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Lebanese emigration at highest level in five years: study

Lebanese emigration at highest level in five years: study
TheÌýnumber of Lebanese citizens leaving their country jumped from 17,721 in 2020 to 79,134 in 2021, a new study has found - an increase ofÌý346 percent.
1 min read
10 February, 2022
Lebanese citizens are leaving in record numbers[Getty]

The number of citizens who left their country rocketed in 2021Ìýas the country grappledÌýwith economic and woes, according to a new study by Lebanese research centreÌýInformation International.

TheÌýnumber of Lebanese emigrantsÌýjumped from 17,721 in 2020 to 79,134 in 2021, the report found - an increase ofÌý346 percent.

Emigration in 2021 was the highest Lebanon has seen in five years, Information International said.

The findingsÌýcomeÌýas the country is mired byÌýunstable living conditions, fuelled by anÌýeconomic crisis.

MENA
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Lebanon defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020, a first in its history.

Its currency has lost about 90 percent of its value on the black market and four out of five Lebanese now live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations, a situation made worse by triple-digit inflation.

Despite the economic collapse, the country's ruling class has blocked reforms that foreign donors say must happen before aid is dispensed.

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