Luxembourg - Population Continued demographic growth In 30 years, the residential population has grown by some 100 000. The number of inhabitants in the Grand Duchy was less than 340 000 in 1970 and the 440 000 mark was exceeded in 2001. Between 1970 and 2000 the population of Luxembourg has grown by some 30%. In Belgium, the demographic growth in this time period was only 6%, in France 16%, and in West-Germany 9%. A cosmopolitan population The continued growth in the population over the last 30 years has largely been the result of positive migration. Foreigners make up a large proportion of the total resident population (18% in 1970, 29% in 1991 and over 37% from 2001 on). Of every 100 of foreigners counted in the 2001 census, 35 were Portuguese, 12 French, 12 Italian, 9 Belgian and 6 German. Luxembourg's migratory balance stood at an annual average of more than 10 - during the 1990-2000 decade, whereas in the 15 EU countries, the corresponding figure was about 2.3 ‰. The fact that the number of persons with Luxembourg nationality has remained more or less constant since 1970 (277 000 in 1970 and 2001) is mainly due to people opting for Luxembourg nationality in cases where there was a choice or acquiring Luxembourg nationality through naturalization. Ageing? The foreign population is younger than the population with Luxembourg nationality. From the 45 to 50 age group onwards there is a drop in the foreign population, mainly because this population often changes and part of these foreigners return to their country of origin when they retire. The surplus of births over deaths is positive amongst the foreign population, which contrasts with the negative balance among Luxembourg nationals since the 1980s. On account of their age structure, the foreigners have a low rate of mortality, while their fertility rate, which used to be much higher than that of the Luxembourgers, is now around the same level. The fertility rate for the total population stood at 1.49 in 1980, but has risen to 1.79 in 2000. The life expectancy at birth for men, which was 67.3 years in 1970, reaches 74.7 years in 2000. For women it was 74.5 years in 1970 and 81.1 years in 2000. Although there is an increase in the absolute number of elderly people aged 65 and over (around 43 000 in 1970, 61 000 in 2000), their relative weight in the population is only increasing much more slowly: 12.6% of the total population in 1970, 14% in 2000. This is due to strong net immigration, which is almost continually feeding the younger age groups. In Luxembourg the dependency rate of elderly (population over 65 years of age / Population from 15 to 64 years of age) was 21.5% in 2001. This rate stood at over 24% in the EU as a whole, 25.7% in Belgium, 24.5% in Germany, 24.8% in France, 26.8% in Sweden etc. Text finalised in March 2004.