Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Lebanon
Lebanon: Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World was 12.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Lebanon, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Lebanon stood at 12.9%.
The figure is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Lebanon peaked at 25.5% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1983.
That places Lebanon 36th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 22.7% | — |
| 1961 | 18.2% | -20.1% |
| 1963 | 25.5% | +40.3% |
| 1964 | 25.2% | -1.0% |
| 1965 | 23.5% | -7.1% |
| 1966 | 22.2% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 21.8% | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 21.6% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 17.1% | -20.7% |
| 1970 | 14.4% | -15.8% |
| 1971 | 11.4% | -21.3% |
| 1972 | 12.6% | +11.1% |
| 1973 | 11.3% | -10.2% |
| 1981 | 15.2% | +34.0% |
| 1982 | 7.8% | -49.0% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | -30.5% |
| 1984 | 9.0% | +67.4% |
| 1985 | 8.7% | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 5.6% | -36.1% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | +19.9% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 12.2% | +75.4% |
| 1990 | 17.9% | +46.9% |
| 1991 | 13.5% | -24.7% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 11.6% | -19.4% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | -41.9% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | +41.2% |
| 1997 | 9.3% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | -8.2% |
| 1999 | 9.1% | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 12.5% | +36.8% |
| 2001 | 13.0% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 10.9% | -16.0% |
| 2003 | 13.0% | +19.2% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | +11.5% |
| 2005 | 14.3% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | -13.4% |
| 2010 | 13.2% | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | +27.0% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | -15.0% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | -13.2% |
| 2014 | 11.5% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 14.1% | +21.7% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | -11.0% |
| 2018 | 13.7% | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 14.0% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +15.0% |
| 2021 | 13.8% | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 11.8% | -14.3% |
| 2023 | 12.9% | +8.7% |
Lebanon compared with similar countries
- Lebanon's 12.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.2%, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lebanon's 12.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.9%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.0% | 17.1% | 25.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.4% | 11.3% | 14.4% | 4 |
| 1980s | 8.6% | 5.4% | 15.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 11.1% | 6.5% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 10.9% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 11.5% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 11.8% | 16.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
More private sector data for Lebanon
- Merchandise trade 85.9% (2025)
- Food imports 18.5% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 40.0% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 21.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 19.1% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 55.6% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 4.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 786.06 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1456 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 21.61 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Lebanon?
- Merchandise imports from economies in the arab world in Lebanon was 12.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 1963.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from economies in the arab world recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1983.
- How does Lebanon rank for merchandise imports from economies in the arab world?
- Lebanon ranks 36th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from economies in the arab world rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lebanon data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from economies in the Arab World. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.