Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has a per capita income of $69,900 and shares with Bermuda the title of the richest nation in the world. The economy is extremely healthy, growing at a rate of 4 percent. Inflation (2.5 percent) and unemployment (2.4 percent) are well under control. The economy is diversified, and only 1 percent of the population is involved in agriculture, generally on family farms. Among the workforce of 316,500, 121,600 workers commute from their homelands of France, Belgium, and Germany to take advantage of Luxembourg's high wages. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reports, Luxembourg has the 12th highest living standard in the world.

The population has easy access to healthcare. Most workers enlist in employee-sponsored insurance programs, and many Luxembourgers have supplementary coverage. Social Security is financed by mandatory contributions from workers and employer and supplemented by the government. The program covers the elderly, the disabled, survivors, maternity benefits, those suffering from illnesses, injured workers, and the economically disadvantaged.

On average, 13 percent of Luxembourg's budget is targeted for health. Around seven percent (6.8 percent) of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used to fund health programs, with an allotment of $3,680 (international dollars) per capita. As a percentage of total health spending, the government furnishes 90.8 percent, with 88.1 percent of that amount earmarked for Social Security. Of the 10 percent of private sector spending on healthcare, 77.30 percent is derived from out-of-pocket expenses. There are 2.66 physicians, 9.16 nurses, 0.24 midwives, 0.71 dentists, and 0.82 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Luxembourg.

Among the population of 474,413 Luxembourgers, life expectancy is 78.89 years, the 31st highest life expectancy in the world. Females outlive males an average of six years. Literacy is universal, and all of the relevant population is enrolled in primary and secondary school. The entire population has access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Generally, women give birth to 1.78 children each, and all births are attended by trained personnel. The adjusted maternal mortality rate of 28 deaths per 100,000 live births is somewhat higher than might be expected in a country with such a high living standard.

Infant mortality occurs at a rate of 4.74 deaths per 1,000 live births, the 26th lowest ranking in the world. Between 1990 and 2004, life expectancy in Luxembourg was reduced from seven births per 1,000 live births to five. During the same period, the under-5 mortality rate fell from 10 deaths per 1,000 live births to six. Despite general good health, 8 percent of infants are underweight at birth. Childhood immunization rates are predictably high in Luxembourg: 98 percent against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT1 and DPT3) and polio, 91 percent against measles, and 86 percent against Haemophilus influenzae type B. However, less than half of all infants are immunized against hepatitis B.

Environmentally, industrialization has affected general health through air and water pollution, and soil pollution presents difficulties in farming areas. HIV/AIDS does not present a major problem in Luxembourg, which has a 0.2 percent adult prevalence rate. Around 500 people are living with the disease, and less than 100 have died from HIV/AIDS or its complications. A number of programs have been implemented to improve the health of infants, children, women, and the elderly, and preventive health is emphasized. The leading causes of death are cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Luxembourg's death rate from external causes is one of the highest among members of the European Union, but rates have been cut by around 35 percent over the past two decades.

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