Lebanon’s population hits 4.8m with 20% non-Lebanese
Lebanon’s population hits 4.8m with 20% non-Lebanese/node/1603236/middle-east
Lebanon’s population hits 4.8m with 20% non-Lebanese
The age group 0-14 made up 24 percent of the country’s residents while 11 percent were aged 65 and above, increasing the age dependency rate to 54 percent. (Shutterstock)
Lebanon’s population hits 4.8m with 20% non-Lebanese
First study of kind in 3 decades shows fall in average size of families, unemployment rate running at 11.4%
Updated 24 December 2019
NAJIA HOUSSARI
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s first integrated labor force study and largest family living conditions survey in almost three decades has revealed an estimated population of 4.8 million, 20 percent of them foreigners.
The detailed review also showed the crisis-hit country’s unemployment rate to be running at 11.4 percent, and the average size of Lebanese families to have decreased.
However, Dr. Maral Tutelian Guidanian, general director of Lebanon’s Central Administration of Statistics (CAS) which gathered the data between April 2018 and March 2019, said: “The survey did not include refugee camps, neighboring communities, military barracks and nonresidential units in general.”
The figures represent the first official statistics of their kind to emerge since the end of the country’s civil war in 1990, except for some studies carried out during the 1990s into youth and women.
“In the absence of a recent survey, this survey constitutes a main foundation for planners and national decision-makers to promote Lebanon’s development indicators and contribute to achieving sustainable prosperity for all,” said the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) regional director for Arab states, Dr. Ruba Jaradat.
The results of the study found that the average Lebanese family size reached 3.8 members, down from 4.3 in 2004, with women caring for 18 percent of families.
Construction
A total of 32.4 percent of the population did not reside in their place of registration and this phenomenon was most significant in the capital Beirut, running at 58.4 percent.
Beirut was also shown to have the highest level of foreigners (30.9 percent), many of them domestic workers.
Data revealed that 44.4 percent of Lebanon’s residents did not have any health care cover, while 76.9 percent relied on water that was not directly delivered through household supply networks.
The survey showed a decrease in the construction of buildings, with only 2.2 percent built within the last five years and 66.2 percent of buildings being at least 25 years old.
Distribution
Around 40,000 citizens were questioned by the CAS, which Jaradat described as “an unprecedented number.”
Mount Lebanon governorate had the largest number of residents with 42 percent, while the smallest percentage was in Baalbek-Hermel governorate at 5.1 percent.
Baabda district, covering Beirut’s southern and eastern suburbs, topped the survey category for population distribution at 11.4 percent, with the Besharri district of northern Lebanon coming bottom (0.5 percent).
In the absence of a recent survey, this survey constitutes a main foundation for planners and national decision-makers to promote Lebanon’s development indicators and contribute to achieving sustainable prosperity for all.
Dr. Ruba Jaradat, ILO regional director for Arab states
The age group 0-14 made up 24 percent of the country’s residents while 11 percent were aged 65 and above, increasing the age dependency rate to 54 percent. Fifteen to 64-year-olds accounted for 65 percent of Lebanon’s residents.
Figures put 55.1 percent of over-15s as being married, 36.4 percent having never been married, and 8.5 percent either widows, divorced or separated. The proportion of early marriages decreased to less than 4 percent among teens aged between 15 and 18.
Other study data highlighted that 85 percent of families were headed by a Lebanese father, with the remainder non-Lebanese.
The number of residents of working age (15 and older) was shown to be around 3,677,000 made up of a labor force of 1,794,000 and those outside of it accounting for 1,883,000.
Among those in the labor force, 1,590,000 had jobs and 203,000 were unemployed, while for those outside the labor force 66,900 were considered as potential workers.
Economic activity in Lebanon between 2018 and 2019 reached 48.8 percent, the study showed, which was equal to the ratio of the labor force to the total number of residents aged 15 and above, revealing an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent, the ratio of unemployed individuals to the total labor force.
If the unemployed category was combined with the underemployment in terms of time and potential labor force, labor underutilization scored 16.2 percent.
