Observatory of Economic Complexity

Flag Lebanon

Econ Complexity (2018): 0.32, Rank 51 of 137

Product Exports (2018): $3.6B, Rank 122 of 222

Exports Per Capita (2018): $526, Rank 93 of 219

Product Imports (2018): $21B, Rank 75 of 221

Imports Per Capita (2018): $3.07k, Rank 76 of 219

Service Exports (2017): $15.4B, Rank 42 of 139

Service Imports (2017): $14.1B, Rank 46 of 139

GDP (2018): $56.6B, CURRENT US$
Rank 81 of 196

GDP growth (2008 - 2018): 93.8%, CURRENT US$
Rank 34 of 196

GDP PC (2018): $8,270, CURRENT US$
Rank 85 of 196

GDP PC GROWTH (2008 - 2018): 34.8%, CURRENT US$
Rank 72 of 196

About

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Overview: In 2018 Lebanon was the number 81 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 122 in total exports, the number 75 in total imports, and the number 51 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2018, Lebanon exported $3.6B and imported $21B, resulting in a negative trade balance of -$17.4B. In 2018, Lebanon's exports per capita were $526 and its imports per capita were $3.07k.

Trade: The top exports of Lebanon are Gold ($322M), Diamonds ($277M), Scrap Copper ($146M), Scrap Iron ($142M), and Jewellery ($141M). The top imports of Lebanon are Refined Petroleum ($3.47B), Cars ($1.02B), Packaged Medicaments ($868M), Gold ($779M), and Broadcasting Equipment ($413M).

Destinations: Lebanon exports mostly to United Arab Emirates ($486M), Saudi Arabia ($240M), Syria ($205M), South Africa ($175M), and Switzerland ($172M), and imports mostly from China ($2.05B), Greece ($1.73B), Italy ($1.63B), United States ($1.41B), and United Arab Emirates ($1.17B).

Location: Lebanon borders Israel by land and Cyprus by sea.

Product Trade

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Product Exports

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Depth
Value

Top Export (2018): Gold, $322M

Top Destination (2018): United Arab Emirates, $486M

In 2018 Lebanon exported a total of $3.6B, making it the number 122 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Lebanon have changed by -$1.21B from $4.81B in 2013 to $3.6B in 2018.

The most recent exports are led by Gold ($322M), Diamonds ($277M), Scrap Copper ($146M), Scrap Iron ($142M), and Jewellery ($141M). The most common destination for the exports of Lebanon are United Arab Emirates ($486M), Saudi Arabia ($240M), Syria ($205M), South Africa ($175M), and Switzerland ($172M).

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Product Imports

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Depth
Value

Top Import (2018): Refined Petroleum, $3.47B

Top Origin (2018): China, $2.05B

In 2018 Lebanon imported $21B, making it the number 75 trade destination in the world. During the last five reported years the imports of Lebanon changed by -$988M from $22B in 2013 to $21B in 2018.

The most recent imports of Lebanon are led by Refined Petroleum ($3.47B), Cars ($1.02B), Packaged Medicaments ($868M), Gold ($779M), and Broadcasting Equipment ($413M). The most common import partners for Lebanon are China ($2.05B), Greece ($1.73B), Italy ($1.63B), United States ($1.41B), and United Arab Emirates ($1.17B).

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Market Growth

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Flow

Fastest Growing Export Markets (2017 - 2018)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2017 - 2018)

Service Trade

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Service Trade

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Lebanon Exports Services (2017): $15.4B

Lebanon Imports Services (2017): $14.1B

In 2017, Lebanon exported $15.4B worth of services. The top services exported by Lebanon in 2017 were Personal travel ($7.45B), Financial services ($2.09B), Merchanting and other trade-related services ($1.27B), Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($1.04B), and Air transport ($528M).

The top services imported by Lebanon in 2017 were Personal travel ($5.21B), Financial services ($2.32B), Merchanting and other trade-related services ($1.57B), Sea transport ($1.23B), and Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($577M).

Forecasts

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Trade Forecasts

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This section shows forecasts for total product exports and imports for Lebanon. The forecast is based in a long short-term memory model or LSTM constructed using yearly trade data.

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Tariffs

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Tariffs by Product

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The top product import tariffs by their MFN Ad Valorem value for Lebanon are Cement clinkers (75%) and Portland cement, other than white cement (75%).

Click any of the products in the bar chart to see the specific Ad Valorem Duty Rates by partner country.

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*The tariffs applied to imports for Lebanon are:
136: Most Favoured Nation duty rate treatement
217: Preferential tariff for European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries
218: Preferential tariff for European Union countries
238: Preferential tariff for Iceland
281: Preferential tariff for Norway
307: Preferential tariff for Switzerland and Liechtenstein
313: Preferential tariff for the League of Arab States

Economic Complexity

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Economic Complexity Ranking

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Scale

During the last 15 years Lebanon's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨43rd to the 51st⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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Lebanon has a high level of specialization in Phosphatic Fertilizers (178), Potato Flours (61.5), Phosphoric Acid (38), Pickled Foods (37.2), and Scrap Copper (32.7). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Lebanon observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of Lebanon according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Industrial, laboratory electric furnaces, ovens, etc (1.8), Self-adhesive plates, sheets, film etc of plastic (1.55), Cast and rolled glass, sheets and profiles (1.54), Moulds for metals (except ingot), plastic, rubber, etc (1.42), and Machinery for paper pulp, paper, paperboard making nes (1.37). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for Lebanon according to the relatedness index, are Melons (0.31), Non-fillet Fresh Fish (0.31), Raw Cotton (0.3), Rolled Tobacco (0.3), and Tanned Sheep Hides (0.3). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Lebanon is not specialized in.

Product Space

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The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products it is currently specialized in.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk and the strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is a predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower emissions.

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