Lebanon: Net ODA received (% of central government expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Lebanon's net ODA received (% of central government expense) rose 66.47 percentage points on 2020 (from 30.02% to 96.49%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was +1.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 12.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 66.47 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.32 percentage points in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 6.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 42% 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.

How it compares

In 2021, Lebanon had the 3rd highest value of the 14 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Lebanon in the 2021 ranking

• Central African Republic — 1st of 14: 224.99%
• Burundi — 2nd of 14: 145.28%
• West Bank and Gaza — 4th of 14: 45.64%
• Nepal — 5th of 14: 22.29%
• Cameroon — 6th of 14: 20.43%

What this measures

Net official development assistance (ODA) consists of disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. It includes loans with a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent).

Limitations: Data on ODA is for aid-receiving countries. The data cover loans and grants from DAC member countries, multilateral organizations, and non-DAC donors. They do not reflect aid given by recipient countries to other developing countries. As a result, some countries that are net donors are shown as aid recipients. The indicator does not distinguish types of aid (program, project, or food aid; emergency assistance; or post-conflict peacekeeping assistance), which may have different effects on the economy. Ratio of aid to central government expense provides measures of recipient country's dependency on aid. But care must be taken in drawing policy conclusions.

All 24 values

Net ODA received (% of central government expense) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 51.82% (2017)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.54% (2015)
• Jordan — 19.51% (2023)
• Morocco — 1.99% (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 45.64% (2021)

More economic policy & debt data for Lebanon

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$33.3 billion (2024)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$9.24 billion (2024)
• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$1.42 billion (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$330.71 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$1.43 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$1.75 billion (2023)

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 ODA received (% of central government expense)?

96.49% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 88.94 percentage points from 7.55% in 1998. The highest value was 96.49% in 2021 and the lowest 3.76% in 2002.

How does Lebanon rank?

3rd highest of 14 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in net ODA received (% of central government expense) unusual for Lebanon?

In 2021, Lebanon's net ODA received (% of central government expense) rose 66.47 percentage points on 2020 (from 30.02% to 96.49%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was +1.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 12.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.ODA.ODAT.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline; Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/ids… 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.