FES BRIEFING SNAPSHOT OF MIGRATION TO AND FROM LEBANON IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS 1 Maysa Baroud, Joint Visiting Fellow Middle East Council on Global Affairs& Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs December 2024 BACKGROUND 1 Lebanon has a long history as an immigrant-sending country, with large Lebanese diaspora communities established world­wide. At the same time, it is a receiving country with a sub­stantial labor migrant population. Lebanon is also a refu­gee-hosting state. Given its large Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations as well as its location, the country is also a point of origin and transit for these communities who have limited options for onwards movement(for example through resettlement with the UNHCR). Migratory movements in and out of Lebanon are affected by Lebanon’s compounded crises, and at multiple levels by the spillover of regional(geopolitical) developments and their impact on the social and economic situation in the country–including the Syrian war from 2011 onwards and the more recent war on Gaza and escalation of Israeli aggressions in Lebanon(from October 2023 to date). MIGRATION TO AND FROM LEBANON The onset of the financial and economic crisis in 2019 and sub­sequent crises triggered a mass migration movement of Leba­nese, with the total number of reported emigrants from the country between 2018 and 2021 estimated at 195,433. 2 Among the first to leave Lebanon, particularly during the COV­ID-19 pandemic, were those with good socio-economic stand­ing and those with foreign passports, particularly to the Gulf, Europe and the USA. Lebanese also left to non-traditional des­tinations which provide accessible immigration pathways or 1 This brief is based on a country report and migration profile for Lebanon. The full report expands on the sections included here and includes all references and sources consulted. Baroud, M. (2024, December). Country Report: Lebanon. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, PRIO Cyprus, ELIAMEP, Issam Fares Institute for Public Pol­icy and International Affairs. https://mena.fes.de/topics/region­al-peace-and-security-project.html(FriSi) 2 Mendelek, M.(2022). The Lebanese trend of emigration: A new peak since 2019? LAU News. that do not require an entry visa, such as Türkiye and Armenia. Other pathways included pursuing higher education abroad, available work visa programs for high-skilled workers such as the European Blue Card Scheme, and citizenship(or residency permit) by investment programs, such as Golden Visas. Lebanon is host to 768,353 registered Syrian refugees(as of October 31, 2024; with official estimates closer to 1.5 million), and roughly 11,200 registered refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities, including Iraqi, Sudanese,& Ethiopian. The country is also host to some 180,000 Palestine refugees from Lebanon, and some 30,000 Palestine refugees from Syria. 3 Fur­thermore, the IOM estimated in July 2024 that there were around 176,504 migrants in Lebanon, of whom approximately half are domestic or live-in workers, arriving under the Kafala (or sponsorship) system. In terms of their nationalities, accord­ing to the IOM, 38% of migrants were Ethiopian, 21% were Bangladeshi, and 9% were Sudanese, but the country also hosts migrants from other Arab countries and the West. 4 There is also an unknown number of irregular migrants in the country. Lebanon has also recorded fluctuating numbers of irregular departures of migrants departing for Europe in the past five years, particularly Cyprus, Greece, and Italy via the eastern and central Mediterranean routes. Most of those onboard inter­cepted boats were Syrian refugees, followed by Lebanese, and a smaller number of Palestinian refugees. Nevertheless, the share of irregular migrants leaving from Lebanon remains very low, as less than 1% of boats arriving in Europe in 2023 de­parted from the country. 5 Notably, the increase in boat move­ments to Cyprus as a leading destination in 2023 demon­strates a shift in boat movements from Lebanon, which between 2020-2022 were more likely to depart towards Italy via the central Mediterranean route. 3 UNHCR.(2024). UNHCR Lebanon at a glance. 4 International Organization for Migration[IOM].(2024 Aug 21). DTM Lebanon- Baseline assessment round 4. LB: IOM. 5 IOM.(2024). DTM Europe— Mixed Migration Flows to Europe, Yearly Regional Report(January- December 2023). IOM, Vienna. 1