Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Lebanon: population and ages

Lebanon: 5.87 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until 2080, to a peak of 7.46 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
5,872,709
Median age
29.0
Births in 2026
92,671
Deaths in 2026
36,463
Life expectancy at birth
78.2
Children per woman
2.19
Under 15
25.3%
65 and over
10.6%
Population pyramid, Lebanon, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+020K20K40K40K60K60K
Population pyramid, Lebanon, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 1.35 million people, so the population is now 4.4 times as large.

The UN projects 92,700 births and 36,500 deaths in 2026, 56,200 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2081.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202402M4M6M8M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Lebanon: 5.9M

Ages

The median age is 29.0, which is 2.1 years below the world’s 31.1.

25% of the people are under 15 and 11% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2061.

Women have 2.2 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 5.8 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 78.2 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 59.9.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100LebanonWorld
2026 Lebanon: 29World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 7 million people, 19% more than now, with a median age of 36.5.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024050K100K150K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 92.7KDeaths: 36.5K

Compare Lebanon with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 51% of the people lived in cities, 39% in towns and semi-dense areas and 10% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 52% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet80.6%2024
Access to electricity100.0%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)92.0%2019
92.6%2024
99.2%2024
90.0%2024
Human Development Index0.7522023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 77.8 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 19.0 more years for women and 16.1 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 16.5 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 25.6.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 7.19 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 2.38 million to 20 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 1.42 million international migrants lived here, 24.5% of the population.

In mid-2024, 682,000 people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Syria784,884
Palestine490,636
Ethiopia50,432
Bangladesh30,406
Sudan11,539
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
United States150,380
Canada97,179
Australia93,967
Saudi Arabia52,864
France51,485

Counted by citizenship. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 9.

CityPopulation 2025
Bayrūt (Beirut)1,794,019
Tripoli377,937
Sidon232,143
Nabatieh124,142
Zahle115,935
Tyre95,732
Miniyeh82,746
Baalbek75,620
Aamchit [Byblos]70,897

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Lebanon every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19501,349,35022.055,54417,94659.95.81
19601,794,40618.970,79518,28063.95.88
19702,386,11417.179,76619,17366.05.19
19802,944,76318.792,81929,76659.94.01
19903,595,17420.5100,05726,42965.53.27
20004,329,34023.292,24119,60173.92.60
20105,041,28826.893,79521,19077.52.26
20205,702,39827.896,44136,53476.32.31
20306,103,80830.194,87739,53678.82.11
20406,620,32933.098,33048,33480.21.99
20506,999,26036.586,55156,59481.61.90
20607,225,74539.582,64861,82682.91.84
20707,375,56941.580,52565,80484.21.80
20807,458,25043.773,54272,15785.41.78
20907,401,01846.069,48281,89486.51.76
21007,192,59247.466,05388,45687.61.75

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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