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Lebanon — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Lebanon, 1991–2023.
Latest value · 2023
10.98%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +27.8% since 1991
Unemployment for Lebanon was 10.98% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 33 years, from 1991 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 13.25% in 2020. The lowest was 6.36% in 2009 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.77% per year.
Lebanon ranks 34 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 18%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so Lebanon sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 17% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 30%.
Key figures
Latest (2023)
10.98%
First (1991)
8.59%
Change
+27.8%
Highest
13.25%
in 2020
Lowest
6.36%
in 2009
Average
8.98%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.77%
Years of data
33
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 10.99% |
| 2022 | 11.11% |
| 2021 | 12.72% |
| 2020 | 13.25% |
| 2019 | 11.3% |
| 2018 | 10.76% |
| 2017 | 10.26% |
| 2016 | 9.79% |
| 2015 | 9.31% |
| 2014 | 8.84% |
| 2013 | 8.48% |
| 2012 | 7.95% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.