Unemployment rate in Lebanon

Lebanon: Unemployment rate was 11.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
11.0%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
34th
of 186 countries
All-time high
13.3%
in 2020
All-time low
6.4%
in 2009
Years of data
33
1991–2023

Unemployment rate in Lebanon, 1991–2023

0510151991200720231991: 8.6 %1992: 8.2 %1993: 8.2 %1994: 8.3 %1995: 8.4 %1996: 8.4 %1997: 8.6 %1998: 8.6 %1999: 8.8 %2000: 8.6 %2001: 8.5 %2002: 8.2 %2003: 8.1 %2004: 7.8 %2005: 8.2 %2006: 8.7 %2007: 9 %2008: 7.7 %2009: 6.4 %2010: 6.8 %2011: 7.4 %2012: 8 %2013: 8.5 %2014: 8.8 %2015: 9.3 %2016: 9.8 %2017: 10.3 %2018: 10.8 %2019: 11.3 %2020: 13.3 %2021: 12.7 %2022: 11.1 %2023: 11 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Lebanon recorded 11.0% for unemployment rate in 2023.

That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Lebanon peaked at 13.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2009.

Lebanon ranks 34th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.5% 8.2% 8.8% 9
2000s 8.1% 6.4% 9.0% 10
2010s 9.1% 6.8% 11.3% 10
2020s 12.0% 11.0% 13.3% 4

Countries ranked near Lebanon

  1. 31 Rwanda 11.4% compare
  2. 32 New Caledonia 11.2% compare
  3. 33 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11.0% compare
  4. 35 Albania 10.9% compare
  5. 36 Nepal 10.5% compare
  6. 37 Spain 10.4% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Lebanon

All data for Lebanon →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate in Lebanon?
Unemployment rate in Lebanon was 11.0% in 2023, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Lebanon?
The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2020.
What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Lebanon?
The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2009.
How does Lebanon rank for unemployment rate?
Lebanon ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Lebanon?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lebanon data come from?
The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.