Land use in Lebanon
Lebanon: Land use was 274,214 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
274,214 hectares
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
142nd
of 224 countries
All-time high
345,000 hectares
in 1973
All-time low
240,000 hectares
in 2010
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Lebanon, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Lebanon stood at 274,214 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Lebanon peaked at 345,000 hectares in 1973 and was at its lowest, 240,000 hectares, in 2010.
Lebanon ranks 142nd of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 262,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 270,000 hectares | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 270,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 280,000 hectares | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 296,000 hectares | +5.7% |
| 1966 | 296,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 306,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 316,000 hectares | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 320,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 325,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 330,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 335,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 345,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 340,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 335,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 330,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 325,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 319,000 hectares | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 313,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 301,000 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 298,000 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 298,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 298,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 298,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 299,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 300,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 304,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 304,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 304,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 305,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 306,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 306,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 306,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 307,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 309,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 318,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 322,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 326,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 265,000 hectares | -18.7% |
| 2000 | 270,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 263,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 271,000 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 277,000 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 278,300 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 283,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 279,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 277,100 hectares | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 263,000 hectares | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 263,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 240,000 hectares | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 251,000 hectares | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 258,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 260,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 262,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 265,000 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 271,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 273,320 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 271,550 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 271,300 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 274,115 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 281,620 hectares | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 276,485 hectares | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 274,214 hectares | -0.8% |
Lebanon compared with similar countries
- Lebanon's 274,214 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lebanon's 274,214 hectares is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.45 million hectares, 19% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 290,667 hectares | 262,000 hectares | 320,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 329,700 hectares | 313,000 hectares | 345,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 300,400 hectares | 298,000 hectares | 304,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 307,000 hectares | 265,000 hectares | 326,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 272,440 hectares | 263,000 hectares | 283,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 262,317 hectares | 240,000 hectares | 273,320 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 276,608 hectares | 274,115 hectares | 281,620 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
More environment data for Lebanon
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -12.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -12.31 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.5 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.7198 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Lebanon?
- Land use in Lebanon was 274,214 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 345,000 hectares in 1973.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 240,000 hectares in 2010.
- How does Lebanon rank for land use?
- Lebanon ranks 142nd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lebanon data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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