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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

230,000 (1993 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

279,736 (1997)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

5 (1997)

Televisions [time series]

100,500 (1993 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture--products) [time series]

barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products

Budget [time series]

revenues: $5.46 billion expenditures: $5.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes; note--centimes no longer in use

Debt - external (Debt--external) [time series]

$NA

Economic aid (Economic aid--donor) [time series]

ODA, $65 million (1995)

Economic overview (Economy--overview) [time series]

The stable, prosperous economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified. During the past decades, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion of the economy. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and financial ties to Belgium and the Netherlands, and as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European market. It joined with 10 other EU members to launch the euro on 1 January 1999.

Electricity - consumption (Electricity--consumption) [time series]

5.381 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - exports (Electricity--exports) [time series]

800 million kWh (1996)

Electricity - imports (Electricity--imports) [time series]

5.8 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity - production (Electricity--production) [time series]

1.158 billion kWh (1997)

Electricity - production by source (Electricity--production by source) [time series]

fossil fuel: 90.12% hydro: 9.88% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Exchange rates [time series]

Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1--34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994); note--the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 40.3399 francs per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Exports [time series]

$7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996)

Exports - commodities (Exports--commodities) [time series]

finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products

Exports - partners (Exports--partners) [time series]

Germany 28%, France 18%, Belgium 15%, UK 7%, Netherlands 5%

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity--$13.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP--composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 1% industry: 22% services: 77% (1998 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP--per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity?$32,700 (1998 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP--real growth rate) [time series]

2.9% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$9.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)

Imports - commodities (Imports--commodities) [time series]

minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods

Imports - partners (Imports--partners) [time series]

Belgium 38%, Germany 25%, France 11%, Netherlands 4%

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3.3% (1995 est.)

Industries [time series]

banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.4% (1998)

Labor force [time series]

226,500 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany) (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation (Labor force--by occupation) [time series]

services 83.2%, industry 14.3%, agriculture 2.5% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

3% (1998 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative (Area--comparative) [time series]

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Climate [time series]

modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Moselle River 133 m highest point: Burgplatz 559 m

Environment - current issues (Environment--current issues) [time series]

air and water pollution in urban areas

International environmental agreements (Environment--international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

49 45 N, 6 10 E

Geography - note (Geography--note) [time series]

landlocked

Irrigated land [time series]

10 sq km (including Belgium (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 359 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 21% other: 34%

Location [time series]

Western Europe, between France and Germany

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

Natural resources [time series]

iron ore (no longer exploited)

Terrain [time series]

mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle floodplain in the southeast

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

Capital [time series]

Luxembourg

Constitution [time series]

17 October 1868, occasional revisions

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand-Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marie MURRAY embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail)

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964); Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of the monarch, born 16 April 1955) head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch, responsible to the Chamber of Deputies elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch but are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France

Government type [time series]

constitutional monarchy

Independence [time series]

1839 (from the Netherlands)

International organization participation [time series]

ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Superior Court of Justice or Cour Superieure de Justice, judges are appointed for life by the monarch; Administrative Court or Tribunale Administratin, judges are appointed for life by the monarch

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 12 June 1994 (next to be held by 13 June 1999) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--CSV 21, LSAP 17, DP 12, Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights 5, Greens 5 note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed for life, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies

National holiday [time series]

National Day, 23 June (1921) (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Christian Social People's Party or

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

group of steel companies representing iron and steel industry; Centrale Paysanne representing agricultural producers; Christian and Socialist labor unions; Federation of Industrialists; Artisans and Shopkeepers Federation

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army, National Gendarmerie

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures--dollar figure) [time series]

$124 million (FY97)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures--percent of GDP) [time series]

0.8% (1995)

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower--availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 108,285 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower--fit for military service) [time series]

males age 15-49: 88,813 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower--military age) [time series]

19 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower--reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 2,452 (1999 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 18% (male 39,701; female 37,998) 15-64 years: 67% (male 146,336; female 140,717) 65 years and over: 15% (male 26,201; female 38,127) (1999 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

10.35 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate [time series]

9.32 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages [time series]

Luxembourgian, German, French, English

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 77.65 years male: 74.58 years female: 80.83 years (1999 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg

Net migration rate [time series]

7.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population [time series]

429,080 (July 1999 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.88% (1999 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.57 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes--international) [time series]

none

Transportation

Airports [time series]

2 (1998 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports--with paved runways) [time series]

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports--with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 5,137 km paved: 5,086 km (including 123 km of expressways) unpaved: 51 km (1996 est.) note: one source lists roads 2,863 km; expressways 115 km

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,033,045 GRT/1,480,023 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas tanker 13, oil tanker 6, passenger 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, vehicle carrier 1 (1998 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

petroleum products 48 km

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Mertert

Railways [time series]

total: 275 km standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1995)

Waterways [time series]

37 km; Moselle