Lebanon: Net primary income (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Lebanon's net primary income (current US$, BoP) rose US$754.88 million on 2022 (from −US$833.77 million to −US$78.88 million).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was +US$1.7 million and a typical year strayed about US$983.59 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above 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 US$2.62 billion in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was US$2.57 billion in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Lebanon had the 8th highest value of the 12 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 2023 ranking

• Comoros — 4th of 12: US$7.38 million
• Palau — 5th of 12: −US$16.56 million
• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 6th of 12: −US$49.04 million
• Benin — 8th of 12: −US$189.28 million
• Aruba — 9th of 12: −US$315.68 million
• South Sudan — 10th of 12: −US$393.85 million

What this measures

Net primary income includes the net labor income and net property and entrepreneurial income components of the SNA. Labor income covers compensation of employees paid to nonresident workers. Property and entrepreneurial income covers investment income from the ownership of foreign financial claims (interest, dividends, rent, etc.) and nonfinancial property income (patents, copyrights, etc.). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 22 values

Net primary income (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$189.23 million (2020)
• Algeria — −US$1.98 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — −US$3.44 billion (2025)
• Djibouti — US$115.93 million (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — −US$16.48 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$7.6 million (2025)
• Israel — −US$8.23 billion (2025)
• Jordan — −US$1.25 billion (2024)
• Kuwait — US$36.37 billion (2025)
• Libya — US$2.19 billion (2023)
• Malta

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

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Questions people ask

What is Lebanon's net primary income (current US$, BoP)?

−US$78.88 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is up 90.91% from −US$867.86 million in 2002. The highest value was US$740.09 million in 2007 and the lowest −US$3.44 billion in 2003.

How does Lebanon rank?

8th highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in net primary income (current US$, BoP) unusual for Lebanon?

In 2023, Lebanon's net primary income (current US$, BoP) rose US$754.88 million on 2022 (from −US$833.77 million to −US$78.88 million). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was +US$1.7 million and a typical year strayed about US$983.59 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.GSR.FCTY.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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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