World Factbook
Lebanon
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
94.8% (2019 est.)
female
89.5% (2019 est.)
total population
92% (2019 est.)
Languages
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
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
total population
1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.76 male(s)/female
Birth rate
16.73 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
35.6 years
total
29.4 years (2025 est.)
female
36.9 years
Population
male
2,678,543
total
5,364,482 (2024 est.)
female
2,685,939
Nationality
noun
Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective
Lebanese
Tobacco use
male
43.8% (2025 est.)
total
34.1% (2025 est.)
female
25.4% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
89.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
-1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
Ethnic groups
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify as Arab but rather as descendants of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Child marriage
women married by age 15
1.4% (2016)
women married by age 18
6% (2016)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
50.3 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
39 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
8.8 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
11.3 (2024 est.)
Physician density
2.68 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
10.1% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
15.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-18.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.2 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: total
total: 92.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 7.4% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
1.2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
8.6% national budget (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
7.3 deaths/1,000 live births
total
7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
6.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
-0.77% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.07 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
the majority of people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, particularly in and around the capital of Beirut
Life expectancy at birth
male
77.8 years
female
80.7 years
total population
79.2 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
15 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
1.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
32% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
52.4% (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
5.1% (2023 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
12 years
total
11 years (2023 est.)
female
11 years (2014)