Demographics of Lebanon

Demographics of Lebanon
Indicator	Rank	Measure
Economy
GDP (PPP) per capita	51th	$15,557
Unemployment rate	↓ 21st	8.89%*
CO2 emissions	78th	3.05t†
Electricity consumption	77nd	49.72GWh
Economic Freedom	95th	2.98
Politics
Human Development Index	68rd	0.803
Political freedom	Unknown	4
Corruption (A higher score means less (perceived) corruption.)	↓ 43rd	5.1
Press freedom	45th	74.00
Society
Literacy Rate	43th	96.7%
Number of Internet users	59rd	2,604,000 users
E-readiness	14th	7.16±
Ease of Doing Business	24th	Unknown
Health
Life Expectancy	59th	77.0
Birth rate	113th	15.6‡
Fertility rate	157th	1.77††
Infant mortality	127th	14.39‡‡
Death rate	157st	7.5‡
HIV/AIDS rate	127st	0.10%
Quality-of-life	31th	6.808±
Notes
* including several non-sovereign entities ↓ indicates rank is in reverse order (e.g. 1st is lowest) † per capita ± score out of 10 ‡ per 1000 people †† per woman ‡‡ per 1000 live births

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Lebanon, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Identifying all Lebanese as ethnically Arab is a widely employed example of panethnicity since in reality, the Lebanese “are descended from many different peoples who have occupied, invaded, or settled this corner of the world,” making Lebanon, “a mosaic of closely interrelated cultures”^[1]. While at first glance, this ethnic, linguistic, religious and denominational diversity might seem to cause civil and political unrest, “for much of Lebanon’s history this multitudinous diversity of religious communities has coexisted with little conflict”^[2]. About 91% of the population of Lebanon includes numerous Muslim and Christian sects. Because the matter of religious balance is a sensitive political issue, a national census has not been conducted since 1932, before the founding of the modern Lebanese state. Consequently there is an absence of accurate data on the relative percentages of the population of the major religions and groups.^[3]

Ethnic groups

The Lebanese

Main article: Lebanese people

Three Lebanese women, 1873.

Ethnic background is an important factor in Lebanon. The country encompasses a great mix of cultural, religious, and ethnic groups which have been building up for more than 6,000 years. Although most of the population is today considered Arab, in the sense that Arabic is the national language, the ethnic self-designations vary. Whereas the Arabs first reached Lebanon in the 3rd century AD when the Ghassanids (mostly Christian Arabs) migrated north, the majority of the Maronite population is non-Arab in terms of ancestry. The predominant cultural backgrounds and ancestry of the Lebanese vary from Aramaean (Ancient Syria) to Canaanite (Phoenician), and Greek (Byzantine). Lebanese are overall genetically similar to the other modern Levantine populations, such as the Syrians and the Palestinians.^[4] The question of ethnic identity has come to revolve more around aspects of cultural self-identification more than descent. Religious affiliation has also become a substitute in some respects for ethnic affiliation.^[5] Generally it can be said that all religious sects comprise many different ethnic backgrounds, and that clear ethnic boundaries are difficult to define. Still, religious and ethnic distinctions sometimes coincide, since religious sects have tended to marry within the group, thus preserving not only religious but ethnic characteristics.

The Maronite Christians, are a part of the Syriac people and belongs to the West Syriac Rite. Their Liturgical language is the Syriac-Aramaic language.^[6][7]

Melkite Greek Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, tend to focus more on the Greek heritage of the region from the days of the Byzantine Empire, and the fact that Greek was maintained as a liturgical language until very recently. Some Christians even claim partial descent from Crusader knights who ruled Lebanon for a couple of centuries during the Middle Ages, also backed by recent genetic studies which found many Lebanese Christians, especially North of the country. This identification with non-Arab civilizations also exists in other religious communities, albeit not to the same extent.

Palestinian refugees

Palestinians celebrating in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, 2005.

402,582 descendants of Palestinian refugees were registered in Lebanon with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in March 2005, almost all refugees or descendants of refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Some of these may have emigrated during the civil war, but there are no reliable figures available. There are also a number of Palestinians who are not registered as UNRWA refugees, because they left earlier than 1948 or were not in need of material assistance. The exact number of Palestinians remain a subject of great dispute and the Lebanese government will not provide an estimate. A figure of 400,000 Palestinian refugees would mean that Palestinians constitute more than 10% of the resident population of Lebanon.

