Lebanon: Net domestic credit (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Lebanon's net domestic credit (current LCU) rose 2.2% on 2016 (from 156.71 trillion to 160.19 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +30.3% and a typical year strayed about 46.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 231.2% in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.1% in 1968. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 9.69 trillion a year. A straight line explains 100% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 190.67 trillion for 2020. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2015 to 2017 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 7.9 trillion, against 20.04 trillion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

Closest to Lebanon in the 2017 ranking

• Saudi Arabia — 2nd of 2: 1 trillion

What this measures

Net domestic credit is the sum of net claims on the central government and claims on other sectors of the domestic economy. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 54 values

Net domestic credit (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — -79.38 billion (2020)
• Algeria — 28.47 trillion (2025)
• Bahrain — 10.64 billion (2015)
• Djibouti — 335.15 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 18.29 trillion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 10,211.7 trillion (2016)
• Iraq — 78.52 trillion (2024)
• Israel — 2.22 trillion (2025)
• Jordan — 47.43 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — 46.3 billion (2025)
• Libya

More financial sector data for Lebanon

• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$89,500 (2025)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 51.57 trillion (2017)
• Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) — -21.28% (2018)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 208.34 trillion (2017)
• Claims on private sector (annual growth as % of broad money) — 2.5% (2017)
• Broad money (annual % growth) — 4.21% (2017)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — 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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Lebanon's net domestic credit (current LCU)?

160.19 trillion in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1964?

It is up 8.92 million% from 1.8 billion in 1964 (23.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 160.19 trillion in 2017 and the lowest 1.8 billion in 1964.

Is the latest change in net domestic credit (current LCU) unusual for Lebanon?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.DOMS.CN, 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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