Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Lower middle income
Lebanon: the economy in numbers
Per person: $4,473, or $11,917 at purchasing power parity. Population: 5.85 million (2025).
GDP in 2024, current US dollars: #121 of 204 economies. IMF estimate for 2025: +4.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $9.03 billion in 1988, $26.7 billion in 2024.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $2,613 per person in 1988, $4,595 in 2024.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2015–2024: −4.5% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1980: 12 of 45.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 93.5 times from 2008 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 487.2% in 1987. Years with inflation above 100%: 5. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 2000: 357.5% of GDP in 2021.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2021 listed domestic companies were worth $10.6 billion, or 45.7% of GDP.
Population
1960: 1.79 million · 2025: 5.85 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 8.6% · 2023: 11.0%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 63.9 years · 2024: 77.9 years.
Exports of goods and services
1989: 18.3% · 2024: 23.3%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.0%e | 14.6% | 139.4%e | 5.85M | |||||||
| 2024 | $26B | $4,473 | $11,917 | −7.1% | 45.2% | 152.0%e | 5.81M | 77.9 | 23.3% | ||
| 2023 | $20.1B | $3,478 | $12,585 | −0.8% | 221.3% | 175.6%e | 5.77M | 11.0% | 77.8 | 30.6% | |
| 2022 | $21B | $3,654 | $12,291 | −0.6% | 171.2% | 260.3%e | 5.74M | 11.1% | 78.0 | 34.8% | |
| 2021 | $23.1B | $4,045 | $11,600 | −7.0% | 154.8% | 357.5% | 5.72M | 12.7% | 45.7% | 73.7 | 26.0% |
| 2020 | $31.7B | $5,561 | $16,260 | −21.4% | 84.9% | 158.1% | 5.7M | 13.3% | 21.1% | 76.3 | 16.4% |
| 2019 | $51.6B | $8,906 | $21,710 | −6.9% | 3.0% | 171.9% | 5.79M | 11.3% | 15.0% | 78.2 | 20.7% |
| 2018 | $54.9B | $9,175 | $21,985 | −1.9% | 6.1% | 154.0% | 5.98M | 10.8% | 17.6% | 78.3 | 20.8% |
| 2017 | $53B | $8,608 | $20,964 | 0.9% | 4.3% | 150.4% | 6.16M | 10.3% | 21.7% | 78.2 | 21.9% |
| 2016 | $51.1B | $8,089 | $18,941 | 1.6% | −0.8% | 147.9% | 6.32M | 9.8% | 23.7% | 78.3 | 21.7% |
| 2015 | $49.9B | $7,714 | $17,046 | 0.5% | −3.7% | 140.9% | 6.47M | 9.3% | 22.8% | 78.3 | 23.1% |
| 2014 | $48.1B | $7,578 | $16,140 | 2.5% | 1.9% | 138.5% | 6.35M | 8.8% | 23.6% | 78.1 | 23.8% |
| 2013 | $46.9B | $8,162 | $16,316 | 3.8% | 4.8% | 135.4% | 5.74M | 8.5% | 22.8% | 78.0 | 26.6% |
| 2012 | $44B | $8,407 | $16,121 | 2.6% | 6.6% | 131.1% | 5.24M | 8.0% | 20.6% | 77.9 | 28.8% |
| 2011 | $39.9B | $7,835 | $14,975 | 0.9% | 5.0% | 134.4% | 5.1M | 7.4% | 22.7% | 77.8 | 36.4% |
| 2010 | $38.4B | $7,626 | $14,704 | 8.0% | 4.0% | 136.8% | 5.04M | 6.8% | 33.0% | 77.5 | 35.0% |
| 2009 | $35.4B | $7,091 | $13,586 | 10.2% | 1.2% | 144.5% | 4.99M | 6.4% | 36.3% | 77.3 | 33.2% |
| 2008 | $29.1B | $5,912 | $12,416 | 9.1% | 10.7% | 161.5% | 4.93M | 7.7% | 32.9% | 77.0 | 38.5% |
| 2007 | $24.8B | $5,125 | $11,356 | 9.3% | 4.1% | 169.3% | 4.84M | 9.0% | 43.3% | 76.7 | 37.1% |
| 2006 | $22B | $4,635 | $10,312 | 1.5% | 4.1% | 183.3% | 4.75M | 8.7% | 37.0% | 75.7 | 35.6% |
