Page last modified 19 August 2023
Lebanon
Community
Area 10,400 square kilometres (land area 10,230 square kilometres)
Population, Census years in bold.� The last census was in 1932. Population counts are politically sensitive in Lebanon because of the changing demographic balance between various religious groups within the country, due to different fertility rates. Another difficult issue is how the many smaller ethnic groups within Lebanon might be grouped together, as this would influence how political control would be shared out. By the 1970s the politically dominant Christians were being outnumbered by Muslim groups, whose birth rate was higher. This led to the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon in 1975.
Since the civil war began in neighbouring Syria in 2011, many refugees have fled from there into Lebanon. In 2012 Lebanon hosted 1.6 million refugees, of whom 1.1million were from Syria and 0.5 million from Palestine. Around 5,000 each were from Iraq and Sudan.
300,000 (1900)
1,364,000 (1950)
1,805,000 (1960) +32.2%
2,300,000 (1970) +27.4%
2,605,000 (1980) +13.3%
2,805,000 (1990)� +7.7%
3,843,000 (2000) +37.0%
4,953,000 (2010) 28.9%
6,825,000 (2020) +37.8%
Ethnicity and Religion, %
|
|
Arab |
Armenian |
Christian |
Druze |
Jewish |
Muslim Total |
Muslim Shia |
Muslim Sunni |
|
1900 |
|
|
77.4 |
6.0 |
2.0 |
20.6 |
|
|
|
1947 |
|
|
51.9 |
|
1.0 |
46.4 |
|
|
|
1951 |
|
|
52.8 |
|
|
45.3 |
|
|
|
1970 |
90.0 |
6.0 |
62.4 |
6.3 |
0.1 |
35.4 |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
5.0 |
38.0 |
|
|
58.0 |
31.0 |
27.0 |
|
2001 |
|
|
36.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010 |
95.0 |
4.0 |
39.0 |
|
|
59.5 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
40.4 |
5.6 |
|
54.0 |
27.0 |
27.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
41.0 (+22.0) |
87.0 |
19.0 |
34.2 |
7.9 |
26.5 |
|
1962 |
5.7 |
43.0 (+33.1) |
55.0 |
9.9 |
42.7 |
5.7 |
45.7 |
|
1972 |
4.7 |
32.0 (+24.2) |
47.0 |
7.8 |
41.6 |
5.0 |
62.6 |
|
1980 |
4.0 |
30.0 (+22.8) |
40.0 |
7.2 |
39.1 |
5.4 |
73.7 |
|
1990 |
3.4 |
24.6 (+17.8) |
27.0 |
6.8 |
37.3 |
5.3 |
83.1 |
|
2000 |
2.4 |
18.5 (+13.0) |
17.0 |
5.5 |
31.1 |
5.7 |
86.0 |
|
2010 |
2.0 |
13.5 (+8.9) |
8.8 |
4.6 |
25.8 |
6.4 |
87.2 |
|
2015 |
2.1 |
15.3 (+10.7) |
7.2 |
4.6 |
27.3 |
6.3 |
87.8 |
|
2017 |
2.1 |
17.7 (+13.0) |
6.6 |
4.7 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
6.4 |
|
26.1 |
7.0 |
88.6 |
Life expectancy,
56.0 (1952); 54.0 (M), 58.0 (F)
63.3 (1960); 61.6 (M), 65.1 (F)
66.0 (1970); 64.3 (M), 67.9 (F)
68.0 (1980); 66.2 (M), 69.8 (F)
70.2 (1990); 68.7 (M), 71.8(F)
74.4 (2000); 72.8 (M), 76.1 (F)
78.5 (2010); 76.7 (M), 80.4 (F)
79.0 (2020); 77.2 (M), 80.9 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
BEIRUT1 |
Sidon |
Tripoli2 |
Tyre3 |
Zahle |
|
1850 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
1890 |
120 |
|
|
|
|
|
1900 |
140 |
11 |
30 |
|
|
|
1943 |
234 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
1950 |
321 |
|
65 |
|
25 |
|
1960 |
450 |
|
115 |
|
|
|
1970 |
600 |
22 |
150 |
12 |
40 |
|
1980 |
702 |
25 |
175 |
14 |
47 |
|
1990 |
|
|
|
70 |
|
|
2000 |
1,500 MA |
38 |
160 |
|
45 |
|
2009 |
1,846 MA |
|
|
|
|
|
2014 |
2,200 MA |
266 MA |
731 MA |
174 MA |
200 MA |
1Beirut has been inhabited since at least 1400 BC. Its name derives from the Greek Berytos, meaning well or spring.� Beirut declined after it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1516, but regained prosperity after a road was built from Damascus in the 1863, making Beirut the main port for Damascus.� In the early 1970s, ethnic tensions increased between the Christians, who held power, and the Muslims, whose higher birth-rate meant they were becoming the majority.� In 1900 Beirut had been largely Christian. These tensions erupted into full-scale civil war from 1975, and much of Beirut was destroyed.� In 1982 Israeli forces attacked Beirut, to enforce withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) from the city.