The percentage of people working in jobs where they did not receive any health care cover from their employer, and got no paid leave or sickness benefits, was 55 percent of the total number of workers, compared to 45 percent working in the formal sector.
The rate of illiteracy was 6.3 percent among Lebanese compared to 12.5 percent among non-Lebanese, with levels among females being twice as high as those for males.
The EU-funded survey was carried out by CAS with specialized technical support from the ILO.
The head of the governance, security, social development and civil society section of the EU Delegation to Lebanon, Rein Nieland, said: “The survey allows us to take more efficient decisions and paves the way for focused policies.”
Great expectations: Yemenis look forward to outcomes of Riyadh dialogue
Southern factions look to Saudi-hosted talks to defuse tensions after December’s violent escalation
Analysts say Riyadh dialogue could help reset the southern cause — but only if militias are excluded
Updated 07 January 2026
Mohammed Al-Sulami
RIYADH: Last December marked a troubled end to the year in Yemen, particularly in its southern and eastern governorates. While much of the world marked the season with hopes for peace and stability, developments on the ground took a sharply different turn.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC), led by Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, moved to seize control of state institutions and military camps, defying expectations in Hadramout and Al-Mahra and mounting a direct challenge to the internationally recognized government.
These actions, carried out through armed force and supported by external actors, led to casualties and an escalation of tensions in both governorates.
In response, Yemen’s political leadership appealed to the Saudi-led coalition to contain the situation, called for the withdrawal of Emirati forces, and initiated operations to reassert control over military headquarters in Hadramout and Al-Mahra.
Subsequently, Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, asked Saudi Arabia to host a conference in Riyadh, bringing together all southern factions to discuss solutions — a request accepted by the Saudi leadership.
Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) wave flags of the STC, during a rally in Aden, Yemen, January 1, 2026. (Reuters)
The initiative comes amid the Kingdom’s affirmation of the legitimacy of the southern cause, coupled with its clear rejection of any solution imposed by force.
Arab News surveyed the views of several Yemeni politicians and analysts on their expectations for the conference, convened at a critical and highly sensitive juncture, and on the key issues anticipated to dominate the dialogue.
Among them was Salah Batis, a member of the Yemeni Shura Council, a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Unified Council of the Eastern Governorates, and a prominent figure in Hadramout.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — both leadership and people — for their steadfast support, assistance, and courageous stand alongside the people of Hadramout and the eastern governorates in particular, and Yemen as a whole,” Batis told Arab News.
“Without this support, and without the role of the Saudi Air Force, this victory would not have been achieved, security would not have been restored, and this militia would not have been removed from these sensitive areas, especially Hadramout and the eastern governorates.
President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, received on Tuesday at his residence in Riyadh the Senior Adviser to the US President for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Yemen Steven H. Fagin. (Social media)
“We also express our appreciation to the political leadership, represented by the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, and to the governor of Hadramout and commander of the Homeland Shield Forces, Salem Al-Khanbashi.
“Our gratitude further extends to the heroes of the Homeland Shield Forces, the armed forces, and the security forces who participated in the operation to take control of the camps. It was a swift and decisive operation, carried out at minimal cost, praise be to God.”
However, Batis said he opposes the inclusion of the STC in the upcoming Riyadh conference, citing its involvement in the killing and terrorizing of civilians in Hadramout and Al-Mahra.
He described the call for dialogue as “a positive step toward preserving the southern cause, which the STC had sought to hijack and undermine, nearly causing severe damage had it not been for swift and decisive intervention.”
Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi (second from right at table), Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, speaks at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. (Photo: UN)
Batis said the southern cause must represent all southerners without exception, and that no single party should monopolize it or claim exclusive representation. He said the STC had already harmed the cause by using armed violence to advance its agenda, resulting in killings.
For this reason, he said, the people of Hadramout — where many of these violations occurred — have demanded, and continue to demand, accountability for those responsible and their exclusion from the dialogue.
He accused the STC of mobilizing armed forces, invading governorates, killing tribesmen, attacking villages and civilians, storming and looting state camps, and destroying public institutions, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and government offices in Seiyun, Mukalla, and other locations.
