Being a senior in Luxembourg

Senior Population

Population ageing is a trend that spares no region of the world and is particularly evident in Europe.

In this Europe with a significantly ageing population, Luxembourg initially appears to be an exception, with a very low proportion of people aged 65 and over: 14.7%.

However, concluding from this figure alone that Luxembourg is a young country would be a misleading interpretation. Indeed, this statistic does not signify robust birth rates but rather reflects a massive and continuous influx of working-age individuals attracted by the country's economic appeal. Consequently, the age pyramid presents a "mushroom" shape, with a relatively narrow base, a wide bulge in the middle (the working-age population), and a similarly broad top. This type of profile is characteristic of an overall ageing population, raising, in the long term, the issue of funding our social system and managing dependency. In short, Luxembourg remains young but is ageing quickly.

Graph 1: Population pyramid for Luxembourg in 2021 - Source : STATEC, RP2021 

The evolution of the absolute number of people aged 65 and over in the country clearly illustrates this trend, with a relative growth of 32% between 2011 and 2021.

The number of people aged 85 and over has seen even more significant growth, with an increase of +53.5%.

Centenarians, the "elders among the elders," have also experienced a dramatic rise of 35.8% between 2011 and 2021.

Additionally, it is in the country's main cities where the highest numbers of seniors are found: Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange, and Differdange, among others.

Nationality of Seniors

While most of the working population is of foreign nationality, seniors are predominantly Luxembourgish. Indeed, among residents aged 65 and over, 7 out of 10 are Luxembourgish, 1 out of 10 is Portuguese, and 2 out of 10 have another nationality (mainly Italian, French, or Belgian).

The Portuguese community constitutes the second most represented group in the country among the population aged 65 and over. Twenty-eight municipalities have a proportion of Portuguese seniors exceeding 10%. These are mainly located in the south and centre of the country. The highest rates are found in Larochette (where 35.2% of the elderly are Portuguese), Differdange (21.9%), and the Ernz Valley (21.8%).

The third most represented nationality among seniors in Luxembourg is italian, with a strong presence in the southern communes of the country, particularly in Differdange, Mondercange (7.4%), Sanem (7.2%), Hesperange (6.8%), and Esch-sur-Alzette (6.8%).

French seniors, with a proportion almost similar to italians at 4.3% of those aged 65 and over, are mainly located in the central agglomeration, particularly in Luxembourg City (8.1%) and Strassen (7.2%). 

Map 1. Nationalities of people aged 65 and over by municipality in 2021

There is also a growing trend towards multiculturalism: between 2011 and 2021, the proportion of seniors of Luxembourgish nationality significantly decreased, from 78.6% to 70.2%. During the same period, the proportion of French an Belgian nationals increased by 50%, the proportions of Italians and Germans slightly declined, while those of Portuguese and other nationalities doubled.

Data on the country of birth of senior citizens provides some nuances to this distribution. People aged 65 and over born in Luxembourg represent 59.7% of the senior population, ten points less than senior citizens of Luxembourg nationality. This figure can be explained by the fact that people born abroad obtain Luxembourg nationality.

Languages of Seniors

Data on the main language of seniors appear to be closely correlated with their country of birth. Indeed, 63.1% of people aged 65 and over have Luxembourgish as their main language, 10.3% speak Portuguese, and 8.9% speak French.

It is noteworthy that the lowest proportions of Luxembourgish speakers (as the main language) are found in the country’s main cities: in Luxembourg City, the proportion is 47.6%, in Esch-sur-Alzette it is 57.6%, and in Differdange 53.9%. Only the municipalities of Dudelange and Sanem have a higher proportion of senior citizens with Luxembourgish as their main language than the national average, at 67.3% and 70.4% respectively.

Figure 2: Main languages of seniors in 2021 by urban area - Source : STATEC, RP2021

Senior Employment

Luxembourg is one of the European countries with the lowest employment rate among those aged 55-64, with only 46.6% of this age group being in employment according to the 2021 census data, compared to an average of 61.3% in OECD member countries in 2022.

People aged between 65 and 84, who are therefore over the theoretical retirement age, are also over-represented in the retail and specialist sectors (accounting, legal, architecture, research and development). They are also over-represented in agriculture and real estate. In real estate, the activities allow for a more flexible pace of work. In agriculture, 4.5% of people aged 65 to 85 work in the sector, compared with around 1% of the working population as a whole. This shows how difficult it is for farmers to transfer or take over their farms.

Figure 3: Distribution of senior citizens' sectors of activity by age group in 2021 - Source : STATEC, RP2021

Additionally, there is a slight overrepresentation of those aged 50 and over in leadership roles, such as directors, executive managers, and administrators, who account for 8% of all active individuals in this age group, compared to 6% of the overall active workforce. This can be attributed to the level of seniority that is often expected in such positions.

Family Situation of Seniors

The marital status of residents in Luxembourg, across all ages, has significantly evolved over the past ten years, for both men and women. Within this general context, the situation of seniors presents certain specific characteristics.

Chart 4: Marital status of people aged 65 and over, by gender (years 2011 and 2021) - Source : STATEC, RP2021

The most significant trend among seniors between 2011 and 2021 concerns the proportion of divorced individuals, which has sharply increased, rising from approximately 6% to 11% for women and from around 6% to 10% for men.

It is also worth noting that the increase in the proportion of divorced seniors has not come at the expense of marriage, which, in contrast, has seen a slight increase: 56% in 2011 and 58% in 2021.

The 2021 census also reveals that nearly a quarter (23.6%) of those aged 65 and over report living alone, which is, in relative terms, more than double the rate observed among the population aged 15 to 64 (11.2%).

Seniors and Disability

Logically, disability increases with age: nearly a third (31.3%) of respondents aged 65 and over report having a disability, and this figure rises to nearly two-thirds (63.3%) among respondents aged 85 and over, compared to 11.6% of respondents under 65.

Figure 5: Percentage of respondents reporting a disability by age group in 2021

The age criterion also influences the types of disability declared, in the sense that their respective ‘progression’ is more or less linear, and some of them appear to be more specifically linked to ageing. For example, nearly half (47.8%) of those aged 65 and over who reported a disability indicate that they face mobility difficulties.

This also applies to hearing impairments (30.4% of respondents aged 65 and over) and, to some extent, to speech difficulties (18.8% of respondents aged 65 and over).

As for visual impairment, it is reported by 15.9% of respondents aged 65 and over.

Thus, Luxembourg, like all european countries, is witnessing its population ageing as life expectancy increases and the fertility rate declines.

This raises major challenges such as pension funding, maintaining the balance of health coverage, and managing dependency, all within a context of rising expenditures.

More results    

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

Why is the census important?

Census results are essential information for public policy decision-making.

Census data help to forecast needs for land use planning, schools, nurseries, hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, housing, etc.