About Luxembourg

A central location and gateway to Europe

Area: 2.586 km2

Border countries: Belgium in the West and the North, with Germany in the East and with France in the South

Total inhabitants: 511,840 inhabitants

Head of state: S.A.R. le Grand-Duc Henri

Head of government: Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime minister

National language: Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch)

Administrative languages: French, German and Luxembourgish

A central location and the gateway to Europe

Bordered by 3 countries (Germany, France and Belgium), Luxembourg has a privileged situation at the heart of Europe.

On a historical side, Luxembourg is also a main actor of the European community.

In 1952, Luxembourg was the host of the first European institution, the European Coal and Steel Community, whose initiator, Robert Schuman, was born in Luxembourg.

The country was one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community in 1957.

Today, the legal and financial operations of the European Union are headquartered in Luxembourg with more than 12,000 officials (EU commission/secretariat of the European Parliament/ European Courts of Justice/European Investment Bank/ European Court of Auditors/ European Translation Agency).

A multi-cultural environment

The Luxembourg lifestyle benefits from an exceptional multi-lingual and multi-cultural environment.

The three official languages in Luxembourg are Luxembourgish, French and German. English is spoken in shops and administrations. A large community of expatriates comprising 170 nationalities has brought English as a common language to Luxembourg.

Out of 511.840 inhabitants (2011), a total of 221,300 (43%) foreigners live in the country: 81,300 Portuguese, 31,000 French,17,700 Italian, 17,000 Belgian and 12,100 German.

Another 150,100 workers commute daily from France (52%), Belgium (25%), and Germany (25%).

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a world financial centre, ranking second in terms of mutual and investment funds. A moderate tax regime, the absence of withholding tax on interest income, strict banking secrecy and prevention of anti-money laundering laws make Luxembourg attractive and competitive for banking services.

Some figures:

149 banks of which 90% are foreigners
294 professional establishments of the financial sectors
90 insurances companies
12 European institutions
Centre of excellence for private banking and investment management
2^nd largest global leader for domiciled funds behind the United States

A high degree of security and stability

The country is truly a great and very safe place to live, to work, and to raise a family. Situated in the ‘Schengen Area’, the country benefits from a high degree of safety.

Key indicators :

World’s top city for Personal Safety in 2011 (before Bern, Geneva, Helsinki and Zurich) (Mercer Personal Safety Ranking 2011)
19^th out of 420 in terms of quality of living (2011)
3^rd best place in the world in terms of lifestyle and facilities for expatriates (2011)

An outstanding purchasing power

The country benefits from a high standard of living and an outstanding purchasing power (Luxembourg is ranked at the top of the EU countries).

Family benefits

A range of lucrative incentives and benefits are offered to people who work and raise a family in Luxembourg. For more information, visit www.cnpf.lu

You want to know more? Click on these useful links.

General information

Cultural and touristic informations

www.cultureweb.lu (Cultural agenda)
www.agendalux.lu (Calendar of events on the Internet)

Economy

www.abbl.lu (Luxembourg bankers' association)
www.statec.lu (Statistical information about Luxembourg)
www.cc.lu (Chamber of Commerce of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg)

Gastronomy/Housing

www.hotels.lu (Hotels and Restaurants in Luxembourg)

Transportation of passengers

www.cfl.lu (National railway company of Luxembourg)
www.luxair.lu (The national airline of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg)
www.mobiliteit.lu (Public transports)