Batis said the STC and its leadership bear full responsibility, arguing they had led and directed the armed groups toward Hadramout under the banner of southern forces.
This photo taken on January 3, 2026 shows Saudi-backed forces that took control of the Second Military Region Command on the outskirts of Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive to seize the resource-rich province. (AFP)
He questioned how the people of Hadramout and the eastern governorates could accept belonging to such a region after what had occurred, noting that these forces operated under a declared leadership and a self-proclaimed supreme commander.
Batis said local communities viewed them as invading forces that killed civilians, shed blood, attacked state institutions, and seized military camps.
He added that, were it not for the decisive intervention of allied forces and local authorities — leading to the return of the camps, the repair of the damage, and the withdrawal of these militias to their original positions — the consequences would have been far more severe.
“I believe this dialogue and conference must have a clear and firm framework: no group that possesses weapons, militias, or armed forces should take part,” Batis said.
People ride motorbikes on a street in Sanaa, Yemen February 5, 2021. (Reuters)
“Arms must be exclusively in the hands of the state, under the authority of the ministries of defense and interior, and sovereignty must rest solely with the state — not with parties, factions, or individuals.”
Batis warned against repeating what he described as the mistake of 2013, when the Houthi group was allowed to participate in the National Dialogue Conference while still armed and expanding its territorial control.
He recalled that by January 2014 the Houthis had seized Amran Governorate and laid siege to Sanaa, halting the drafting of the federal constitution and forcing meetings to be held at the Presidential Palace.
Batis noted that he was serving at the time as vice president of the National Authority tasked with monitoring the implementation of the dialogue’s outcomes, before the Houthis later stormed the capital and plunged the country into a crisis that continues to this day.
Fighters recruited into the Houthis as part of a mobilization campaign they have initiated recently, ride atop an armored personnel carrier as they parade to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen August 24, 2024. (Reuters)
For his part, political analyst and activist Youssef Ismail Abdo said that any fair and equitable outcomes from the conference would help stabilize the south — particularly Hadramawt and the eastern governorates — fostering security, development, and stability, with positive implications for all of Yemen and the wider region.
Also speaking to Arab News, Dr. Nasser bin Habtour, secretary-general of the Shabwa National Council, said that “the south is home to multiple political projects, including secession and a federal state.
“The events of December demonstrated that not all southerners support secession, leaving the STC isolated in its unilateral move. In my opinion, all political options should be placed on the dialogue table so that southerners can discuss them and reach a unified vision.”
He argued that “secession is neither feasible nor appropriate at the present stage, given Yemen’s dire circumstances, with the Houthi militia controlling Sanaa and state institutions and posing a serious threat to Yemen and the wider region.”
Vehicles drive on a street, as Saudi and Omani delegations hold talks with Houthis, in Sanaa, Yemen April 10, 2023. (Reuters)
He stressed that “restoring the Yemeni state must come first, after which all political projects can be presented to the people, who should then decide the future form of the state.”
He added: “The meeting, to be held in Riyadh, came at the request of southern political and social figures and groups who convened after recognizing both their responsibility and the danger into which the STC had placed the southern cause.
“They contacted the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, urging him to ask the Kingdom to host a southern dialogue conference.” He noted that “this initiative was consistent with Saudi Arabia’s longstanding role in supporting Yemen.”
“The conference must focus on repairing the damage inflicted on the southern cause by the STC’s unilateral decisions and attempts to monopolize it, as well as restoring the issue to its proper course through a consensual vision shared by the people of the south.”
A drone view shows people attending a rally organized by Yemen's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Aden, Yemen December 21, 2025. (Reuters)
Regarding the expected outcomes of the comprehensive southern national dialogue, Habtour said: “The first priority is reaching consensus on a unified southern vision that reflects the aspirations of the people of the south.”
He added: “The southern issue must be situated within the broader national struggle to restore the state from the Houthi militia, as well as integrated into the negotiation process aimed at restoring security and stability in Yemen.”
He further stressed “the importance of defining the role of southerners in the upcoming phase, particularly within the framework of a future federal state and their contribution to nation-building and development.”
