Lebanon: Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Lebanon's claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) fell 20.52 percentage points on 2017 (from -0.76% to -21.28%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2017), the average change was −0.16 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 14.67 percentage points in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.52 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.41 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 31% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Lebanon in the 2018 ranking

• Oman — 1st of 2: -2.82%

What this measures

Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. Broad money is the sum of all liquid financial instruments held by money-holding sectors that are widely accepted in an economy as a medium of exchange, plus those that can be converted into a medium of exchange at short notice at, or close to, their full nominal value. This indicator represents the annual percentage growth in the ratio of claims to broad money.

Limitations: Monetary accounts are derived from the balance sheets of financial institutions - the central bank, commercial banks, and nonbank financial intermediaries. Although these balance sheets are usually reliable, they are subject to errors of classification, valuation, and timing and to differences in accounting practices. For example, whether interest income is recorded on an accrual or a cash basis can make a substantial difference, as can the treatment of nonperforming assets. Valuation errors typically arise for foreign exchange transactions, particularly in countries with flexible exchange rates or in countries that have undergone currency devaluation during the reporting period.

All 54 values

Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — -1.06% (2020)
• Algeria — 11.22% (2025)
• Bahrain — 4.77% (2015)
• Djibouti — -0.71% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 8.59% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 5.66% (2016)
• Iraq — 9.2% (2024)
• Israel — 2.17% (2025)
• Jordan

More financial sector data for Lebanon

• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$89,500 (2025)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 51.57 trillion (2017)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 160.19 trillion (2017)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 208.34 trillion (2017)
• Claims on private sector (annual growth as % of broad money) — 2.5% (2017)
• Broad money (annual % growth) — 4.21% (2017)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$89,500 (2025)
• Deposit interest rate (%) — 9.7% (2019)
• Lending interest rate (%) — 10.51% (2019)
• Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lebanon's claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money)?

-21.28% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1965?

It is down 22.7 percentage points from 1.43% in 1965. The highest value was 19.43% in 1992 and the lowest -21.28% in 2018.

Is the latest change in claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) unusual for Lebanon?

In 2018, Lebanon's claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) fell 20.52 percentage points on 2017 (from -0.76% to -21.28%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2017), the average change was −0.16 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.CGOV.ZG.M3, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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