Palestinians living in Lebanon are considered foreigners and are under the same restrictions on employment applied to other foreigners. Prior to 2010 they were under even more restrictive employment rules which permitted, other than work for the U.N., only the most menial employment. They are not allowed to attend public schools, own property, or make an enforceable will.^[8]

Palestinian refugees, who constitute nearly a tenth of the country’s population, have long been denied basic rights in Lebanon. They are not allowed to attend public schools, own property or pass on inheritances, measures Lebanon says it has adopted to preserve their right to return to their property in what constitutes Israel now.

Their presence is controversial, and resisted by large segments of the Christian population, who argue that the primarily Sunni Muslim Palestinians dilute Christian numbers. Many Shi'a Muslims also look unfavorably upon the Palestinian presence since the camps have tended to be concentrated in their home areas. The Lebanese Sunnis, however, would be happy to see these Palestinians given the Lebanese nationality, thus increasing the Lebanese Sunni population by well over 10% and tipping the fragile electoral balance much in favor of the Sunnis. Late Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri—himself a Sunni—had hinted on more than one occasion on the inevitability of granting these refugees Lebanese citizenship. Thus far the refugees are denied citizenship as well as many rights enjoyed by the rest of the population, and are confined to severely overcrowded refugee camps, in which construction rights are severely constricted.

Palestinians may not work in a large number of professions, such as lawyers and doctors. However, after negotiations between Lebanese authorities and ministers from the Palestinian National Authority some professions for Palestinians were allowed (such as taxi driver and construction worker). The material situation of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is difficult, and they are believed to constitute the poorest community in Lebanon, as well as the poorest Palestinian community with the possible exception of Gaza refugees. Their primary sources of income are UNRWA aid and menial labor sought in competition with Syrian guest workers.

The Palestinians are almost totally Sunni Muslim, though at some point Christians counted as high as 40% with Muslims at 60%. The numbers of Palestinian Christians has diminished in later years, as many have managed to leave Lebanon. During the Lebanese Civil War, Palestinian Christians sided with the rest of the Palestinian community, instead of allying with Lebanese Greek Orthodox or other Christian communities.

60,000 Palestinians have received Lebanese citizenship, including most Christian Palestinians.^[9][10]

Other immigrants and ethnic groups

There are substantial numbers of immigrants from other Arab countries and non-Arab-speaking Muslim countries. Also, recent years have seen an influx of people from Ethiopia ^[11] and South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka,^[12] as well as smaller numbers of other immigrant minorities, Colombians and Brazilians (of Lebanese descent themselves). Most of these are employed as guest workers in the same fashion as Syrians and Palestinians, and entered the country to search for employment in the post-war reconstruction of Lebanon. Apart from the Palestinians, there are approximately 180,000 stateless persons in Lebanon.

Lebanese Armenians, Jews, Persians form more distinct ethnic minorities, all of them in possession of a separate languages and a national home area outside of Lebanon. However, they total 5% of the population.

Due to the US-led invasion of Iraq, Lebanon has received a mass influx of Iraqi refugees numbering at around 100,000. The vast majority of them are undocumented, with a large number having been deported or put in prison.^[13]

There are an estimated 40,000 Asyrians (Syriac Christians) in Lebanon (estimate do not inclued the member of the Maronite Syriac Church).^[14][15] They belong to various Syriac denominations, including the Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and the Chaldean Catholic Church.

There are about 200,000 Mardalli Arabs in Lebanon, i.e. Arabs originating from the Mardin province in Turkey, most of them live in Beirut. The Mardallis are often falsely referred to as Kurds by the Lebanese people because of the lack of knowledge about their background by the Lebanese people and since they originate from an area that have a big Kurdish population today.

During European colonialism, there was a fairly large French minority. Most of the French settlers left after Lebanese independence in 1943. Their most important colonial influence is the frequent use of French language.

Religious groups of Lebanon

The sectarian system

Lebanon's religious divisions are extremely complicated, and the country is made up by a multitude of religious groupings. The ecclesiastical and demographic patterns of the sects are complex. Divisions and rivalries between groups date back as far as 15 centuries, and still are a factor today. The pattern of settlement has changed little since the 7th century, but instances of civil strife and ethnic cleansing, most recently during the Lebanese Civil War, has brought some important changes to the religious map of the country. (See also History of Lebanon.)

