In 2025, 24 985 people moved to Luxembourg after living abroad, 2.9% fewer than in 2024. Yet the country’s population continued to grow: it stood at 690 959 on 1 January 2026, up 1.3% year on year. These two figures do not contradict each other. One describes changes of residence over the course of a year; the other, the number of people counted on a given date.
These figures, already published by STATEC earlier in the year, are set in an international context by the OECD’s latest report, dated 12 November 2026: across its 38 member countries, permanent arrivals fell by 1.6% in 2025, to 6.1 million. In Luxembourg, STATEC’s figures show what this decline means in practice, and what it does not change by itself.
Arrivals down, but net migration remains positive
The figure of 24 985 represents international arrivals recorded in Luxembourg in 2025. At the same time, 17 141 people left the country to settle abroad. The difference between these two flows gives a positive net migration figure of 7 844 people. In other words, many people left, but fewer than arrived.
A fall in arrivals does not therefore automatically mean that the population is shrinking. For 2025, net migration remained positive: more people came to settle in Luxembourg than left it. The population also grows through natural increase, that is, the difference between births and deaths. STATEC put this at 2 043 in 2025, with 6 439 births and 4 396 deaths.
However, these two balances alone are not enough to account for the total change in population. STATEC also reports a statistical adjustment of −901 people, linked to the data-cleaning of the National Register of Natural Persons. Taking all three elements into account gives an increase of 8 986 people: 7 844 from net migration, 2 043 from natural increase, and then 901 deducted as an adjustment. This change is reflected in the population reaching 690 959 on 1 January 2026.
This distinction is useful when reading demographic statistics: arrivals and departures are flows over a period, while population is a stock measured on a particular date. Net migration is the difference between two flows; it is neither the number of arrivals nor, by itself, the total population growth.
“Immigration” here means a change of residence
In STATEC’s report, immigrants are people who come to settle in Luxembourg from another country. The term describes a change of residence, not a particular nationality. It does not refer only to foreign nationals, and the figures do not measure only new workers recruited in the country: they may also include children or families.
In 2025, French nationals made up the largest group among arrivals, with 3 515 people moving to Luxembourg, ahead of Portuguese nationals (3 147) and Luxembourgers (2 204). The latter illustrate the difference between nationality and migration: a Luxembourger who returns to live in the country after a period abroad is counted among international arrivals. Conversely, departures of Luxembourgers were more numerous: 3 315. For this nationality, net migration therefore stood at −1 111.
The make-up of the resident population answers a different question. On 1 January 2026, Luxembourg had 322 050 residents of foreign nationality, or 46.6% of the population. Of these, 11.8% were born in Luxembourg. These figures do not correspond directly to movements during the year: a foreign national born in the country did not necessarily arrive in 2025, and a Luxembourg national may have immigrated in the sense of changing residence.
For the same reason, arrivals should not be confused with the daily commutes of cross-border workers. They cross a border to work, but do not automatically settle in Luxembourg. Residential immigration statistics and cross-border employment statistics describe different realities.
What the comparison with the OECD tells us
In its report published on 12 November 2026, the OECD estimates that 6.1 million new permanent immigrants settled in its 38 member countries in 2025, compared with 6.2 million in 2024. This represents a decline of 1.6% on the previous year. The figure nevertheless remains 12% higher than in 2019, according to figures reported by RTL based on the organisation’s report.
In Luxembourg, the number of arrivals fell by 2.9% compared with 2024. But this is not a country ranking: STATEC’s figure covers residential arrivals recorded in Luxembourg, while the OECD’s aggregates permanent entries into its member countries according to its own scope. The two percentages point to the same broad trend, without measuring precisely the same indicator.
The OECD also notes that migration contributes to employment and can support productivity in the long term. Across the organisation, immigrants account for 16% of employment, according to RTL’s report. This employment indicator covers the OECD as a whole; it does not measure the number of residents who moved to Luxembourg.
References
- RTL, “Down by 1.6%: Migration to developed countries declines for second year: OECD”
- STATEC, “Fewer migrations, low fertility: demographic slowdown continues”
Place Guillaume II in Luxembourg City, in 2024. File photo.
