Lebanese people

Lebanese people
Total population
4 million
(Lebanon)[1]
4[2][3][4]–14 million
[5][6][7] (Lebanese diaspora)
Regions with significant populations
 Lebanon4,130,000[1]
 Brazil1,000,000[8] - 6,000,000 - 7,000,000[9][10][11]
 Argentina1,500,000[12]
 Colombia700,000[13] - 3,200,000[14][15] [16]
 United States440,279[17]
 Venezuela340,000[18] - 500,000[19]
 France300,000[20][21]
 Saudi Arabia300,000[22]
 Canada250,000[23][24][25]
 Australia203,139[26]
 Paraguay200,000[27]
 Ecuador170,000;[28]
 Ivory Coast100,000[29][30] - 300,000[31][32]
 Mexico100,000[27]
 Dominican Republic80,000[33]
 United Arab Emirates80,000[34]
 Uruguay70,000[35]
 Senegal50,000[36][37]
 Germany50,000[38]
 Kuwait40,500[21]
 Guinea40,000[39]
 Chile32,000[40][41]
 Nigeria30,000 - 75,000[42]
 Costa Rica30,000[21]
 Greece27,420[21]
 El Salvador27,400[21]
 Cyprus25,700[21]
 Guatemala22,500[21]
 Cuba20,000[21]
 Honduras20,000[21]
 South Africa20,000[43]
 Haiti12,000[21][44]
 Belgium11,000[45]
  Switzerland10,000[46]
 Togo8,000[47]
 Gabon8,000[48]
 Cameroon6,000[49]
 Guadeloupe (Overseas France)4,000[50][51]
 Israel3,500[52]
 Sierra Leone3,000[53]
 Benin3,000[54]
 Peru2,400[21]
 Luxembourg400[45]
 French Guiana (Overseas France)400[55]
Languages
Spoken Vernacular
Lebanese Arabic & Cypriot Maronite Arabic[56]
Diaspora
French, English, Spanish, Portuguese
Religion
Islam (59.5% in Lebanon):2
(Shia,3 Sunni,3 Alawites, Ismailis[57] and Druze)4
Christianity (40.5% in Lebanon; majority of diaspora):1
(Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Melkite and Protestant)
Related ethnic groups
Syrians, Palestinians and Jordanians

Notes:
  1. Lebanese Christians of all denominations constitute the majority of all Lebanese worldwide, but represent only a large minority within Lebanon.
  2. Lebanese Muslims of all denominations represent a majority within Lebanon, but add up to only a large minority of all Lebanese worldwide.
  3. Shias and Sunnis account for 54% of Lebanon's population together, even split in half (27%).
  4. In Lebanon, the Druze quasi-Muslim sect is officially categorized as a Muslim denomination by the Lebanese government.

The Lebanese people (Arabic: الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ash-shaʻb al-Lubnānī, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [eʃˈʃæʕeb ellɪbˈneːne]) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may also include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state. The major religious groups among the Lebanese people within Lebanon are Shia Muslims (27%), Sunni Muslims (27%), Maronite Christians (21%), Greek Orthodox Christians (8%), Melkite Christians (5%), Druze (5%), Protestant Christians (1%).[58] The largest contingent of Lebanese, however, comprise a diaspora in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa, which is predominantly Maronite Christian.

As the relative proportion of the various sects is politically sensitive, Lebanon has not collected official census data on ethnic background since 1932 under the French Mandate. It is therefore difficult to have an exact demographic analysis of Lebanese society.[59] The largest concentration of people with Lebanese ancestry may be in Brazil, having an estimated population of 5.8 to 7 million. However, it may be an exaggeration given that an official survey conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) showed that less than 1 million Brazilians claimed any Middle-Eastern origin.[8] The Lebanese have always traveled the world, many of them settling permanently within the last two centuries.

Estimated to have lost their status as the majority in Lebanon itself, with their reduction in numbers largely as a result of their emigration, Christians still remain one of the principal religious groups in the country.[60] Descendants of Lebanese Christians make up the majority of Lebanese people worldwide, appearing principally in the diaspora.[61]

