Summary
- Exports
- $4.2billion
- Imports
- $18.2billion
- Trade balance
- -$14billion
Products
What it exports
Cars (12.7%) and gold (6.6%) together make up 19.4% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (21.5%) and gold (14.9%) together make up 36.4% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $677 million | $3 billion |
| 87 · Vehicles | $577 million | $847 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $397 million | $735 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $201 million | $402 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $180 million | $756 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $141 million | $72 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $106 million | $474 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $102 million | $168 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $99 million | $4.2 billion |
| 74 · Copper | $93 million | $73 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $90 million | $217 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $87 million | $179 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $85 million | $47 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $77 million | $165 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $72 million | $115 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $68 million | $103 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $65 million | $249 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $63 million | $116 million |
| 78 · Lead | $62 million | $14 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $61 million | $190 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $60 million | $134 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $54 million | $143 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $53 million | $73 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $53 million | $173 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $52 million | $26 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $51 million | $245 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $50 million | $766 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $43 million | $34 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $40 million | $80 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $35 million | $226 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $33 million | $135 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $31 million | $140 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $29 million | $169 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $23 million | $3 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $23 million | $95 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $19 million | $500 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $17 million | $98 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $15 million | $184 million |
| 44 · Wood | $15 million | $155 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $14 million | $183 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $13 million | $50 million |
| 70 · Glass | $12 million | $96 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $12 million | $32 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $12 million | $55 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $11 million | $156 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $11 million | $101 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $11 million | $178 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $8 million | $6 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $8 million | $53 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $7 million | $11 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $7 million | $24 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $6 million | $41 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $5 million | $1 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $5 million | $97 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $5 million | $45 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $4 million | $95 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $4 million | $25 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $4 million | $292 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $4 million | $110 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $4 million | $37 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $4 million | $13 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $4 million | $36 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $3 million | $29 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $3 million | $60 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $3 million | $113 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $3 million | $66 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $2 million | $2 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $2 million | $12 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $2 million | $17 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $2 million | $1 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $2 million | $41 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $1 million | $27 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $1 million | $161 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $1 million | $65 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $1 million | $35 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $919 thousand | $319 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $659 thousand | $3 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $576 thousand | $5 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $493 thousand | $375 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $471 thousand | $4 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $354 thousand | $8 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $346 thousand | $11 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $298 thousand | $19 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $230 thousand | $2 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $201 thousand | $259 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $190 thousand | $1 million |
