Lebanon has a liberal and open economy. The private  and banking sectors contribute approximately 75% towards aggregate demand, followed by tourism and industry.

(Source: lebanonembassyus)

GDP in recent years has grown steadily, despite fluctuations in growth. In 2006, the growth rate was 0.6% and increased in 2008 to reach a high of 9.3%.

(Source: econstats, econstats)

E=Estimated

(Source: econstats, econstats)

GDP per capita at PPP

The GDP per capita at PPP was USD 15,330.96 in 2010, an increase of 7.45% compared to USD 14,267.87 in 2009.

E=Estimated

(Source: econstats)

GNI per capita at PPP

The GNI per capita at PPP increased at a growth rate of 4.03% from USD 9,440 in 2000 to USD 13,475 in 2010.

(Source: undp)

Income tax rate

Income tax on individual incomes in Lebanon varies from 2% to 20%.

(Source: taxrates)

Corporate tax

Standard corporate tax in Lebanon is 15% and VAT levied across the country is 10%.

(Source: taxrates)

Inflation rate

The inflation rate in Lebanon fluctuates varying from 4.7% in April 2010 and -1.1% in January 2010.

(Source: CAS)

FDI Inflow

Between 2005 to 2008, FDI inflow increased from USD 2.62 billion to USD 4.33 billion. In 2009, FDI decreased to USD 4.08 billion.

(Source: worldbank)

Banking sector assets

The assets of Central bank of Lebanon are:

(Source: bdl)

Consumer price index (CPI)

The CPI in 2010, increased from 107.9 in January 2010 to 113.5 in November 2010, declining slightly in January 2010 and June 2010.

Base: Dec 2007 = 100

(Source: CAS)

Interest rate

(Source: bdl, bdl, bdl, bdl)

Money Supply

Lebanon has four measures of its monetary stock - M1, M2, M3 and M4 where

M1 includes:

·         Currency in circulation

·         Sight deposits in LBP

M2 includes M1 and:

·         Other deposits in LBP

M3 includes M2 and:

·         Deposits in foreign currencies

·         Other financial liabilities

M4 includes M3 and:

·         Treasury bills held by non-banking system

(Source: bdl)

Government expenditure

In 2009, Government expenditure increased by 14.78% over 2008.

(Source: CAS)

Public debt

Lebanon's public debt increased between 2005 and 2010. Total debt in 2010 was LBP 67,722 billion, an increase of 1.72% over 2009.

(Source: bdl)

Official exchange rate

The official exchange rate of the LBP against the USD was at a steady rate of 1507.5 between 2005 and 2010.

(Source: bdl)

Government finances

Fiscal balance

Lebanon's fiscal balance was running a deficit between 2008 and 2010, registering the highest deficit of LBP 3,351 billion in 2009.

(Source: finance.gov.lb)

Total revenue

Lebanon's total revenue was on a steady rise between 2005 and 2009, decreasing only slightly in 2006.

(Source: CAS)

Tax revenue

Tax revenues increased between 2007 and 2009. Lebanon's tax revenue reached a maximum level in 2009 with LBP 8,967 billion.

(Source: CAS)

Current account balance

Lebanon's current account balance was in deficit of LBP 7,519 billion in 2009. The deficit has been increasing at a rate of 89.41% since 2006.

(Source: bdl)

Balance of payments

(Source: bdlpage: 46)

Labour force participation rate

In 2008, the labour force participation rate for males among the age group between 15-64 years was 76.9% and  24.8% for females of the same age group.

(Source: UN)

Unemployment rate

The total unemployment rate in Lebanon falls between the range of 12 to 14%. The youth-unemployment rate in Lebanon is 21%.

(Source: economist, dailystar)

Government stability

Lebanon has a republican form of government and is unicameral. There are two main religious political parties in Lebanon- Muslim and Christian.

(Source: lebanese-forces.org)

Regulatory environment

Lebanon’s economic freedom score is 60.1, ranking it as 89^th freest country in 2011 Index.

