Research website numbeo ranks Beirut in the bottom 12% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Beirut scored poorly on index factors such as pollution (worst three), purchasing power (bottom 11%), property price to income ratio (upper 15%) and cost of living (highest 38%). Lebanon’s capital did relatively well on climate (best 16%) and health care (top 60%).
One of the world’s oldest continuously resided cities, Beirut’s strategic location at the midpoint of Lebanon’s western Mediterranean coast is known for its Port of Beirut–the nation’s largest and most commercial seaport.
Lebanon ranked number 126 among the top exporting countries during 2019, shipping an estimated US$3 billion worth of goods. According to the International Trade Centre, Lebanon’s most valuable exported goods are gold (35.7% of its global total), firearms and similar devices (13.9%), jewelry (3.8%), copper scrap (3.2%), iron scrap (2.6%), unprocessed lead (1.9%), new rubber tires (1.7%), fruits and nuts (also 1.7%) and unmanufactured tobacco (1.4%).
Beirut was once rated as the globe’s 10th most popular shopping destination. Downtown Beirut was the site of the world’s first law school.
Capital Facts for Beirut, Lebanon: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: National Museum of Beirut, Surosck Museum, Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque and Pigeons’ Rock (Rock of Raouché)
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Beirut, Lebanon.
- Keanu Reeves, actor (born Sep. 2, 1964)
- Steve Kerr, NBA basketball coach (born Sep. 27, 1965)
- Mika, pop singer (born Aug. 18, 1983)
- Amal Clooney, high-profile lawyer (born Feb. 3, 1978)
- Elie Saab, fashion designer (born Jul. 4, 1964)
- Massari, singer (born Dec. 10, 1980)
- Dom Joly, comedian (born Nov. 15, 1967)
- Maya Diab, pop singer (born Nov. 12, 1983)
- Zuhair Murad, fashion designer (born Jul. 15, 1971)
- John Dolmayan, rock band drummer (born Jul. 15, 1973)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Beirut resident: Beiruti
Population: 2,424,425 (Beirut including Greater Beirut) at June 30, 2020
Density: 93,855 people per square mile (36,185 per square kilometer)
Population: 6,825,411 (Lebanon) at June 30, 2020
Density: 1,728 people per square mile (667 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Lebanon: 29.6 years old
Financial
GDP: US$91.3 billion in 2019 (Lebanon)
GDP per person: $15,049
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Beirut were unavailable.
Official currency used in Beirut: Lebanese pound
Research
Research Sources:
Atlas & Boots, The World’s Most Expensive Cities for Expats 2016.
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Middle East: Lebanon.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Mercer, 2016 Cost of Living Rankings.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Beirut Government.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Beirut.
Wikipedia, Greater Beirut.
Wikipedia, Lebanon.
WorldOMeter, Lebanon Population
Lebanon exited from the League of Nations mandate under French administration on November 22, 1943. Lebanese celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each November 22.
Land area for Beirut including the metropolitan Greater Beirut is 25.8 square miles (67 square kilometers), compared to 7.63 square miles (19.8 square kilometers) for Beirut city proper.
At the country level, Lebanon’s land area covers 3,950 square miles (10,230 square kilometers). The national population count was 6.8 million inhabitants as of June 30, 2020.
Population density within the Greater Beirut agglomeration is intense, coming in 93,855 people per square mile (36,185 per square kilometer) based on a total 2.4 million residents at June 30, 2020.
Zooming out to Lebanon’s overall land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 1,728 Lebanese per square mile (667 per square kilometer).
