Includes Lebanon real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Lebanon economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Lebanon best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Capital City: Beirut
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank |
Central Bank of Lebanon |
|---|---|
| Currency |
Lebanese pounds (LBP) |
| International Reserves |
USD 52.4 billion (2018) |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP |
USD 56.4 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
Intl$ 89.5 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007 9.3% 2008 9.2% 2009 10.1% 2010 8.0% 2011 0.9% 2012 2.7% 2013 2.6% 2014 1.9% 2015 0.4% 2016 1.6% 2017* 0.6% 2018* 0.3% *estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 9,257.3 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP |
Intl$ 14,684.1 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980 0.12% 1990 0.05% 2000 0.07% 2010 0.08% 2019* 0.07% (Note: The growth rate for 2019 is marked as an estimate.) |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 2.9% industry: 14.1% services: 74.7% (2018 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015 -3.7% 2016 -0.8% 2017 4.5% 2018* 6.1% 2019* 3.1% (Note: The growth rates for 2018 and 2019 are marked as estimates.) |
Lebanon
Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2015 -3.7% 2016 -0.8% 2017 4.5% 2018* 6.1% 2019* 3.1% (Note: The growth rates for 2018 and 2019 are marked as estimates.) |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: B- Moody’s: Caa1 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate | N/A |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015 140.7% 2016 146.1% 2017* 149% 2018* 151% 2019* 155.1% |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015 -7.5% 2016 -8.9% 2017* -8.6% 2018* -11% 2019* -9.8% |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | N/A |
| Largest Companies |
Bank Audi, Blom Bank. |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) |
5.9% (2017) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.004% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
0.008% (2018) |
| Total exports |
USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Export commodities |
Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs |
| Total imports |
USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities |
Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products |
| Exports – major partners |
India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners |
China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance |
-25.6 % (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
23.3% (2018) |
| FDI inflows |
2016 USD 2,568 million 2017 USD 2,522 million 2018 USD 2,880 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016 USD 1,005 million 2017 USD 1,317 million 2018 USD 1,058 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015 USD 22 million 2016 USD 2,470 million 2017 USD -598 million 2018 USD 565 million |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 143 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 151 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 164 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 127 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 110 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 132 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 114 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 116 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 153 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 131 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 151 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking | 88 out of 141 (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 154 / Score: 51.1 (Mostly unfree) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Total Area |
10,400 sq km |
|---|---|
| Total Population |
1990 2.7 million 2000 3.24 million 2010 4.34 million 2015* 4.85 million 2020* 6.02 million |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 30.7% 1980 33.8% 2000 41.7% 2020 62.1% |
| Population median age |
31.3 years |
| Population growth rate |
-3.13% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy |
77.9 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
0.1% (last available estimate, 2011) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
31.8 (last available estimate, 2011) |
| Freedom House rating |
Partly Free Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 4 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 13% Mobile: 64.5% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population |
78.18 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
| Languages |
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 93.9% Male: 96% Female: 91.8% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions | Muslim 57.7% (28.7% Sunni, 28.4% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 36.2% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 5.2%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha’is, Buddhists, and Hindus (2017 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 2.8 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
| C02 Emissions per capita |
1.9 metric tons per capita (2018) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Lebanon
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000