Lebanon has by far the largest proportion of Christians of any Arab country, but both Christians and Muslims are sub-divided into many splinter sects. All population statistics are by necessity controversial, and all sects have a vested interest in inflating their own numbers. Sunnis, Shi'as and Maronites (the three largest sects) all often claim that their particular religious affiliation holds a majority in the country, adding up to over 150% of the total population, even before counting the other sects. One of the rare things that most Lebanese religious leaders will agree on is to avoid a new general census, for fear that it could trigger a new round of sectarian conflict. The last official census was performed in 1932.

Religion has traditionally been of overriding importance in defining the Lebanese population. Dividing state power between the religious sects, and granting religious authorities judicial power, dates back to Ottoman times (the millet system). The practice was re-inforced during French mandate, when Christian groups were granted privileges. This system of government, while partly intended as a compromise between sectarian demands, has caused tensions that still dominate Lebanese politics to this day.

The Christian population majority is believed to have ended in the early 1930s, but government leaders would agree to no change in the political power balance. This led to Muslim demands of increased representation, and the constant sectarian tension slid into violent conflict in 1958 (prompting U.S. intervention) and again in the grueling Lebanese Civil War, in 1975–90.

The balance of power has been slightly adjusted in the 1943 National Pact, an informal agreement struck at independence, in which positions of power were divided according to the 1932 census. The Sunni elite was then accorded more power, but Maronites continued to dominate the system. The sectarian balance was again adjusted towards the Muslim side but simultaneously further reinforced and legitimized. Shi'a Muslims (by now the largest sect) then gained additional representation in the state apparatus, and the obligatory Christian-Muslim representation in Parliament was downgraded from a 6:5 to a 1:1 ratio. Christians of various sects were then generally thought to constitute about 40% of the population, although often Muslim leaders would cite lower numbers, and some Christians would claim that they still held a majority of the population.

The 18 recognized sects

The present Lebanese Constitution officially acknowledges 18 religious groups (see below). These have the right to handle family law according to their own courts and traditions, and they are the basic players in Lebanon's complex sectarian politics. Still, it is important to note that these groups are not internally homogeneous; for example, the Maronite, Shi'a and Druze communities have been wracked by internal fighting even in recent times.

• Alawite
• Armenian Catholic
• Armenian Orthodox
• Assyrian Church of the East
• Chaldean Catholic
• Copts
• Druze
• Greek Catholic
• Greek Orthodox
• Isma'ili
• Jewish
• Maronite
• Protestant
• Roman Catholic
• Sunni
• Shi'a
• Syriac Catholic
• Syriac Orthodox

Religious population statistics

Note: stateless Palestinians and Syrians are not included in the statistics below since they do not hold Lebanese citizenship. The numbers only include the present population of Lebanon, and not the Lebanese diaspora.

The 1932 census stated that Christians made up 54% of the population. Maronites, largest among the Christian sects and then largely in control of the state apparatus, accounted for 29% of the total resident population. But since the 19th century, Muslim birth rates have been continually higher than Christian birth rates. Also, far larger numbers of Christians emigrated from Lebanon than Muslims. According to recent statistics by the CIA Factbook, 59.7% of the Lebanese population are Muslims, while 40% are Christians.^[16]

Christians

Today, it is estimated that the Christian population makes up about 39%^[16] to 43%^[17] of the total population.

• The Maronites are the largest of the Christian groups. They have had a long and continuous association with the Roman Catholic Church, but have their own patriarch, liturgy, and customs. Traditionally they had good relations with the Western world, especially France and the Vatican.^{[citation needed]} They traditionally dominated the Lebanese government, and the President of Lebanon is always a Maronite. Their influence in later years has diminished, because of their relative decrease in numbers but also due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, which generally benefited Muslim communities, and was resisted by most Maronites. Today the Maronites are believed to compose about 21% of the population, scattered around the Lebanese countryside but with heavy concentrations on Mount Lebanon and in Beirut.
• The second largest Christian group is the Greek Orthodox. The church exists in many parts of the Arab world and Greek Orthodox Christians have often been noted for pan-Arab or pan-Syrian leanings; it has had less dealings with Western countries than the Maronites. They are believed to constitute about 8% of the total population, including the Palestinian Greek Orthodox community, much of whom have been given Lebanese citizen.
• The remaining Christian churches are thought to constitute another 8% of the population (Greek Catholics or Melkites, Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, Assyrians, Protestants) with no single group over 4% of the total population. Please refer to their articles in the list above, for more information.