(Source: heritage.org)

Corruption perception

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a survey to measure the perceived level of corruption across countries worldwide. Lebanon is ranked 127^th on the index indicating low levels of corruption in public departments.

CPI ranking of the country moved from 130^th in 2009 to 127^th in 2010 with a score of 2.5 and confidence range of 1.8 to 3.0.

(Source: transparency.org, transparency.org)

Freedom of information

World Press Freedom Index 2010 ranks Lebanon at 78^th position with a score of 20.5, indicating that media in Lebanon has few restrictions. Lebanon's press system is highly regionalised and newspapers are privately owned.

Major newspapers in Lebanon are:

·         An-Nahar

·         Al-Safir

·         Al-Anwar

·         Al-Mustaqbal

·         Al-Diyar

·         L'Orient-Le Jour

·         The Daily Star

(Source: BBC, rsf.org)

Judicial system

Lebanon's judicial system is mainly based on Civil Law, Islamic law, Ottoman legal principles and the laws of the Lebanese legislature. Lebanon has two types of courts, ordinary and exceptional courts. The ordinary courts are subdivided into criminal and civil departments. At the base of the judicial system there are the Courts of First Instance followed by the Courts of Appeal.

(Source: undp-pogar.org)

The total population of Lebanon in 2010 was estimated to be 4.3 million.

(Source: undp page: 183)

In 2009, males accounted for 49% of the total population and females accounted for 51%.

(Source: worldbank)

In 2009, the population in Lebanon below 14 years of age accounted for 25%, whereas people in the 15-64 and 65 year age group and above made up 67% and 7% respectively.

(Source: worldbank, worldbank, worldbank)

Birth and death rate

Between 2005 and 2010, the crude birth rate was estimated at 15.8 per 1,000 people and the crude death rate was 6.9 per 1,000 people.

(Source: UN, UN)

Life expectancy

The average life expectancy at birth in Lebanon is 72.4, for males it is 71 years and for females it is 75 years.

(Source: BBC)

Ethnic environment

The ethnic groups in Lebanon are mainly Arab, Armenian and others. Lebanon's urban population growth rate between 2005 and 2010 was 1.2% and the rural population growth rate was 0.1%. The total population growth rate was 0.8% (per 1,000).

(Source: UN, state.gov)

Migration and urbanisation

In mid-2010, the international migrant stock in Lebanon was 758,200, representing 17.8% of the total population. In 2009 Lebanon’s rural population was 545,683 and the urban population was 3.67 million.

(Source:UN, worldbank, worldbank)

Human development index (HDI)

The country ranked 83^rd out of 182 countries on the HDI 2007 conducted by the United Nations. The HDI provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education).

(Source: undp)

Literacy rate

Ther literacy rate for adults in Lebanon was 89.6% in 2010.

(Source: undp)

Education resources

The education system in Lebanon includes:

·         Pre-higher education

·         Higher education system

The higher education system includes:

·         Universities

·         University institutes

·         Technical universities

·         Higher institutes/ schools.

In 2008, Lebanon had 907,211 school students and 167,165 higher education students. The numbers of female students in higher education was 91,276 and the number of male students was 75,889.

(Source: CAS page: 6)

Healthcare resources

The healthcare system in Lebanon has maintained a good standard of medical assistance. Lebanon’s health system has undergone significant changes since 2000. The private hospitals in Lebanon are mainly owned by physicians, charitable and religious organizations, and universities.

(Source:moph.gov)

Mass public transit

The main mode of public transport in Lebanon is predominantley by road (buses and cabs), ferries, railway and air travel. The roadway length in Lebanon is 6,970 km.

(Source:bymap.org)

Ports

There are 2 ports in Lebanon which are the Port of Beirut and the Port of Tripoli.

(Source:world port source)

Airports

 There are three airports in Lebanon which are as follows:

(Source: aircraft-charter-world)

Telecommunications networks

In 2010, the total number of internet users was approximately 1 million, accounting for 24.2% of the entire population and an increase of about 5.82% over 2009.

(Source: internet world stats)