Liechtenstein

Location

• Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
• along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Vaduz	5,197	Capital

Size

• 62 square miles
• 160 square kilometers
• about 0.9 times the size of Washington, D.C.

History

The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the German Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US that went into effect in 2003.

Climate

continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Terrain

mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Languages

German 91.5% (official, Alemannic is the main dialect), Italian 1.5%, Turkish 1.3%, Portuguese 1.1%, other 4.6% (2015 est.)major-language sample(s): Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic (official) 73.4%, Protestant Reformed 6.3%, Muslim 5.9%, Christian Orthodox 1.3%, Lutheran 1.2%, other Protestant 0.7%, other Christian 0.3%, other 0.8%, none 7%, unspecified 3.3% (2015 est.)

Government

constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: previous 1862; latest adopted 5 October 1921amendment process: proposed by Parliament, by the reigning prince (in the form of "Government" proposals), by petition of at least 1,500 qualified voters, or by at least four communes; passage requires unanimous approval of Parliament members in one sitting or three-quarters majority vote in two successive sittings; referendum required only if petitioned by at least 1,500 voters or by at least four communes; passage by referendum requires absolute majority of votes cast
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system influenced by Swiss, Austrian, and German law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: Prince HANS-ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers on 26 August 1984)head of government: Prime Minister Brigitte HAAS (since 10 April 2025)cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarchelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party in Parliament as the head of government, and also appoints the leader of the largest minority party in Parliament as the deputy head of government if there is a coalition governmentnote: the prince's successor is his son, Heir Apparent and Regent of Liechtenstein Prince ALOIS; on 15 August 2004, HANS-ADAM II transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but Prince HANS-ADAM II retains the status of chief of state
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Supreme Court or Fürstlicher Oberster Gerichtshof (consists of 5 judges and 5 substitutes); Constitutional Court or Staatsgerichtshof (consists of 5 judges, and 5 alternates)judge selection and term of office: judges of both courts elected by the Landtag and appointed by the monarch; Supreme Court judges serve 4-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed for renewable 5-year termssubordinate courts: Court of Appeal (second instance), Regional Court (first instance), Administrative Court, Tribunal Court, district courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Diet (Landtag)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 25 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 2/9/2025parties elected and seats per party: Patriotic Union (VU) (10); Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) (7); Democrats for Liechtenstein (DpL) (6); Free List (FL) (2)percentage of women in chamber: 32%expected date of next election: February 2029

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income European economy; Schengen Area participant; key European financial leader; integrated with Swiss economy and franc currency user; one of the highest GDP per capita countries; relies on US and Eurozone markets for exports
• Budget: revenues: $14.58 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $15.432 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: hydroelectric potential, arable land
• Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments
• Agricultural Products: wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products
• Land Use: agricultural land: 32.3% (2022 est.)arable land: 10.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 21.5% (2022 est.)forest: 41.9% (2022 est.)other: 25.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: agricultural products, raw materials, energy products, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles
• Import Partners: Lithuania 18%, Germany 11%, Poland 10%, Estonia 8%, Finland 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardwaretop five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Lithuania 19%, Estonia 6%, Russia 6%, Germany 6%, Sweden 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports