Lebanese diaspora
Lebanese diaspora refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who, whether by choice or coercion, emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. There are more Lebanese living outside Lebanon, than within the country. The majority of the diaspora population consists of Lebanese Christians; others are Muslim, Druze, or Jewish. The Christians trace their origin to several waves of emigration, starting with the exodus that followed the 1860 Lebanon conflict in Ottoman Syria.
Under the current Lebanese nationality law, diaspora Lebanese do not have an automatic right to return to Lebanon. Due to varying degrees of assimilation and high degree of interethnic marriages in the Lebanese diaspora communities, regardless of religious affiliation; most diaspora Lebanese have not passed on the Arabic language to their children, while still maintaining a Lebanese ethnic identity.
The largest diaspora by far resides in Brazil, with between 2 and 5 million; Argentina and Colombia follow, with about a million each.
Demographics
Although there are no reliable figures, the diaspora is estimated to be around 8 -10 million people, far more than the internal population of Lebanon of around 4 million who are citizens. According to other estimates the number of Lebanese living outside the country is thought to at the very least double the number of citizens living inside, which means at least 8 million people. Of the diaspora, 1.2 million are Lebanese citizens.History
The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the Lebanese Civil War, with many Lebanese emigrating to Western countries. Because of the economic opportunities, many Lebanese have also worked in the Arab World, most notably Arab states of the Persian Gulf like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Currently around 50% of Lebanese citizens resident in Lebanon are Muslim and around 50% are Christian.The Americas have long been a destination for Lebanese migration, with Lebanese arriving in some countries at least as early as the nineteenth century. The largest concentration of Lebanese outside the Middle East is in Brazil, which has, according to some sources, at least 6 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese more than twice that of the entire population of Lebanon. The population of Brazil of either full or partial Lebanese descent is estimated at 7 million people by Arab-Brazilian organizations. According to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East
There are also other large Lebanese communities in Latin American countries, namely Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Haiti and Dominican Republic. Many Lebanese have also been settled for quite some time in the United States, Canada, Australia, The United Kingdom, South Africa and in the European Union member states. There are also sizable populations in The United Arab Emirates, Singapore as well as francophone West Africa, particularly Ivory Coast and Ghana.
A law passed in 2008 permitted Lebanese abroad to vote in Lebanese elections starting in 2013.
Business networks and economic impacts
Many Lebanese entrepreneurs and business people worldwide have proved very successful, in all kinds of sectors and contexts. Therefore, Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential." Remittances from Lebanese abroad to family members within the country were estimated at $8.9 billion in 2014 and accounted for 18% of the country's economy. However, there remains a great untapped potential for further collaboration and cooperation between the diaspora and the Lebanese in their home-country. Foreign direct investment is below 7% of the GDP, and almost half the Lebanese population is in tertiary education.Throughout its history, the Lebanese diaspora used the Lebanese identity to create strong networks to help its members out. That helped develop a productive and profitable activity. Over the course of time, immigration has indeed yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.
Lebanese populations in the diaspora
The list below contains approximate figures for people of full or partial Lebanese descent by country of residence, largely taken from the iLoubnan diaspora map. Additional reliable cites have been provided where possible. Additional estimates have been included where they can be cited; where applicable, these are used in place of the iLoubnan figures. The Figure below uses the data from the list and calculates the amount of Lebanese residents as a percentage of the total population of the respective country.| Country | Estimate | Upper Estimate | Region | Country article in English Wikipedia | List of personalities of Lebanese origin |
| Brazil | 2,000,000 according to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East | 5,800,000-7,000,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Brazilian | Brazil |
| Argentina | 1,200,000 | 3,500,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Argentine | Argentina |
| Colombia | 1,000,000 | 3,400,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Colombian | Colombia |
| United States | 500,000 | 900,000 | North America | Lebanese American | United States |
| Venezuela | 341,000 | 500,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Venezuelan | Venezuela |
| Australia | 271,000 | 350,000 | Oceania | Lebanese Australian | Australia |
| France | 250,000 | 250,000 - 300,000 | European Union | Lebanese French | France |
| Mexico | 240,000 | 400,000 - 505,000 | North America | Lebanese Mexican | Mexico |
| Canada | 190,275 | 250,000 - 270,000 | North America | Lebanese Canadian | Canada |
| Saudi Arabia | 120,000 | 299,000''' | Arab World | Lebanese people in Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia |
| Syria | 114,000 | Arab World | Lebanese people in Syria | Syria | |
| Ecuador | 98,000 | 250,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Ecuadorian | Ecuador |
| Dominican Republic | 80,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Dominican | ||
| United Arab Emirates | 80,000 | 156,000 | Arab World | Lebanese people in the United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates |
| Nigeria | 75,000 | 75,000 | Africa | ||
| Uruguay | 53,000 | 70,000 | Latin America | Lebanese Uruguayan | Uruguay |
| Ivory Coast | 50,000 | 300,000 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Lebanese people in Ivory Coast | |
| New Zealand | 8,500 | Oceania | Lebanese New Zealander | ||
| Sierra Leone | 44,000 | 150,000 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Lebanese people in Sierra Leone | |
| Kuwait | 41,775 | 106,000 | Arab World | Lebanese people in Kuwait | |
| Senegal | 30,000 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Lebanese Senegalese | ||
| Sweden | 26,906 | European Union | Lebanese people in Sweden | Sweden | |
| Denmark | 26,705 | European Union | Lebanese people in Denmark | Denmark | |
| Qatar | 25,000 | 191,000 | Arab World | Lebanese people in Qatar | |
| Spain | 11,820 | European Union | Lebanese Spanish | Spain | |
| South Africa | 5,100 | 20,000 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Lebanese people in South Africa | South Africa |
| Belgium | 2,400 | 5,000 | European Union | Lebanese people in Belgium | Belgium |
| Israel | unknown | 2,700 | Middle East | ||
| Germany | unknown | European Union | Lebanese German | Germany | |
| Caribbean | 545,200 | Latin America | Lebanese Jamaican | Caribbean Cuba Haiti Jamaica | |
| Rest of Latin America, ex. Caribbean | 181,800 | Latin America | Lebanese Chileans | Chile Guatemala Dutch Antilles | |
| Scandinavia | 108,220 | European Union | Lebanese Swedish | Sweden Denmark | |
| Rest of GCC | 105,000 | Arab World | |||
| Rest of European Union | 96,780 | European Union | Lebanese British Lebanese Bulgarian** Lebanese Greek | Bulgaria Cyprus Germany Italy Monaco Netherlands Switzerland UK | |
| Rest of Sub-Saharan Africa | 42,510 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Lebanese Sierra Leonean | Ghana Sierra Leone | |
| North Africa | 14,000 | North Africa | Lebanese Egyptian | Egypt | |
| Asia | 2,600 | Asia |
Note: An important percentage of Arabs in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Portugal and Spain are of Lebanese ancestry. They are denoted ** for this purpose.
Outreach to the Lebanese diaspora by the Lebanese government
The Lebanese government increasingly sees the diaspora as a critical resource for investment and new immigrants. A 2016 television ad tried to entice Lebanese in the United States to move to Lebanon to help improve the standard of living.The Lebanese government launched the DiasporaID program in August 2017 to better connect Lebanese abroad to Lebanon itself. Funding for the project was provided by USAID with an objective of improving foreign investment in Lebanon.
On August 8, 2017, Lebanese President Michel Aoun advocated children of Lebanese in the diaspora take on Lebanese citizenship during a speech to the Maronite Diaspora Institution at Baabda Palace.
Notable persons of Lebanese Christian descent
Famous scientists of Lebanese descent include: Peter Medawar, Elias Corey, Michael Atiyah, Michael DeBakey, Mona Nemer and geneticist Huda Zoghbi. Famous writers include William Peter Blatty, film director Alex Garland, Nassim Nicholas Taleb and screenwriter and film producer Geoff Johns.Prominent members of the Lebanese diaspora include Presidents and Vice-Presidents, e.g. Michel Temer, Julio Teodoro Salem, Abdalá Bucaram, Alberto Dahik, Jamil Mahuad, Jacobo Majluta Azar, Luis Abinader, Julio Cesar Turbay, Alberto Abdala and Mario Abdo. Other famous politicians include Ralph Nader, 2000, 2004 and 2008 US presidential candidate, Alex Azar current United States Secretary of Health, Spencer Abraham former United States Secretary of Energy, John Sununu former White House Chief of Staff, Darrell Issa US politician, George J. Mitchell US Politician and Peace Envoy, Philip Habib US Politician and Peace Envoy, politician and author Jeanine Pirro, US Representative Donna Shalala, and Edward Seaga Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Notable military and astronauts include US army general John Abizaid, Navy Seal and Medal of Honor recipient Michael Mansoor as well as astronaut and Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient Christa McAuliffe.
Famous businessmen of Lebanese descent include Carlos Slim Helú, Carlos Ghosn, Nicolas Hayek, John J. Mack, Jacques Nasser, Debra Cafaro, Joseph J Jacobs, Lucie Salhany, Kevin O' Leary, Marcus Lemonis and famous names in entertainment like Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Salma Hayek, Shakira, Jenna Dewan, Terrence Malick, Tom Shadyac, Tony Shalhoub, Tiffany, Jim Backus, Jane Wiedlin, Kristy McNichol, Zoe Saldana, James Stacy, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Amy Yasbeck, Khrystyne Haje, Skandar Keynes, Barbara Mori, John Leguizamo, Omar Shariff, Paul Anka, Emilio Stefan, Drake's long time producers and Grammy winners Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib, Ricardo Darin,Oscar-winning composer Gabriel Yared, guitarists Dick Dale and Tommy Bolin, Xavier Dolan, Damian Bichir, Armand Van Helden, Tyler Joseph, Jack Barakat, Bazzi, Thomas Rhett, Mika, models Yamila Diaz-Rahi and Daniella Sarahyba; and sportsmen like Doug Flutie, Rony Seikaly, Marcos Bagdhatis, Patrick Maroon, Johnny Manziel, surfers Kelly Slater and Maya Gabeira, winner of the Indy 500 Bobby Rahal, FIFA World Cup record holder Mario Zagallo, chess Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade and Olympic medalists Jordyn Wieber, Florencia Habif, Matt Abood and Thaisa Daher.