A recent analysis of the 2021 census published on Thursday shows that English has become the third most spoken language in Luxembourg, replacing German. Luxembourgish is experiencing a downturn. A report by Statec, the national statistics agency, reveals that over a quarter of the population, or 25.7 percent, now speak English at home or use it at work or school, an increase from 21 percent in 2011.
English, though widely spoken, is the “main” language for only 3.6 percent of the population, up 1.5 percentage points since 2011, the Luxembourg Times newspaper reported. The “main” language is defined as the language in which residents think and are most proficient. The census avoided the term “mother tongue,” acknowledging that the primary language can change over a person’s lifetime, particularly in Luxembourg where many children are raised in multilingual families.
Luxembourgish still most widely spoken
Despite the rise in English usage, Luxembourgish remains the most widely used language, spoken by 61 percent of the population. French is the second most common language, spoken by over half the population, followed by German at 22.5 percent and Portuguese by one-fifth of the residents.
The number of Luxembourgish speakers has declined from 323,500 in 2011 to 292,000 in 2021, despite the population increasing from 518,000 to 635,000. Only 4.9 percent of foreign residents speak Luxembourgish, and the rate of first-generation Luxembourgers speaking the language has decreased from 76.9 percent in 2011 to 45.5 percent in 2021.
The Statec report also indicates that English-speaking residents are predominantly located around the capital city. Municipalities such as Niederanven, Sandweiler, and the capital itself have high percentages of English usage at the workplace, aligning with the presence of international companies in these areas.
Multilingual society
Statec highlights that these results “confirm the importance of considering the intrinsically multilingual nature of Luxembourg, where no single language can assume a linguistic monopoly.” This statement underscores the nation’s unique linguistic landscape, with no language dominating the cultural and social discourse.