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Luxembourg Public Data Research
Updated: October 2nd, 2026
Written by: Daniel Atz with Lauren Lowell
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Citizenship Recovery – Article 89
According to the Ministry of Justice, as of 31 December 2025, 41,181 adults had reclaimed Luxembourg nationality through an ancestor alive on 1 January 1900 (Article 89 of the Luxembourg Nationality Law).
This total number includes 12,661 Brazilians and 3,886 Americans, accounting for 40% of those who have recovered Luxembourg nationality through ancestry.
On 1 September 2025, 623 American and 2,621 Brazilian adults were still eligible to apply under Article 89 until the final deadline for the program, 31 December 2025. But we will only know the final number of how many people applied in the statistics release of January 2027.
IMPORTANT – To learn about the paths that are open for Luxembourg citizenship in 2026, click here.
Source: Luxembourg Ministry of Justice; adults who recovered nationality under Article 89 · 31 December 2025
The True Numbers
These statistics do not include children under the age of 18, or those who have obtained nationality through ancestry under other parts of the law.
Because of their direct male lineage to a Luxembourg ancestor, many people have never legally lost their Luxembourg nationality. This is commonly called the Article 7 nationality procedure. The Luxembourg Ministry of Justice directly issues a certificate of nationality to these applicants proving they were born nationals. However, no statistics are published related to these nationality “recognitions”, as according to the law these people were always Luxembourgers.
Luxembourgeois habitant à l’étranger
Therefore, the best way to determine how many people have truly obtained Luxembourg nationality through ancestry is from the RNPP – National Registry of Physical Persons’ statistics. According to the RNPP, as of 30 September 2026, there are:
Luxembourg nationals living in the US
(+952 since 30.06.26)
(+435 since 30.06.26)
(+24 since 30.06.26)
Foreign Countries With Most Luxembourgish Residents
On 30 June 2026, Germany led the US by a single person (22,739 to 22,738). In the following quarter, the US added about 10 Luxembourg nationals a day and Germany about 2, so the US overtook Germany for 4th place in the first days of July 2026. These numbers represent the end of September 2026.
| Country | Luxembourgish Nationals |
|---|---|
| France | 36,653 |
| Brazil | 34,288 |
| Belgium | 29,173 |
| United States | 23,690 |
| Germany | 22,925 |
Regional Trend Comparison
Historically, the largest concentration of Luxembourgers abroad was in Luxembourg’s neighboring countries, Belgium, France, and Germany. However, in August 2023, Brazil overtook Belgium to become the second foreign country with the highest number of resident Luxembourg nationals.
| Countries | Q4 2025 | Q4 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Americas (AR, BR, US) | 53,761 (34%) | 18,092 (19%) |
| Neighbors (BE, DE, FR) | 86,486 (55%) | 68,010 (71%) |
| Worldwide | 156,958 | 95,904 |
Rapid Growth
RNPP data shows that over the last 5 years, the population of Luxembourgers in the Americas has increased by 360%, while the population in Luxembourg’s border countries has only increased by 39%.
Source: Luxembourg National Registry of Physical Persons (RNPP), quarterly releases · Q2 2024
Luxembourg Population 2025
Data on the Luxembourgish government’s Open Data Platform provides ongoing updates about the population of Luxembourg as well as the total number of Luxembourgers living inside the country and abroad.
Source: Luxembourg government Open Data Platform · 31 December 2025
Most Updated Statistics Available: 31/12/2025
- Total population: 690,949
- Luxembourgers: 368,975 (53%)
- Foreigners: 321,974 (47%)
- Luxembourgers (Worldwide): 525,933
- In the country: 368,975 (70%)
- Outside the country: 156,958 (30%)
Luxembourg nationals in the Americas are now equivalent to 7.8% of Luxembourg’s population and 10.2% of all Luxembourg nationals worldwide.
Source: Luxembourg National Registry of Physical Persons (RNPP)
Putting it in Perspective
Put it this way, if the population of Luxembourg nationals in the United States and Brazil were communes in Luxembourg, they would be almost equivalent to:
Brazil: Differdange
(Luxembourg’s 3rd Largest Commune – 31,420 inhabitants)
United States: Pétange
(Luxembourg’s 5th Largest Commune – 21,290 inhabitants)
Want to learn more about the Luxembourg dual citizen community?
LuxCitizenship conducts independent research on the Luxembourgish diaspora in the United States, Brazil and Argentina.