• For the Roman Catholics see Roman Catholicism in Lebanon.

Muslims

Today, there is consensus that Muslims constitute a solid majority of the population. According to the CIA World Factbook The Muslim population is estimated at 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri).^[16] Sectarian Breakdown:

• Shi'a Muslims are around 28%^[18][19] of the total population. Shias are the only sect eligible for the post of Speaker of Parliament.^{[20][21][22][23]} The Shiites are concentrated their two traditional heartlands in the northern half of the Beqaa and Jabal Amel, the region east of Tyre and in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Lebanon.^[24]
• Sunni Muslims constitute also about 28%^[24] of the total population. Sunni notables traditionally held power in the Lebanese state together, and they are still the only sect eligible for the post of Prime Minister^[25] Sunnis are concentrated in Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon and in the countryside of the Akkar and the central Beqaa.^[24]
• The Druze constitute 5% of the population (however, most Druze do not consider themselves as an Islamic sect but rather as a separate religion).^{[original research?]}
• Other Muslim sects have a small presence, with the Isma'ilis and Alawites combined comprising less than 1% of the population.

Other religions

Other religions account for only an estimated 1.3% of the population, according to the CIA Factbook. There remains a very small Jewish population, traditionally centered in Beirut. It has been larger: most Jews left the country after the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990).

The Lebanese diaspora

Main article: Lebanese diaspora

Apart from the three and a half million citizens of Lebanon proper, there is a sizeable Lebanese diaspora. No accurate numbers are available, so estimates on the total size of the diaspora vary wildly, from conservative estimates of 4–5 million to a maximum, and probably inflated, figure of 15 million. Most Lebanese emigrants and their descendants are Christian; however, there are some who are Muslim. Lebanese Christian families are economically and politically prominent in several Latin American countries (in 2007 Mexican Carlos Slim Helú, son of Lebanese immigrants, was determined to be the wealthiest man in the World by Fortune Magazine), and make up a substantial portion of the Lebanese American community in the United States. The largest Lebanese diaspora is located in Brazil, where about 6–7 million people have Lebanese descent (see Lebanese Brazilian).

The large size of Lebanon's diaspora may be partly explained by the historical and cultural tradition of sea-faring and traveling, which stretches back to Lebanon's ancient Phoenician origins and its role as a "gateway" of relations between Europe and the Middle East. It has been commonplace for Lebanese citizens to emigrate in search of economic prosperity. Furthermore, on several occasions in the last two centuries the Lebanese population has endured periods of ethnic cleansing and displacement (for example, 1840–60 and 1975–90). These factors have contributed to the geographical mobility of the Lebanese people.

While under Syrian occupation, Beirut passed legislation which prevented second-generation Lebanese of the diaspora from automatically obtaining Lebanese citizenship. This has reinforced the émigré status of many diaspora Lebanese. There is currently a campaign by those Lebanese of the diaspora who already have Lebanese citizenship to attain the vote from abroad, which has been successfully passed in the Lebanese parliament and will be effective as of 2013 which is the next parliamentary elections. If suffrage was to be extended to these 1.2 million Lebanese émigré citizens, it would have a significant political effect, since as many as 90% of them are believed to be Christian.

Lebanese Civil War refugees and displaced persons

With no official figures available, it is estimated that 600,000–900,000 persons fled the country during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90). Although some have since returned, this permanently disturbed Lebanese population growth and greatly complicated demographic statistics.

Another result of the war was a large number of internally displaced persons. This especially affected the southern Shi'a community, as Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 1996 prompted waves of mass emigration, in addition to the continual strain of occupation and fighting between Israel and Hizbullah (mainly 1982 to 2000).

Many Shi'a resettled in hastily constructed slum suburbs south of Beirut, the so-called "belt of misery". After the war, the pace of Christian emigration accelerated, as many Christians felt discriminated against in a Lebanon under increasingly oppressive Syrian occupation.

Languages in Lebanon

Commonly spoken languages in Lebanon include Lebanese/Arabic (official), French(official), Syriac official language of Lebanese Christian Maronite church, English, and Armenian, Greek is the liturgical language of Greek Christians. Kurdish and Coptic are minority languages Mainly spoken between their respective populations.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

• Population:

Total population: 4,143,101 (July 2011 est.)

