One third of Liechtenstein’s residents are foreign nationals. Alongside the foreigners who live in the country, around 20,000 people commute to the principality from neighboring countries. German is the official language.
The high proportion of non-citizens is the result of an extensive labor migration that has taken place since the 1970s, as well as strict citizenship laws. The laws have been somewhat mitigated, but it is still a basic rule that one must live 30 years in the country to become a citizen.
- COUNTRYAAH.COM: Key populations estimated size and data of Liechtenstein, including population density of how many people per square mile. Also included are facts for population and language.
The vast majority of citizens are descended from Germanic Alemans who have dominated the area since the 500s. There are no major cultural or linguistic differences with the majority of immigrants, who mainly come from surrounding areas.
In daily speech, a German dialect called Alemannic is used and is related to the Swiss German.
FACTS – POPULATION AND LANGUAGE
Population
Liechtenstein 67%, Swiss 10%, Austrians 5.7%, Germans 3.4%, Italians and others 9.9% (2011)
Number of residents
37 922 (2017)
Number of residents per square kilometer
237 (2017)
Percentage of residents in the cities
14.3 percent (2017)
Nativity / birth
10.0 per 1000 residents (2016)
Mortality / mortality
7.2 per 1000 residents (2016)
POPULATION GROWTH
0.7 percent (2017)
fertility rate
1.4 number of children born per woman (2016)
Life expectancy
83 years (2016)
Life expectancy for women
85 years (2016)
Life expectancy for men
81 years (2016)
Language
German is the official language 1
- The German dialect alemannic is used in daily speech