prises dans la toile
At the turn of the 21st century, the Internet was still considered a rather « new » information and communication technology (ICT). Nowadays, nearly all of the Luxembourgish businesses are connected to the web, while the mobile use of the Internet is becoming increasingly popular. This gives businesses unprecedented methods of interacting with their staff as well as their customers. These will be analysed in more detail in this ten-year retrospective on ICT usage statistics by enterprises of at least ten employees.
19-12 Le comportement touristique depuis le milieu des années 80
People living in Luxembourg make more and more holiday trips. In 1985, 58% of the population aged 15 years and more made at least one leisure trip, this part reached 80% in 2011. Trips have become shorter. Favourite destinations, means of transport and types of accommodation remained quite unchanged over time. It is the organization of trips that has changed the most. Over the years, the Internet has become an indispensable source for Luxembourg consumers wishing to prepare and/or book a holiday trip.
18-12 Les performances environnementales du Luxembourg
The environmental performances of Luxembourg are constantly improved: the consumption intensities of energy, water and basic resources have been reduced such as the air emissions intensity and the intensity of non-recycled waste production.
17-12 Caractéristiques du parc automobile de 1962 à 2012
Like Luxembourg’s society, road mobility in the Grand Duchy has strongly changed over the last half-century. Since the post-war epoch, the long period of peace and a social climate beneficial for consumption, the automobile became the principal transportation mode for people and goods. It revolutionized the habits of individuals and was the basis for the economic development of the country. In addition, it contributed to amplification of tourist travel and the foreign cultural exchange. But the individual transport does not only compete with the public transport. It raises also issues such as the financial and human cost of road accidents, the lack of oil or emissions of pollutants contributing to a large extent to the climate change.
16-12 La localisation des productions agricoles en 1962 et 2009: une comparaison des cantons luxembourgeois
As noted by STATEC, since the 50s the “proximity” of agricultural production has no reason to be: reinforcement of rural exodus and infrastructure development have led to fewer farms. Just like its neighbors in the European Union, Luxembourg adjusted to demand and to a changing environment: the loss of farmers, an utilized agricultural area that is growing, pastures and fodder plants increase due to a growing cattle.
15-12 Retour sur un demi-siècle d'inflation
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, STATEC looks back on half a century of inflation figures. Today, inflation is much lower than in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At that time, the successive oil shocks had boosted inflation in Luxembourg as in most industrialized countries. To this was added the crisis in the steel industry that has slowed down growth, creating years of "stagflation”. Since the 1990s, prices appear to be largely under control, with an average inflation rate of 2.2% over the past 20 years.
14-12 Evolution de l'enseignement depuis 1960
Luxembourg’s society changed profoundly in the course of the 5 last decades. Education reflects these changes in several respects. The number of pupils increased in a spectacular way, by passing from 48 000 to 85 000 in 50 years. The part of foreign pupils increased rapidly: it attains 48 % in fundamental level schools and 35 % in secondary schools today. The parity between boys and girls has been attained in secondary education, while the percentage of girls was only 36 % in 1960. The international schools occupy an increasing place in Luxembourg’s school landscape. Secondary education became accessible to a larger proportion of young people, and the number of students in higher education evolved very favourably. Finally, the number of teachers went up by 80 % since 1995.
13-12 50 ans de mariages et de divorces
The number of marriages is declining. They passed from 2236 in 1960 to 1714 in 2011. Conversely, the number of divorces increased strongly passing from 153 in 1960 to 1275 in 2011. Marriages between Luxemburgish people represent today less than half of the marriages, compared to 70% at the beginning of the period. The divorce rate (number of divorces divided by the population) has evolved from 0.5‰ in 1960 to 2.4‰ in 1997, a level that remains almost stable until 2011 (2.5‰).
11-12 50 ans de migrations
In the long term, the crude rate of net migration (net migration divided by the population) in Luxembourg exceeds that of Europe and of our neighbors: 7.5‰ in average per year in Luxembourg over the last fifty years, against 1.1‰ in the EU-27, 1.8‰ in Belgium and France, 2‰ in Germany. The number of foreigners living in Luxembourg, which was 41 500 in 1961, reached 220 500 in 2011. Their share in the total population passed from 13% in 1961 to 43% in 2011.
09-12 L'évolution des exploitations agricoles au Luxembourg depuis les années 60
During the last 50 years, the restructuring process of Luxembourg’s agriculture has intensified. As the natural and economic conditions in Luxembourg do not allow specialization in crop production, Luxembourg’s agriculture is facing animal production. It has evolved into a general increase in herbivores and cattle production (37,000 animals) in particular. In contrast, over the same period, the pig production and the poultry farming have declined by some 36,000 and 330,000 animals respectively. Since the early eighties, organic agriculture has diversified Luxemburg’s agricultural landscape which now registers over a hundred organic producers.