  1. ^ a b CIA, the World Factbook (2018). [1] Archived 11 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021.
  2. ^ International Migration and the Lebanese Diaspora. Co-éditions. Presses de l'Ifpo. 3 October 2019. pp. 42–43. ISBN 9782351595497. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Methods of Finding Population Statistics of Lebanese Migration Throughout the World". 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Annuario Pontificio 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Bassil promises to ease citizenship for expatriates". Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Country Profile: Lebanon". FCO. 3 April 2007. Archived from the original on 31 July 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  7. ^ Fielding-Smith, Abigail (5 June 2009). "From Brazil to Byblos, Lebanese diaspora pours in for vote". thenational. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  8. ^ a b IBGE. IBGE: Características Étnico-Raciais da População Archived 20 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Lebanese Republic". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Embaixada do Líbano no Brasil". Libano.org.br. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  11. ^ "News - Politics - Sleiman meets Brazilian counterpart, Lebanese community". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  12. ^ "Argentinian President's visit to the Lebanese Parliament". The Lebanese Parliament. 7 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007.
  13. ^ Colombia awakens to the Arab world. Brazil-Arab New Agency, 21 July 2009. Retrieved 15 Juny 2020.
  14. ^ "Estimación de la mortalidad, 1985-2005" [Estimation of mortality, 1985-2005] (PDF). Postcensal Studies (in Spanish). Bogotá, Colombia: DANE. March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  15. ^ Randa Achmawi (21 July 2009). "Colombia awakens to the Arab world". Brazil-Arab News Agency. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Proyecciones nacionales y departamentales de población. 2006-2020" [National and departmental population projections. 2006-2020] (PDF) (in Spanish). DANE National Statistical Service, Colombia. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  17. ^ "The Arab Population: 2000" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  18. ^ Más de 10 millones de libaneses empujan el crecimiento social y económico de América Latina. Infobae, 24 de junio de 2014. Consultado el 23 de diciembre de 2019.
  19. ^ Amor por Venezuela: La emigración libanesa, Notitarde, 9 August 1999. Retrieved 21 July 2020. Cite (in spanish): "En Venezuela residen actualmente unos quinientos mil ciudadanos libaneses o de origen libanés".
  20. ^ "Henry Laurens : " la France et le Liban sont comme les membres d'une famille recomposée "". 7 October 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k iLoubnan (2009). "Geographical distribution of Lebanese diaspora". Ya Libnan. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Interview with Lebanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia". Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Profil du recensement, recensement de la population de 2021". canada.ca. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Communauté libanaise du Québec". lapresse.ca. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  25. ^ Canada and Lebanon, a special tie Archived 21 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine, CBC News
  26. ^ "The People of Australia – Statistics from the 2011 Census" (PDF). Australian Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  27. ^ a b Más de 10 millones de libaneses empujan el crecimiento social y económico de América Latina Archived 7 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Infobae, 24 de junio de 2014. Consultado el 23 de diciembre de 2019.
  28. ^ de 2020, 16 de Octubre (16 October 2020). "El Guayaquil que acogió a los migrantes extranjeros". El Telégrafo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Des investisseurs libanais à Abidjan pour investir en Afrique". VOA. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire : insubmersibles Libanais – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  31. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire - World Directory of Minorities & Indigenous Peoples". Minority Rights Group. 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  32. ^ "Minorities in Côte d'Ivoire". Minority Rights. 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2021. Lebanese in Côte d'Ivoire are one of the largest Lebanese communities outside Lebanon, though their exact numbers are unknown, with estimates ranging from tens of thousands to as high as 300.000
  33. ^ González Hernández, Julio Amable (11 August 2012). "Registro de Inmigrantes de El Líbano". Cápsulas Genealógicas en Areíto (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2014. Se calcula que en República Dominicana existen unos 80,000 descendientes de esos inmigrantes que una vez dejaron sus tierras para buscar una vida mejor.
  34. ^ "Lebanese Living in UAE Fear Deportation". 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  35. ^ "Les Libanais d'Uruguay" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2009. En Uruguay, ils sont actuellement quelque 70 000 habitants d'origine libanaise.
  36. ^ "The most representative ethnic groups of Senegal". Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2022. On estime la communauté libanaise recensée au Sénégal à plus de 50 000 personnes (non nés au Sénégal).
  37. ^ Immigrants Boost West African Commerce Archived 24 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Voice of America, 10 July 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  38. ^ "What is it about Lebanon and German football?". Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  39. ^ "Le Liban meurtri, compte sur la solidarité de son importante diaspora dans le monde, dont 1,2 million de personnes en Afrique". FTVInfo. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  40. ^ Ghosh P. (2013). "Arabs In The Andes? Chile, The Unlikely Long-Term Home Of A Large Palestinian Community". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  41. ^ J. Códoba-Toro (2015). "Árabes en Chile". Iberoamérica Social. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  42. ^ "Planes and pyramids: The surreal mansions of Lebanon's Nigeria Avenue". Middle East Eye édition française.
  43. ^ "The Struggle Of The Christian Lebanese For Land Ownership In South Africa". The Marionite Research Institute. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015.
  44. ^ "Les Libanais à l'heure du désastre haïtien". lorientlejour. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  45. ^ a b "Le Liban et la Belgique : Une vision commune". ambassadeliban. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  46. ^ "Les immigrés libanais en Suisse présents dans de nombreux secteurs". lorientlejour. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  47. ^ "Investissements libanais massifs". lorientlejour. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  48. ^ "Le Gabon, foyer de la plus grande communauté libanaise d'Afrique centrale". lorientlejour. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  49. ^ "Au Cameroun, l'importante présence du Hezbollah suscite des interrogations". icibeyrouth. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  50. ^ "La communauté Libanaise, Une intégration réussie dans la sphère antillaise". maisonscreoles. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  51. ^ "Les Libanais de Guadeloupe, une émigration ancienne et une population bien intégrée". lorientlejour.com/. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  52. ^ "These Young Israelis Were Born in Lebanon – but Don't Call Them Arabs". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  53. ^ "At its height in the 1970s, Liberia's Lebanese community was 17,000 strong, according to BBC News Now, after Liberia's long civil war, it numbers around 3,000". liberianobserver. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  54. ^ "La diaspora libanaise de Cotonou". lorientlejour. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  55. ^ "L'immigration syro-libanaise en Guyane". FTVI. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  56. ^ Owens, Jonathan (2000). Arabic as a Minority Language. Walter de Gruyter. p. 347. ISBN 978-3-11-016578-4.
  57. ^ Syria and the Palestinians: The Clash of Nationalisms - Page 113, Ghada Hashem Talhami - 2001
  58. ^ "Lebanon 2017 International Religious Freedom Report" (PDF). United States Department of State. 20 May 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  59. ^ "Lebanon: A Country Study". US Library of Congress. Section: Population. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  60. ^ "CNEWA Canada - The Maronite Catholic Church". Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  61. ^ "Senior Seminar: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities". Hamline University. 18 December 2002. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009.