the local power station (EWO) produces electricity from the power of the water of the Lungerersee. In 1942 the railroad line over the Brünig pass was electrified. Population and economy Nowadays the village of Lungern has about 2120 inhabitants. The population is stable, so there is a rise in the ratio of elderly to total population. In fact 17.5% of the total population of Lungern are of a pensionable age, compared with an average of 12% in the canton. If work opportunities remain limited this will likely grow even further in the future. Demographics Lungern has a population (as of ) of . , 8.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 2.6%. Most of the population () speaks German (94.8%), with Albanian being second most common (2.2%) and French third (0.7%). the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. In 2000 there were 681 households in Lungern. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was just classed as other, which received 41.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (26.2%), the CVP (25.6%) and the SPS (6.5%). In Lungern about 71.5% of the population (between ages 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Economy Lungern has an unemployment rate of 0.6%. In 2005, there were 156 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 66 businesses involved; 443 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 27 businesses involved; 394 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 54 businesses. About 24% of the workers were involved in agriculture and forestry, 40% were considered artisans or craftsman. Of the rest of the working population, 13% were in commercial business or teaching staff, 12% were self-employed and 11% were domestic and hotel employees. Economically, agriculture, forestry and wood-working are predominant. Agriculture comprises cattle-breeding and dairy-farming. All of the agricultural farms are cultivated by native highlanders, and they are mainly situated not in the bottom of the valley but on its slopes. Lungern has a large industrial sector with the main employers being with 300 employees specialising in securing rockfaces preventing rockfalls and landslides, neue Holzbau AG (70+ employees) specialising in pre-fabricated wooden constructions and engineered wood products, H-P Gasser