09-12 L'évolution des exploitations agricoles au Luxembourg depuis les années 60
During the second half of the 20th century, Luxembourgish agriculture is, like all European agriculture, in a deep restructuring process. During this period, Luxembourg’s agriculture is marked amongst others by the disappearance of 8,000 farms, a regression of the utilized agricultural area (UAA) of 6000 ha. A process of concentration of farms and increasing productivity has been triggered. From 1962 to 2009, the number of farms over 50 ha has increased sixfold. During the same period, their average size increased from 64 ha to 104 ha.
08-12 Les mutations structurelles des importations de biens et de services
Between 1960 and 2010, the import structure has changed significantly. As for exports, the goods have dominated at the beginning of the period, but since 1999 the value of imports of services exceeds that of imports of goods. Germany is by far the largest supplier of goods and services. However when considering separately goods and services, Belgium is the first country of supply for goods, while for services it is Germany that is ahead of Switzerland, the UK and France, Belgium arriving only in fifth position.
07-12 Les mutations structurelles des exportations de biens et de services
In recent decades, the structure of Luxembourg exports of goods and services has changed dramatically. Thus the range of exported products has expanded substantially. Moreover, financial services have become by far the main product group (32 billion euros in 2010) followed by business services (6.1 billion) and metals (3.2 billion). Since 2003, the total value of exports of non-financial services exceeds that of exports of goods.
06-12 L'excédent strucrurel de la balance courante
Traditionally the current account of Luxembourg shows a surplus. Luxembourg is thus the only OECD country to record a surplus almost constant (except a very small deficit in 1964) over half a century. With Norway and Switzerland, Luxembourg is also one of the few countries that has emerged over a longer period a large surplus (above 10% of GDP). Between 1960 and 1975 the surplus is generated mainly by trade in goods and the strong fluctuations (between 0% and 25%) are essentially dictated by the steel cycle. Subsequently trade in services is the dominant contributor to the positive current account.
05-12 L'évolution du revenu des ménages depuis le milieu des années 80
The strong economic growth experienced by Luxembourg since the mid-80s, especially during the periods 1985-1991 and 1997-2000, resulted in a significant increase in household disposable income. Nowadays, the income of the Luxembourgish households is among the highest in Europe, although, like what is happening in most other developed countries, poverty has increased and inequality has worsened between households. The widening income inequality, however, is partly offset by the mechanisms of social transfers (pensions and various benefits) to households.
04-12 Les mutations de l'emploi de 1960 à 2010
Between 1960 and 2010, total employment in Luxembourg has nearly been tripled. The real boom has taken place between 1986 and 2008, due to the massive arrival of cross-border commuters. Their share has increased from 3% in 1961 to 44% in 2010. Virtually half of the cross-border commuters come from France. The share of workers having the Luxembourgish citizenship has decreased from 79% in 1961 to 29% in 2010. Employment in service activities has strongly increased, while industrial employment has slightly decreased. In 2010, self-employed workers represent only 6% of total employment, as compared to 28% in 1960.
03-12 50 ans d'accidents de la circulation
Despite some fluctuations observed from one year to another, the long term evolution shows a decrease of accidents with injury since the mid-70st: in 1975, 1,866 accidents were recorded against 962 in 2011, representing a decrease of 48%. Over the same period, the number of registered road vehicles in Luxembourg has nearly quadrupled. Since 2000, the number of road accidents with injury has fallen below 1000.
02-12 Depuis plus de 50 ans, le tissu économique luxembourgeois et les questions de politiques internationales façonnent le mix énergétique du pays
Over the 50 last years, Luxembourg remained very depend (96%) on the imports for his energy supply. This astonishing stability hides, however, profound changes of the economic structure (disappearance of the blast furnaces, growing importance of transport) and the energy mix of the country (transition from coal to oil). The present publication from Statec aims, through the study of the energy statistics from 1960 to 2010, to stress the importance of Luxembourg economic fabric and international policies questions like determinants of the national energy mix.
01-12 La consommation des ménages depuis les années 60
Changes in lifestyle (consumer society, technological progress, changes in the labor market ...) over the last 45 years (1964-2009) have had a substantial impact on the structure of household budgets: the share of expenditures on food and clothing were reduced in favor of all other categories of goods and services except household furnishings and equipment which are growing at the same rate as total consumption. However, these changes are much more important in the poorest households than for the wealthier ones.