Browse a full set of economic indicators

Lebanon

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.)

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

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