| 65 · Hats | $133 thousand | $4 million |
| 50 · Silk | $129 thousand | $2 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $91 thousand | $4 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $78 thousand | $300 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $46 thousand | $3 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $36 thousand | $346 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $34 thousand | $1 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $22 thousand | $698 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $15 thousand | $2 million |
| 80 · Tin | $9 thousand | $521 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is the United Arab Emirates (24.6% of exports) and its main source is China (10.9% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 24.6% | Air |
| Egypt | 0.3 | 7.1% | Sea |
| United States | 0.26 | 6.3% | Sea |
| Iraq | 0.2 | 4.9% | Sea |
| Turkey | 0.2 | 4.7% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 0.13 | 3.1% | Air |
| Kuwait | 0.13 | 3% | Sea |
| France | 0.11 | 2.7% | Sea |
| Jordan | 0.11 | 2.6% | Sea |
| Qatar | 0.1 | 2.4% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2 | 10.9% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 1.6 | 9% | Air |
| Greece | 1.6 | 8.7% | Sea |
| Turkey | 1.1 | 6.2% | Sea |
| United Arab Emirates | 0.95 | 5.3% | Air |
| Saudi Arabia | 0.93 | 5.1% | Sea |
| Italy | 0.88 | 4.9% | Sea |
| Egypt | 0.79 | 4.4% | Sea |
| Germany | 0.62 | 3.4% | Sea |
| United States | 0.61 | 3.4% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Lebanon accounted for 0.02% of world exports, compared with 0.01% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 8-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 4.2
- Imports 18.2
- Balance -14
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $524 million | $5.3 billion | -$4.8 billion |
| 1996 | $606 million | $5.7 billion | -$5.1 billion |
| 1997 | $980 million | $8.2 billion | -$7.2 billion |
| 1998 | $936 million | $7.6 billion | -$6.7 billion |
| 1999 | $1 billion | $6.6 billion | -$5.6 billion |
| 2000 | $1.1 billion | $6.9 billion | -$5.7 billion |
| 2001 | $1.3 billion | $8 billion | -$6.7 billion |
| 2002 | $1.5 billion | $7 billion | -$5.5 billion |
| 2003 | $2.2 billion | $8.1 billion | -$6 billion |
| 2004 | $2.5 billion | $10.1 billion | -$7.5 billion |
| 2005 | $2.6 billion | $9.9 billion | -$7.3 billion |
| 2006 | $3.1 billion | $10.4 billion | -$7.3 billion |
| 2007 | $3.9 billion | $12.6 billion | -$8.7 billion |
| 2008 | $4.5 billion | $17.6 billion | -$13.1 billion |
| 2009 | $4.2 billion | $17.7 billion | -$13.4 billion |
| 2010 | $5.1 billion | $19.9 billion | -$14.7 billion |
| 2011 | $5.8 billion | $22.3 billion | -$16.5 billion |
| 2012 | $5.5 billion | $23.8 billion | -$18.3 billion |
| 2013 | $5.2 billion | $22.6 billion | -$17.4 billion |
| 2014 | $4.6 billion | $22 billion | -$17.3 billion |
| 2015 | $4.1 billion | $20 billion | -$15.9 billion |
| 2016 | $4 billion | $20.2 billion | -$16.2 billion |
| 2017 | $4.7 billion | $21.8 billion | -$17.1 billion |
| 2018 | $4.4 billion | $22.2 billion | -$17.8 billion |
| 2019 | $5.1 billion | $20.3 billion | -$15.2 billion |
| 2020 | $4.5 billion | $13.2 billion | -$8.6 billion |
| 2021 | $4.5 billion | $14.9 billion | -$10.4 billion |
| 2022 | $4.5 billion | $21 billion | -$16.5 billion |
| 2023 | $4.9 billion | $19.5 billion | -$14.6 billion |
| 2024 | $4.2 billion | $18.2 billion | -$14 billion |
World rank
Lebanon rose from 128th to 127th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 128th in 1995
- 127th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 128th |
| 1996 | 129th |
| 1997 | 119th |
| 1998 | 117th |
| 1999 | 117th |
| 2000 | 121st |
| 2001 | 120th |
| 2002 | 116th |
| 2003 | 111th |
| 2004 | 112th |
| 2005 | 118th |
| 2006 | 117th |
| 2007 | 116th |
| 2008 | 113th |
| 2009 | 108th |
| 2010 | 109th |
| 2011 | 112th |
| 2012 | 116th |
| 2013 | 117th |
| 2014 | 121st |
| 2015 | 119th |
| 2016 | 122nd |
| 2017 | 120th |
| 2018 | 125th |
| 2019 | 119th |
| 2020 | 119th |
| 2021 | 128th |
| 2022 | 134th |
| 2023 | 130th |
| 2024 | 127th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still gems and precious metals: 16% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 43%
- Fruit and nuts 2%
- Plastics 3%
- Preserved fruit and vegetables 3%
- Mechanical machinery 4%
- Iron and steel 5%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 9%
- Vehicles 14%
- Gems and precious metals 16%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gems and precious metals | 18.7% | 16.1% |
| Vehicles | 0.32% | 13.7% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 2.4% | 9.4% |
| Iron and steel | 4.1% | 4.8% |
| Mechanical machinery | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Preserved fruit and vegetables | 1.9% | 3.3% |
| Plastics | 1% | 2.5% |
| Fruit and nuts | 5.4% | 2.4% |
| Other | 63% | 43.4% |
Who it trades with
The United Arab Emirates went from 0% to 9% of Lebanon's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 9%
- United Arab Emirates 9%
- Switzerland 8%
- Greece 7%
- Turkey 6%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 2.4% | 9.1% |
| United Arab Emirates | 0% | 8.9% |
| Switzerland | 3.8% | 7.9% |
| Greece | 3.2% | 7.3% |
| Turkey | 3.1% | 6% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
- Al Sabaa Chekka Cement Plant
- Holcim Chekka Cement Plant
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.