World Bank · data to 2024

Living in Lebanon in figures: income, prices and jobs

12 World Bank indicators for Lebanon, read in plain English, with how each has moved over about ten years. Useful context if you are weighing a job or a move there.

Short answer

Average income per person in Lebanon is about $373 a month (2024). Prices are about 62% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $993 a month would there. Unemployment is 11%, and 22.7% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) fell 31.2% between 2014 and 2024, unemployment rose 2.5 points and life expectancy fell by 0.2 years.

DecliningReal income per person (after inflation) fell 31.2% between 2014 and 2024, unemployment rose 2.5 points and life expectancy fell by 0.2 years.

12 figures that describe life in Lebanon

Income↓
$4,473

The economy produces about $4,473 a year per resident, roughly $373 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns.

2024 · Rank 14 of 23 · Arab average 15,457 · -41% since 2014
Buying power↓
$11,917

Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $11,917 a year would at US prices.

2024 · Rank 14 of 23 · Arab average 29,097 · -26.2% since 2014
Cost of living↓
38 / 100

Prices overall are about 62% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $38 here.

2024 · Rank 18 of 23 · Arab average 45.1 · -9.4 since 2014
Jobs↑
11%

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 11 cannot find a job.

2023 · Rank 13 of 23 · Arab average 10.5 · +2.5 since 2013
Young people↑
22.7%

Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 22.7 in 100 have no job.

2023 · Rank 12 of 23 · Arab average 24.6 · +3.6 since 2013
Prices↑
14.6%

Prices rose 14.6% in the latest year available.

2025 · Rank 21 of 22 · Arab average 10.2 · +18.3 since 2015
Income equality↑
35.5

A Gini index of 35.5 out of 100: a moderate gap between rich and poor.

2022 · Rank 12 of 17 · Arab average 33.3 · +3.7 since 2011
Poverty↑
5.8%

About 5.8 in every 100 people live on less than $3 a day (the World Bank's extreme poverty line).

2022 · Rank 12 of 17 · Arab average 6.9 · +5.7 since 2011
Health↓
77.9 years

A child born today lives 77.9 years on average.

2024 · Rank 9 of 23 · Arab average 74.5 · -0.2 since 2014
Women in work↓
22.2%

About 22.2 in every 100 women over 15 work or are looking for work.

2023 · Rank 12 of 23 · Arab average 28.5 · -2.5 since 2013
Internet↑
80.6%

About 8.1 in every 10 people use the internet.

2024 · Rank 13 of 23 · Arab average 72.6 · +7.6 since 2014
Migration↑
-10,230

More people leave than arrive (a net 10,230 people a year).

2025 · Rank 16 of 23 · Arab average 30,802

The arrow compares the latest value with its value about 10 years earlier: green is better, red is worse. Ranks and averages are among the 23 Arab countries on this site.

Is living standard rising? Real income per person since 1990

Income per person with inflation removed (constant 2015 US dollars), so it measures real improvement rather than rising prices.

02K5K7K9K19901995200020052010201520202024
Real income per person (2015 US$)

Unemployment over the years

047111419911996200120062011201620212023
Unemployment %

Life expectancy

02142628319901995200020052010201520202024
Years

And your own salary?

The figures above are national averages. On a gross salary worth $2,000 a month, an expat in Lebanon keeps about $1,881 after income tax and social insurance.

Frequently asked questions

What is life like in Lebanon, in figures?

Average income per person in Lebanon is about $373 a month (2024). Prices are about 62% lower than in the United States, so that income buys about as much as $993 a month would there. Unemployment is 11%, and 22.7% among young people. Over the last decade, real income per person (after inflation) fell 31.2% between 2014 and 2024, unemployment rose 2.5 points and life expectancy fell by 0.2 years.

Is Lebanon expensive to live in?

Prices overall are about 62% lower than in the United States: what costs $100 there costs the equivalent of about $38 here. Adjusted for local prices, that buys about as much as $11,917 a year would at US prices. Figures for 2024 from the World Bank.

What is the average income per person in Lebanon?

The economy produces about $4,473 a year per resident, roughly $373 a month per person. This is an average, not what each person earns. (2024). This is the size of the economy divided by the population, not the average salary. To work out a specific salary after tax, use the salary calculator.

Is the economy in Lebanon improving or declining?

Declining: Real income per person (after inflation) fell 31.2% between 2014 and 2024, unemployment rose 2.5 points and life expectancy fell by 0.2 years.

What is the unemployment rate in Lebanon?

Of every 100 people looking for work, about 11 cannot find a job. Among young people (15 to 24) looking for work, about 22.7 in 100 have no job. (International Labour Organization estimates, 2023).

Sources

  1. GDP per capita (current US$)
  2. GDP per capita, PPP (current international $)
  3. Price level index (GDP), United States = 100
  4. Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
  5. Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate)
  6. Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)
  7. Gini index
  8. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population)
  9. Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
  10. Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)
  11. Individuals using the Internet (% of population)
  12. Net migration
  13. GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$)
  14. GDP growth (annual %)
  15. Population, total

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, data last updated 13 July 2026.

We show the figures as the World Bank publishes them, without adjustment. National averages do not reflect differences between cities and people.

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