UNFPA Profile

Overview

While Lebanon has experienced a substantial decrease in the total fertility rate (TFR) over the past three decades, marital age-specific fertility rates remain elevated, suggesting that the decrease can be attributed more to delayed marriage than to the overall increase in the prevalence of contraceptive use. Findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey – implemented by the Central Administration of Statistics and UNICEF – reveal that neither the infant mortality rate nor the under-five mortality rate has shown any significant improvement since 1996. While approximately 95 per cent of the population has access to basic health services, the national health system, which is driven primarily by the private sector, tends to promote curative rather than preventive care.

The Government is now focusing on developing more effective reproductive health information systems as a means of improving coordination, strengthening decentralization, and minimizing fragmentation. The national reproductive health programme will emphasize the provision of quality reproductive health services, including emergency obstetric care, within primary health care system. In view of regional disparities in key reproductive health indicators, the programme will also support 10 Centres of Excellence for referral services while focusing on underserved areas. Efforts are underway to rehabilitate the recently liberated areas of South Lebanon through the provision of medical supplies, the expansion of reproductive health services, and the carrying out of youth sensitization campaigns.

Positive developments in 2001 included the finalization of the national population policy as well as the development and endorsement of reproductive health norms and guidelines. Also promising was the Government’s commitment to allocating domestic funds towards the implementation of the population and reproductive health programmes, despite the national budget deficit. The Population and Development Strategies programme will emphasize integration of population concerns into sectoral planning and programming.

In the area of adolescent reproductive health, the Government has granted considerable attention to the development of community-based sensitization campaigns on puberty, reproductive health and gender issues. Innovative efforts included sponsorship of parent/youth sessions on HIV prevention by the National AIDS Programme, local non-governmental organizations and university students.