2Founded in the 8th century BC, Tripoli was an important Phoenician city; it remained a major trading centre through to the Roman era.�
3Tyre was a major trading city as far back as 1000 BC, producing a famous dye, Tyrian Purple, made expensively from local shellfish.� It successfully withstood sieges by the Assyrians and Babylonian, because of its position on an offshore island; however Alexander the Great captured the city by building a causeway out from the mainland in 332 BC.�
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1950 |
|
|
250 |
|
|
1956 |
670 |
0.19 |
|
|
|
1966 |
|
|
480 |
|
|
1970 |
1,860 |
0.18 |
672 |
12.81 |
|
1975 |
3,290 |
0.20 |
1,186 |
15.17 |
|
1980 |
4,070 |
0.15 |
1,526 |
12.11 |
|
1985 |
3,610 |
0.09 |
1,354 |
7.41 |
|
1990 |
2,840 |
0.05 |
1,003 |
4.19 |
|
1995 |
11,120 |
0.15 |
3,850 |
12.80 |
|
2000 |
16,630 |
0.17 |
5,334 |
14.63 |
|
2005 |
22,200 |
0.17 |
5,339 |
12.05 |
|
2010 |
39,150 |
0.26 |
8,760 |
18.11 |
|
2015 |
47,100 |
0.26 |
8,050 |
14.32 |
|
2016 |
47,500 |
0.26 |
7,914 |
13.77 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
38.0 |
|
23.0 |
|
39.0 |
|
1970 |
|
20.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
|
|
16.0 |
27.0 |
|
58.4 |
|
1990 |
|
14.0 |
|
27.0 |
|
59.0 |
|
2000 |
11.8 |
|
20.0 |
|
65.0 |
|
|
2010 |
5.1 |
|
15.9 |
|
79.0 |
|
|
2016 |
5.7 |
|
21.0 |
|
73.3 |
|
Communications
Language, Official; Arabic.� English and French also spoken.
Arabic, 90.0% (1950)
Literacy
69.0% (1970)
76.5% (1980); 85.4% (M), 67.7% (F)
80.1% (1990)
86.5% (2000); 92.4% (M), 81.0% (F)
87.4% (2010); 93.1% (M), 82.2% (F)
93.9% (2015); 96.0% (M), 91.8% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways, The first railway, between Beirut and Damascus, opened 1895
|
|
Roads (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
|
1900 |
|
|
|
|
82 |
|
1910 |
|
|
|
|
219 |
|
1920 |
|
|
|
|
172 |
|
1930 |
|
|
|
|
219 |
|
1944 |
|
|
5,401 |
1,867 |
219 |
|
1947 |
2,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
2,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
1955 |
|
27,000 |
22,600 |
|
409 |
|
1959 |
|
|
34,649 |
6,359 |
|
|
1960 |
5,386 |
|
|
|
|
|
1962 |
|
|
65,555 |
10,361 |
|
|
1964 |
|
99,100 |
|
|
|
|
1969 |
|
|
127,357 |
14,027 |
|
|
1977 |
|
|
229,900 |
27,100 |
|
|
1978 |
|
|
282,404 |
28,553 |
|
|
1986 |
6,800 |
445,000 |
400,000 |
|
401 |
|
1996 |
7,800 |
1,217,000 |
|
81,000 |
|
|
2002 |
8,530 |
1,253,700 |
|
97,200 |
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013 |
|
1,680,000 |
|
|
401* |
*Lebanese rail system out of use due to damage from warfare.
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began May 1959
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1950 |
|
|
38,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
|
1962 |
68,530 |
|
|
43,400 |
|
|
|
1965 |
|
|
|
130,000 |
|
|
|
1969 |
150,370 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1973 |
227,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1978 |
|
|
|
325,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
320,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1986 |
|
|
1,500,000 |
450,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
394,000 |
|
2,255,000 |
880,000 |
|
|
|
1994 |
|
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
120,000 |
2,680,000 |
1,100,000 |
50,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
44,000 |
|
2000 |
576,000 |
743,000 |
2,460,000 |
1,200,000 |
175,000 |
330,000 |
|
2005 |
|
990,000 |
|
1,400,000 |
409,400 |
700,000 |
|
2010 |
887,000 |
2,857,000 |
|
|
|
1,150,000 |
|
2016 |
1,068,000 |
4,890,500 |
|
|
|
4,747,500 |
Tourism: Visitors to Lebanon,
2,261,767 (1974)
450,000 (1995)
742,000 (2000)
1,139,524 (2005)
2,168,000 (2010)
1,518,000 (2015)