Portuguese community in Luxembourg shrinks
In recent years, almost as many Portuguese have come to Luxembourg to start a new life, like the country left – either to return to Portugal or move to neighboring countries.
The year 2024 was no exception. With 3,091 people, the Portuguese put the largest group among immigrants in the Grand Duchy. At the same time, with 2,847 people, they formed the second largest group of those who left the country.
The Statec recently published new demographic data. The Portuguese community migration balance was 547 people last year. This number is only slightly below the balance of 2023 (622), since both the move to Luxembourg (3,091 Portuguese) and the departure (2,847) 2024 was weaker.
The Portuguese have been in second place for at least three years – behind the Luxembourgers for at least three years. This also applies to emigration to neighboring countries.
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This group becomes atypical border guards who move from Luxembourg to France, Belgium or Germany – especially in the large region – but still remain social insured in Luxembourg.
The main reason for moving abroad is the increasing housing costs in Luxembourg, which are unaffordable for many. In neighboring countries, directly behind the border, the prices are significantly lower.
Usually the return to Portugal takes place after decades of stay in the Grand Duchy – if the time of the pension is approaching and the dream of returning home is realized.
However, there are other returnees: Portuguese who fell victim to deception – sometimes through family members – who pretended a paradise with slight jobs and high salaries in Luxembourg. When you arrive in the country, the deceived Portuguese experience difficult times, do not find anything and finally return to Portugal, As cases show that made « contacto » public.
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Shrinking community
People from 180 different nations live together in this country. The Portuguese community is still the largest group of foreigners. However, according to Statec, its number has been declining for several years. In 2024, the number of Portuguese living in Luxembourg fell under 90,000 for the first time since 2013.
On January 1, 2023, the Portuguese population still provided 90,727 people (13.5 percent) of the 672,050 inhabitants of the Grand Duchy. On January 1, 2024, the number of Portuguese immigrants fell to 89,338 (13.1 percent) at 681,973 inhabitants.
In general, Luxembourg’s population continued to grow, but weaker than in the previous year.
This article first appeared at « CONTACTO ». It was translated using AI applications and edited by Jörg Tschürtz.