Statistics				- ICPD Goals				- MDG Indicators
Population
Population in Thousands, 2001, Total, Male								1,770.42
Population in Thousands, 2001, Total, Female								1,843.46
Population Growth Rate, Per Cent								1.97
Crude Birth Rate per 1,000 Population								20.30
Crude Death Rate per 1,000 Population								5.42
Urban Population, Per Cent								90.30
Sex Ratio at Birth, Males per 100 Females								1.05
Women 15-49, Thousands								1,019.71
Women 15-49, Per Cent								55.31
Total Fertility Rate per Woman 15-49								2.29
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for Women 15-49, Modern Method, Per Cent								37.00
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for Women 15-49, Any Method, Per Cent								61.00
Maternal Mortality Ratio per 100,000 Live Births (MMR)								130.00
MMR, Lower Bound								43.00
MMR, Upper Bound								350.00
Infant Mortality Rate per 1,000 Live Births								19.98
Under Age 5 Mortality Rate, Total								19.86
Under Age 5 Mortality Rate, Female								17.00
Under Age 5 Mortality Rate, Male								22.00
Life Expectancy at Birth, Combined, Years								72.63
Life Expectancy at Birth, Female, Years								74.10
Life Expectancy at Birth, Male, Years								71.10
Population 60 Years and Over, Per Cent								8.50
Estimated Annual Resource Requirements for Population Programmes
Years 2005-2015 (in millions $US)
Date		2005	2010	2015
Cost		11.95	12.73	13.31
Indicators for Population and Reproductive Health
88 61 % Living on less than $1 per day % Deliveries with skilled attendant % HIV/AIDS Prevaence, 15-24 year olds Contraceptive Prevalence, any method, per cent
Indicators				- ICPD Goals				- MDG Indicators
SOCIO-ECONOMIC & HEALTH
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita, Purchasing Power Parity, International Dollars								4,308.00
Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate, Annual Per Cent								0.00
Income Group per World Bank Classification								Upper middle income
UNFPA Country Priority Classification								C
Population Below $1/Day, Per Cent								n/a
Access to Improved Water Supply, Per Cent								100.00
Deliveries Attended by Skilled Attendants, Per Cent								88.00
Family Planning Program Effort Index, 1999 (Total Mean Score)								60.00
Illiteracy Rate, Percent of Population Age 15 and Over, Male								7.87
Illiteracy Rate, Percent of Population Age 15 and Over, Female								19.65
Primary School Enrolment, Gross % of School Age Population, Male								97.98
Primary School Enrolment, Gross % of School Age Population, Female								102.34
Secondary School Enrolment, Gross Percent of School Age Population, Male								74.91
Secondary School Enrolment, Gross Percent of School Age Population, Female								81.60
Children Underweight Under 5, Male, Per Cent								3.30
Children Underweight Under 5, Female, Per Cent								2.80
Stunted Children under 5, Moderate, Per Cent								12.20
Stunted Children under 5, Severe, Per Cent								2.90
Wasted Children under 5, Moderate, Per Cent								2.90
Wasted Children under 5, Severe, Per Cent								n/a
ADOLESCENT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Proportion of Population 15-24								18.60
Age-Specific Fertility Rate per 1000 women, 15-20								25.20
Mean Age at Marriage, Male								n/a
Mean Age at Marriage, Female								n/a
HIV/AIDS Prevalence, 15-24, Lower Bound, Female								n/a
HIV/AIDS Prevalence, 15-24, Upper Bound, Female								n/a
HIV/AIDS Prevalence, 15-24, Lower Bound, Male								n/a
HIV/AIDS Prevalence, 15-24, Upper Bound, Male								n/a
GENDER EQUALITY
Labor Force Participation Rate, 15-64, Total								46.50
Labor Force Participation Rate, 15-64, Male								70.40
Labor Force Participation Rate, 15-64, Female								20.30
Women in Managerial or Technical Positions, Thousands								n/a
Seats in Parliament Held by Women, Per Cent								2.30
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH COMMODITY SECURITY
Projected Increase/Decrease in Women of Reproductive Age 2000-2015, Thousands								197.25
Projected Increase/Decrease in Women of Reproductive Age 2000-2015, Per Cent								20.20
Unmet Need for Family Planning, Spacing, Per Cent								n/a
Unmet Need for Family Planning, Limiting, Per Cent								n/a
Unmet Need for Family Planning, Total, Per Cent								n/a
Unmet Need for Family Planning, Thousands								n/a
INTERNAL DISPARITIES
Total Fertility Rate per Woman 15-49
Urban								n/a
Rural								n/a
No Education/Primary								3.90
Highest Level of Education								1.70
Provincial Low								1.9 (Beirut)
Provincial High								3.5 (North)
Poorest								n/a
Richest								n/a
Infant Mortality Rate per 1,000 Live Births
Urban								n/a
Rural								n/a
No Education/Primary								51.10
Highest Level of Education								14.80
Provincial Low								n/a
Provincial High								n/a
Poorest								n/a
Richest								n/a
Age-Specific Fertility Rate, 15-19 Years
Urban								n/a
Rural								n/a
Poorest								n/a
Richest								n/a
Adolescent Women 15-19 Begun Childbearing
Urban, Per Cent								n/a
Rural, Per Cent								n/a
No Education/Primary, Per Cent								n/a
Highest Level of Education								n/a
Provincial Low, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial High, Per Cent								n/a
Poorest, Per Cent								n/a
Richest, Per Cent								n/a
Deliveries Attended by Skilled Attendants
Urban, Per Cent								94.10
Rural, Per Cent								84.30
No Education/Primary, Per Cent								88.90
Highest Level of Education, Per Cent								98.60
Provincial Low, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial High, Per Cent								n/a
Poorest, Per Cent								n/a
Richest, Per Cent								n/a
Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for Women 15-49
Urban, Per Cent								n/a
Rural, Per Cent								n/a
No Education/Primary, Per Cent								31.60
Highest Level of Education, Per Cent								40.10
Provincial Low, Per Cent								36.1 (Mount Lebanon)
Provincial High, Per Cent								48.1 (South)
Poorest, Per Cent								n/a
Richest, Per Cent								n/a
Children Underweight Under 5, Moderate
Urban, Per Cent								n/a
Rural, Per Cent								n/a
No Education/Primary, Per Cent								n/a
Highest Level of Education, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial Low, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial High, Per Cent								n/a
Poorest, Per Cent								n/a
Richest, Per Cent								n/a
Children Underweight Under 5, Severe
Urban, Per Cent								n/a
Rural, Per Cent								n/a
No Education/Primary, Per Cent								n/a
Highest Level of Education, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial Low, Per Cent								n/a
Provincial High, Per Cent								n/a
Poorest, Per Cent								n/a
Richest, Per Cent								n/a

Back to top