RIYADH: The value of Egyptian exports to Lebanon saw a 43.8 percent year-on-year surge in 2024 to reach $762.8 million, according to new figures.
Data from Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics also showed that imports from the Middle Eastern country declined by 2.3 percent, totaling $237.7 million during the same period.
These shifts in trade come amid broader economic trends. The region’s gross domestic product grew by 1.8 percent in 2024, reaching $3.6 trillion despite ongoing challenges, according to a March report by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, or Dhaman.
Looking ahead, this economic momentum appears set to continue. Moody’s projects 2.9 percent growth for the region in 2025, up from 2.1 percent in 2024, while maintaining a stable outlook for the region’s sovereign credit fundamentals over the next 12 months.
Egyptian investments in Lebanon amounted to $9.7 million during the fiscal year 2023/2024. File/Reuters
The newly released CAPMAS report revealed there was “an increase in the value of trade exchange between Egypt and Lebanon, reaching $1 billion in 2024, compared to $774 million in 2023, an increase of 29.3 percent.”
The main export groups of goods to Lebanon during 2024 included fuels, mineral oils, and distillation products worth $215 million, iron and iron products worth $65 million, and cement worth $55 million.
The value of fruit and vegetable exports stood at $48 million, while sugar and sugar products were worth $41 million.
As for the main import groups of goods from Lebanon during the same year, they entailed iron and iron products worth $118 million, fruits and vegetables worth $72 million, and electrical appliances and equipment worth $22 million.
The value of plastics imports stood at $4 million, while dyeing and coating extracts were also worth $4 million.
The value of fruit and vegetable exports stood at $48 million, while sugar and sugar products were worth $41 million. Shutterstock
The CAPMAS data also shed light on how the value of Lebanese investments in Egypt amounted to $51.2 million during the fiscal year 2023/2024, compared to $51.4 million during the fiscal year 2022/2023.
Egyptian investments in Lebanon amounted to $9.7 million during the fiscal year 2023/2024, compared to $7.9 million during the fiscal year 2022/2023.
“The value of remittances from Egyptians working in Lebanon amounted to $42.9 million during the fiscal year 2023/2024, compared to $38.1 million during the fiscal year 2022/2023, while the value of remittances from Lebanese working in Egypt amounted to $3.5 million during the fiscal year 2022/2023, compared to $3.7 million during the fiscal year 2022/2023,” the CAPMAS report added.
According to estimates, the number of Egyptians residing in Lebanon reached 11,300 by the end of 2023, the report concluded.
