The figures were published by justice minister Félix Braz (Déi Gréng), responding to a parliamentary question from Gilles Baum (DP).

It marks an almost fivefold increase in the number of people granted citizenship in 2016 (2,796).

Over a third of the new citizens in 2018 (4,632) gained nationality through recovery, a mechanism aimed at restoring citizenship to people who were forced to give up Luxembourg nationality (through marriage) or had a Luxembourg ancestor as of 1 January 1900. The deadline for obtaining a certificate of descendance was 31 December 2018. It means that the number of recoveries will decline in the coming years.

Nevertheless, interest in obtaining Luxembourg nationality through the standard procedure is growing. Braz wrote that since the new law on obtaining Luxembourg nationality entered into force on 1 April 2017, the number of applicants (excluding recoveries) had tripled.

Excluding the “right of the soil” applicants, the largest nationality group receiving Luxembourg citizenship in 2018 was the French (2,785), followed by Belgians (1,601), Portuguese ( 1,593), Brazilians (931), Americans (667), Montenegrins (489), Italians (463) and Britons (435).