Luxembourg
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Luxembourg (LU)
ECRML
Signed
1992
Ratified
2005
In Force
2005
FCNM
Signed
1995
Ratified
(PENDING)
In Force
(PENDING)
Country Description
As Luxembourgish is not an official language of the EU, the European Union treats Luxembourgish as a minority language. Luxembourg regularly conducts national language censuses, with the last one taking place in 2021. Intentionally avoiding the term “mother tongue” and opting for “main language” (because main languages can change throughout a lifetime and children in mixed families can have more than one mother tongue), the census showed that Luxembourgish was the main language of 48.9% of the population of Luxembourg, with Portuguese (15.4%) and French (14.9%) coming in second and third.
It is unknown how many people use German Sign Language (DGS) in Luxembourg, which has been the subject of discussion at the Parliament of Luxembourg. It is, however, known that between 2008 and 2018, 77 children in Luxembourg were born either deaf or hard-of-hearing. 63 of them wear a hearing aid.
Pan-National Official Language(s)
This category only includes languages that are official throughout the whole country (with the exception of Belgium) - languages that are e.g. regionally 'co-official' are not listed here but can be identified in the categories below wherever a relevant legal document is listed. A future update could include lists of co-official languages, as well.
To increase their visibility, recognised Sign Languages are always listed as official languages even if they are not yet technically official. The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on 'Italian').
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
French
Romance
|
Français | Whole country | / | 1986 (furthered in 2023) | Law on Language Regime / Constitution of Luxembourg | / | 242 534 (given) | Language usually spoken | 2021 | 1 (National) | |
|
German
Germanic
|
Deutsch | Whole country | / | 1985 (furthered in 2023) | Law on Language Regime / Constitution of Luxembourg | / | 107 115 (given) | Language usually spoken | 2021 | 1 (National) | |
|
German Sign Language (DGS)
Sign Language
|
Deutsche Gebärdensprache | Whole country | 2018 | Draft Law No. 7142 / Gesetzesvorentwurf N°7142 | / | Unknown | Sign Language Users | 2018 | 6a* (Vigorous) | ||
|
Luxembourgish
Germanic
|
Lëtzebuergesch | Whole country | / | 1984 (furthered in 2023) | Law on Language Regime / Constitution of Luxembourg | / | 292 025 (given) | Language usually spoken | 2021 | / | 4 (Educational) |
ECRML-Recognised Languages
This includes languages recognised under the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML). The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on 'Czech').
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level | ECRML level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| / | ||||||||||||
Non-ECRML Languages – Source Overview
Languages marked with ✓ appear in that source.
Languages listed in multiple sources may have differing data – see the detail tables below.
| Language | Ethnologue | ELP |
|---|---|---|
| English | ✓ | |
| Portuguese | ✓ | |
| Walloon | ✓ |
Non-ECRML Languages (Ethnologue)
Languages listed with an 'established status' in Ethnologue. The data on legal recognition, national number, and endangerment level was taken from Ethnologue, reflecting its current state and gaps of knowledge.
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
English
Germanic
|
English | Widespread | / | / | / | 373 300 | Users | 2021 | 4 (Educational) | ||
|
Portuguese
Romance
|
Português | Diekirch district: Diekirch canton; Luxembourg district: Esch-sur-Alzette canton, Luxembourg canton | / | / | / | 86 600 | Users | 2021 | 5* (Dispersed) |
Non-ECRML Languages (Endangered Languages Project)
Languages listed in the Endangered Languages Project (ELP). The data on legal recognition, national number, and endangerment level was taken from ELP, reflecting its current state and gaps of knowledge.
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Walloon
Romance
|
Walon | / | / | / | / | 1 120 000 (international) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened |
Recognised Minorities
Further Reading
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