• Age structure:
• 0–14 years: 21.5% (male 487,930/female 464,678)
• 15–64 years: 68% (male 1,370,628/female 1,466,173)
• 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 173,073/female 200,619) (2010 est.)

• Median age:

Total: 29.34 years

Male: 27.28 years

Female: 31.43 years (2011 est.)

• Population growth rate:

1.04% (2005 est.)

0.96% (2011 est.) according to CIA Factbook

• Birth rate:

18.5 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

• Death rate:

6.46 deaths/1,000 population (2011 est.)

• Net migration rate:

-4.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

• Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

• Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 14.52 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

• Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.82 years

male: 75.28 years

female: 78.36 years (2010 est.)

• Total fertility rate:

2.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)

1.98 children born/woman (2011 est.)

Marginalized portions of society

According to a UNDP study, as much as 10% of the Lebanese had a disability in 1990.^[26] Other studies have pointed to the fact that this portion of society is highly marginalized due to the lack of educational and governmental support of their advancement.^[26]

References

1. ^ Stokes, Jamie. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East, page 406
2. ^ Stokes, Jamie. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East, page 406
3. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report – Lebanon". 2001 Report on International Religious Freedom. US Department of State. October 26, 2001. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5615.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
4. ^ Franklin-Barbajosa, Cassandra (October 2004). "In the Wake of the Phoenicians: DNA study reveals a Phoenician-Maltese link". National Geographic Magazine. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature2/online_extra.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
5. ^ "Sectarian and Clan Consciousness – Lebanon". Country Studies. http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/40.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
6. ^ http://www.bkerkelb.org/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143:-introduction&catid=35:maronite-identity-&Itemid=55
7. ^ http://www.bkerkelb.org/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142:-identity-of-the-maronite-church-a-syriac-antiochene-church-with-a-special-liturgical-heritage&catid=35:maronite-identity-&Itemid=55
8. ^ "Lebanon Gives Palestinians New Work Rights" article by Nada Bakri in The New York Times August 17, 2010, accessed August 17, 2010
9. ^ http://prrn.mcgill.ca/research/papers/peteet.htm
10. ^ http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,4565c2258,465467da2,3ae6abc95b,0.html
11. ^ "IOM Steps Up Evacuation of Stranded Migrants from Lebanon". International Organization for Migration. July 26, 2006. http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/newsArticleAF/cache/offonce?entryId=9427. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
12. ^ "CBC News In Depth: Middle East in Crisis – Canada and Lebanon, a special tie". CBC News. August 1, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/middleeast-crisis/canada-lebanon.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
13. ^ Assir, Serene (September 4, 2007). "Invisible Lives:Iraqis In Lebanon". Assyrian International News Agency. http://www.aina.org/news/2007049133807.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-15. 
14. ^ Kjeilen, Tore. "Lebanon: Religions & Peoples". LookLex Encyclopedia. http://i-cias.com/e.o/lebanon_4.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
15. ^ Kjeilen, Tore. "Assyrian people". LookLex Encyclopedia. http://i-cias.com/e.o/assyrian_p.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
16. ^ ^{a b c} "CIA, World Factbook, Lebanon – People". Central Intelligence Agency. December 18 , 2008. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/le.html#People. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
17. ^ "The New York Times – Major Attacks in Lebanon, Israel and the Gaza Strip". New York Times. 2006-07-19. http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/07/19/world/middleeast/20060719_MIDEAST_GRAPHIC.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
18. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2008 – Lebanon". 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom. US Departement of State. September 19, 2008. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108487.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
19. ^ "Countries with more than 100,000 Shia Muslims". Pew Research Centre. http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Orphan_Migrated_Content/Muslimpopulation.pdf. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
20. ^ "Lebanon-Religious Sects". Global Security.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/lebanon/religious-sects.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
21. ^ "March for secularism; religious laws are archaic". NowLebanon. http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=163321. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
22. ^ "Fadlallah Charges Every Sect in Lebanon Except his Own Wants to Dominate the Country". Naharnet. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/story/891730DF9036DA65C22571F6005DFDF0?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
23. ^ "Aspects of Christian-Muslim Relations in Contemporary Lebanon". Macdonald.hartsem.edu. http://macdonald.hartsem.edu/articles_hajjar.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-11. 
24. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=5058&tmpl=printpage
25. ^ .[1]
26. ^ ^{a b} LEBANON: Disabled remain marginalized, study finds, IRIN. Accessed August 6, 2009.