| 2005 | $21.5B | $4,602 | $10,020 | 2.7% | −1.4% | 178.9% | 4.67M | 8.2% | 22.4% | 76.1 | 36.6% |
| 2004 | $21.2B | $4,601 | $9,609 | 6.7% | 1.7% | 169.5% | 4.6M | 7.8% | 10.4% | 75.7 | 35.1% |
| 2003 | $20.1B | $4,438 | $8,914 | 3.2% | 1.3% | 171.3% | 4.53M | 8.1% | 7.1% | 75.3 | 16.7% |
| 2002 | $19.2B | $4,291 | $8,586 | 3.4% | 1.8% | 163.1% | 4.46M | 8.2% | 6.9% | 74.8 | 16.1% |
| 2001 | $17.6B | $4,010 | $8,289 | 3.8% | −0.4% | 163.1% | 4.4M | 8.5% | 7.0% | 74.4 | 15.6% |
| 2000 | $17.3B | $3,987 | $7,938 | 1.3% | −0.4% | 148.1% | 4.33M | 8.6% | 9.0% | 73.9 | 14.2% |
| 1999 | $17.4B | $4,087 | $7,793 | −0.5% | 0.2% | 4.26M | 8.8% | 10.9% | 73.5 | 14.1% | |
| 1998 | $17.2B | $4,125 | $7,861 | 3.7% | 4.5% | 4.18M | 8.6% | 13.9% | 73.2 | 13.8% | |
| 1997 | $15.8B | $3,834 | $7,632 | 1.1% | 7.7% | 4.11M | 8.6% | 17.0% | 72.9 | 14.5% | |
| 1996 | $13.7B | $3,393 | $7,560 | 11.3% | 8.9% | 4.03M | 8.4% | 17.5% | 72.6 | 12.8% | |
| 1995 | $11.7B | $2,959 | $6,796 | 6.4% | 10.3% | 3.96M | 8.4% | 72.4 | 10.8% | ||
| 1994 | $9.6B | $2,468 | $6,367 | 8.1% | 8.2% | 3.89M | 8.3% | 72.0 | 7.9% | ||
| 1993 | $7.94B | $2,079 | $5,871 | 10.8% | 24.7% | 3.82M | 8.2% | 71.6 | 9.2% | ||
| 1992 | $5.84B | $1,559 | $5,279 | 16.4% | 99.8% | 3.75M | 8.2% | 71.2 | 10.9% | ||
| 1991 | $4.69B | $1,278 | $4,527 | 49.4% | 50.1% | 3.67M | 8.6% | 70.9 | 12.5% | ||
| 1990 | $2.84B | $790 | $2,990 | 26.5% | 68.9% | 3.6M | 65.5 | 18.0% | |||
| 1989 | $2.72B | $771 | −42.5% | 72.2% | 3.53M | 65.1 | 18.3% | ||||
| 1988 | $3.31B | $959 | −28.2% | 155.0% | 3.45M | 62.9 | |||||
| 1987 | 16.7% | 487.2% | 3.39M | 62.5 | |||||||
| 1986 | −6.8% | 95.4% | 3.3M | 62.0 | |||||||
| 1985 | 24.3% | 69.4% | 3.22M | 61.6 | |||||||
| 1984 | 44.5% | 17.6% | 3.15M | 61.2 | |||||||
| 1983 | 22.7% | 7.2% | 3.09M | 60.8 | |||||||
| 1982 | −36.8% | 18.6% | 3.05M | 47.2 | |||||||
| 1981 | 0.5% | 19.3% | 3.01M | 60.3 | |||||||
| 1980 | 1.5% | 23.9% | 2.94M | 59.9 | |||||||
| 1979 | 2.88M | 59.6 | |||||||||
| 1978 | 2.82M | 60.0 | |||||||||
| 1977 | 2.76M | 60.3 | |||||||||
| 1976 | 2.73M | 36.4 | |||||||||
| 1975 | 2.69M | 57.7 | |||||||||
| 1974 | 2.64M | 66.4 | |||||||||
| 1973 | 2.57M | 66.3 | |||||||||
| 1972 | 2.51M | 66.2 | |||||||||
| 1971 | 2.45M | 66.1 | |||||||||
| 1970 | 2.39M | 66.0 | |||||||||
| 1969 | 2.33M | 65.9 | |||||||||
| 1968 | 2.27M | 65.8 | |||||||||
| 1967 | 2.21M | 65.7 | |||||||||
| 1966 | 2.15M | 65.5 | |||||||||
| 1965 | 2.09M | 65.3 | |||||||||
| 1964 | 2.03M | 65.1 | |||||||||
| 1963 | 1.97M | 64.9 | |||||||||
| 1962 | 1.91M | 64.6 | |||||||||
| 1961 | 1.85M | 64.3 | |||||||||
| 1960 | 1.79M | 63.9 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Real growth: IMF data for 1980–1988, World Bank for the other years. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–2008, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Afghanistan · Algeria · Bahrain · Djibouti · Egypt · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon · Libya · Malta · Morocco · Oman · Pakistan · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Syria · Tunisia · United Arab Emirates · West Bank and Gaza · Yemen
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)