Lebanon
- Capital:
- Beirut
- Continent:
- Asia
- Region(s):
- Western Asia, The Middle East
- Largest Cities:
- Beirut, Ra's Bayrut, Tripoli
- Abbreviation:
- LBN
* As of 6/24/2025
1 birth
Every 5.7 minutes
1 death
Every 14.7 minutes
1 emigrant
Every 51.4 minutes
1 person
Every 11.3 minutes
Lebanon, or the Lebanese Republic, is a Democratic Republic in the East Mediterranean. No official census has taken place in Lebanon since 1932 due to the sensitive balance between the country’s religious groups.
While nearly all Lebanese are identified as ethnically Arab, this is an example of panethnicity, or grouping self-identified ethnicities into a single group, as the Lebanese people are descended from many groups and it’s today a blend of a dozen closely related groups. The World Factbook notes that a portion of the population may identify as Phoenician in origin rather than as Arab.
The official language used in Lebanon is Arabic, with additional use of French, English, and Armenian.
The median age of the Lebanese population is at 30.5 years in 2018, with a total life expectancy of approximately 77.8 years of age.
In terms of religion among the population, we can see a breakdown of 54% Muslim following, 40.5% Christian following, and small percentages of a variety of other religions - including Buddhists, Mormons, and more.
In the 2018 World Happiness Report, Lebanon maintained a ranking of 88 with an overall happiness rating of 5.199 out of a possible 10. The report takes a variety of factors into consideration including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perception of corruption.
Evidence of civilization in the area predates recorded history, and Lebanon was once home to the maritime Phoenicians, a culture that existed for over 1,000 years. The region came under Roman Empire rule and eventually turned into the Empire’s largest center of Christianity before it was conquered by the Arab Muslims and then the Ottoman Empire.