Capital

Libanon

name: Beirut

geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: derived from the Canaanite or Phoenician word "ber'ot," meaning "the wells" or "fountain," which referred to the site's accessible water table

Citizenship

Libanon

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Lebanon

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Legal system

Libanon

mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities

Suffrage

Libanon

21 years of age; authorized for all men and women regardless of religion; excludes persons convicted of felonies and other crimes or those imprisoned; excludes all military and security service personnel regardless of rank

Area

Libanon

total: 10,400 sq km

land: 10,230 sq km

water: 170 sq km

Land use

Libanon

agricultural land: 63.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 12.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 39.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 13.4% (2018 est.)

other: 23.3% (2018 est.)

Location

Libanon

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Age structure

Libanon

0-14 years: 19.21% (male 524,172/female 500,185)

15-64 years: 71.69% (male 1,929,150/female 1,892,806)

65 years and over: 9.1% (2023 est.) (male 208,436/female 276,454)

Birth rate

Libanon

12.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Libanon

5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Libanon

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Libanon

total population: 79 years (2023 est.)

male: 77.6 years

female: 80.5 years

Major urban areas - population

Libanon

2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023)

Median age

Libanon

total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 35.1 years

female: 36.4 years

Net migration rate

Libanon

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Libanon

the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Population growth rate

Libanon

0.64% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Libanon

1.71 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Libanon

urban population: 89.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Libanon

1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Libanon

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2014)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Libanon

-6.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Libanon

-6.85% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Libanon

1.719 million (2021 est.)

note: excludes as many as 1 million foreign workers and refugees

Population below poverty line

Libanon

27.4% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

Libanon

14.49% (2021 est.)

13.3% (2020 est.)

11.35% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Libanon

146.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

145.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover central government debt and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Libanon

154.76% (2021 est.)

84.86% (2020 est.)

3.01% (2019 est.)

Exports

Libanon

$10.147 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.773 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$18.208 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Libanon

Switzerland 27%, United Arab Emirates 15%, South Korea 11%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Kuwait 6% (2019)

Imports

Libanon

$17.383 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$15.206 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$31.147 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Libanon

United Arab Emirates 11%, China 10%, Italy 8%, Greece 8%, Turkey 7%, United States 6% (2019)

Airports

Libanon

8 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Libanon

total: 432,070 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Libanon

total: 4.872 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2021 est.)

Railways

Libanon

total: 401 km (2017)

standard gauge: 319 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 82 km (2017) 1.050-m gauge

note: rail system is still unusable due to damage sustained from fighting in the 1980s and in 2006

Roadways

Libanon

total: 21,705 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Libanon

total subscriptions: 880,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Libanon

total subscriptions: 4.3 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2021 est.)

Disputes - international

Libanon

Lebanon-Syria: lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; in March 2021, Syria signed a contract with a Russian company for oil and gas exploration in a maritime area Lebanon claims as its own based on a 2011 map sent to the UN

Lebanon-Israel: Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights; Lebanon and Israel resumed negotiations over their maritime border in 2020, but their efforts were derailed when Lebanon argued that the map the UN was using needed modifications