Population in the largest city in Lebanon
Lebanon: Population in the largest city was 44.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
44.7%
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
31st
of 153 countries
All-time high
83.0%
in 1975
All-time low
37.1%
in 1997
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Lebanon, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Lebanon stood at 44.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Lebanon peaked at 83.0% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1997.
Lebanon ranks 31st of 153 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 75.0% | — |
| 1961 | 74.1% | -1.3% |
| 1962 | 72.9% | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 71.8% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 70.8% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 69.4% | -2.1% |
| 1966 | 68.0% | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 67.0% | -1.6% |
| 1968 | 66.1% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 65.3% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 65.0% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 67.0% | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 70.5% | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 74.3% | +5.4% |
| 1974 | 78.4% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 83.0% | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 81.4% | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 79.9% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 77.7% | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 75.8% | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 74.0% | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 72.3% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 71.1% | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 67.9% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 64.6% | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 61.4% | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 58.1% | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 55.2% | -5.1% |
| 1988 | 52.7% | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 47.7% | -9.6% |
| 1990 | 43.1% | -9.5% |
| 1991 | 39.0% | -9.5% |
| 1992 | 38.6% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 38.2% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 37.9% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 37.6% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 37.3% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 37.1% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 37.9% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 38.9% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 39.9% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 41.0% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 43.6% | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 43.7% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 43.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 43.9% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 44.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 44.1% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 44.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 44.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 45.0% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 45.5% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 45.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 42.0% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 38.8% | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 38.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 40.6% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 42.5% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 44.6% | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 46.4% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 47.4% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 47.3% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 47.0% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 46.4% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 45.6% | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 44.7% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.0% | 65.3% | 75.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.3% | 65.0% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.5% | 47.7% | 74.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.6% | 37.1% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.3% | 39.9% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.0% | 38.8% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.4% | 44.7% | 47.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
- 28 Egypt 45.4% compare
- 29 Georgia 45.1% compare
- 30 Kyrgyzstan 45.1% compare
- 32 Dominican Republic 43.7% compare
- 33 Afghanistan 42.9% compare
- 34 Bangladesh 42.2% compare
More urban development data for Lebanon
- Population density 564.37 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 26.69 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.4068 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 2.38 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.9636 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 236.69 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 2.38 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.15 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 23.95 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Lebanon?
- Population in the largest city in Lebanon was 44.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 1975.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1997.
- How does Lebanon rank for population in the largest city?
- Lebanon ranks 31st out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lebanon data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.