Background: As a result of its location at the crossroads of three continents, the area that is modern-day Lebanon is rich in cultural and religious diversity. This region was subject to various foreign conquerors for much of its history, including the Romans, Arabs, and Ottomans. Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. From it the French demarcated the region of Lebanon in 1920, and it gained independence in 1943. Lebanon subsequently experienced periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade. The country's 1975-90 civil war, which resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities, was followed by years of social and political instability, and sectarianism remains a key element of Lebanese political life. The Israeli defense forces, which occupied parts of Lebanon during the civil war, did not completely withdraw until 2000. Neighboring Syria influenced Lebanon's foreign and domestic policies while its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005, but its influence diminished significantly after 2005. Over 1.5 million Syrian refugees fled to Lebanon after the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. Hizballah -- a major Lebanese political party, militia, and US-designated foreign terrorist organization -- and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria's withdrawal and fought a brief war in 2006. After HAMAS attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, the intensity and frequency of these cross-border attacks increased substantially into a cycle of hostilities, mostly limited to the border areas as of January 2024. Lebanon's borders with Syria and Israel remain unresolved. Lebanon's prosperity has significantly diminished since the beginning of the country's economic crisis in 2019, which has crippled its economy, shut down its previously lucrative banking sector, reduced the value of its currency, and caused many Lebanese to emigrate in search of better prospects.

Area
Total: 10,400 km²
Land: 10,230 km²
Water: 170 km²
Comparative: about one-third the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 484 km
Border countries (2): (2) Israel 81 km; Syria 403 km

Coastline: 225 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; the Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain: narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation
Highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,250 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 65.9% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 13.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 13.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 39.1% (2023 est.)
Forest: 13.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 20.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,040 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; dust storms, sandstorms

Geography
Note: smallest country in continental Asia; Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary

Population
Total: 5,364,482 (2024 est.)
Male: 2,678,543
Female: 2,685,939
Distribution: the majority of people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, particularly in and around the capital of Beirut
Growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Languages: 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.

Religions: Muslim 67.8% (31.9% Sunni, 31.2% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 32.4% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 4.5%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus (2020 est.)
Note: data represent the religious affiliation of the citizen population (data do not include Lebanon's sizable Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations); 18 religious sects recognized

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.9% (male 519,352/female 495,591)
15-64 years: 71.6% (male 1,939,311/female 1,900,574)
65 years and over: 9.5% (2024 est.) (male 219,880/female 289,774)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.3 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 39 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.3 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.8 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 35.6 years
Female: 36.9 years

Population growth rate: 0.61% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 12.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: the majority of people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, particularly in and around the capital of Beirut

Urbanization
Urban population: 89.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 15 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 77.8 years
Female: 80.7 years

Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 7.4% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 5.1% (2023 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.6% (2023 est.); 11.6% (2022 est.); 12.7% (2021 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
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 Phoenician or Hebrew word be'erot, meaning 'the wells,' which were the only source of water in the region

Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa (Bekaa), Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord (North Lebanon), Liban-Sud (South Lebanon), Mont-Liban (Mount Lebanon), Nabatiye

Legal system: mixed 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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joseph AOUN (since 9 January 2025)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nawaf SALAM (since 8 February 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and the National Assembly
Election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by a qualified majority of two-thirds of Parliament members in the first round and, if needed, a two-thirds quorum of members by simple-majority popular vote for a 6-year term (eligible for non-consecutive terms); prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly
Most recent election date: 9 January 2025
2025: Joseph AOUN elected president in second round; National Assembly vote - 99 of 128
2016: Michel AWN elected president in second round; National Assembly vote - Michel AWN (FPM) 83; the president elected in its 46th attempt on 31 October 2016
Expected date of next election: 2,031

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National Assembly (Majlis Al-Nuwwab)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 128 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 5/15/2022
Parties elected and seats per party: Strong Republic (19); Strong Lebanon (18); Development and Liberation (15); Loyalty to the Resistance (15); Independent Deputies (9); Democratic Gathering (8); Independents (20); Other (24)
Percentage of women in chamber: 6.3%
Expected date of next election: May 2026
Note 1: Lebanon’s constitution states that the Parliament cannot conduct regular business until it elects a president when the position is vacant
Note 2: seats are apportioned evenly between Christians and Muslims

Flag description: three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double-width), and red (bottom), with a green cedar tree centered on the white band

National anthem
Title: 'Kulluna lil-watan' (All of Us, For Our Country!)
Lyrics/music: Rachid NAKHLE/Wadih SABRA
History: adopted 1927

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 6 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: -0.8% (2023 est.); -0.6% (2022 est.); -7% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: -0.8% (2023 est.); -0.6% (2022 est.); -7% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 136% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 5.2% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 1.9% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 30.6% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -73.7% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1% (2023 est.)
Industry: 2.1% (2023 est.)
Services: 42.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: banking, tourism, real estate and construction, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Industrial production growth rate: 0.1% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 1.939 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 11.6% (2023 est.); 11.6% (2022 est.); 12.7% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.6% (2023 est.); 11.6% (2022 est.); 12.7% (2021 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $12.73 billion (2021 est.)
Expenditures: $11.853 billion (2021 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 5.7% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $11.77 billion (2023 est.); $12.445 billion (2022 est.); $9.684 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: jewelry, cars, diamonds, scrap iron, gold (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $23.313 billion (2023 est.); $24.536 billion (2022 est.); $17.667 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, gold, cars, packaged medicine, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 5.161 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 4.077 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 797 million kWh (2021 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 436.839 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 52.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 31% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 15.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 166,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 47 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 164,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 115,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 17.484 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 375,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 17.109 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 43.105 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 875,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4.29 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2021 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 84% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 419,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2022 est.)

Military expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (2022 est.); 3.2% of GDP (2021 est.); 3% of GDP (2020 est.); 4.7% of GDP (2019 est.); 5.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

Airports: 8 (2025)

Heliports: 27 (2025)

Railways
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

Merchant marine
Total: 51 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 2, container ship 1, general cargo 30, oil tanker 1, other 17