Lebanese diaspora

Lebanese diaspora

Total population
From 8 to possibly 14 million
Languages
Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, Lebanese Arabic, Armenian
Religion
Christianity, mainly Maronite, as well as Eastern Orthodox, Melkite, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and non-native to Lebanon like Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic. Muslim, mainly Shia, Sunni, in addition to Druze, Alawite, Lebanese Jews

Lebanese diaspora refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who, whether by choice or coercion, emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. There are more Lebanese living outside of Lebanon (8-14 million), than within (4 million). The majority of the diaspora population consists of Lebanese Christians; however, there are some who are Muslim, Druze, and Jewish. They trace their origin to several waves of Christian emigration, starting with the exodus that followed the 1860 Lebanon conflict in Ottoman Syria.

Under the current Lebanese nationality law, diaspora Lebanese do not have an automatic right of return to Lebanon. Due to varying degrees of assimilation and high degree of interethnic marriages in the Lebanese diaspora communities, regardless of religious affiliation; most diaspora Lebanese have not passed on the Arabic language to their children, while still maintaining a Lebanese ethnic identity.

Although there are no reliable figures, the diaspora is estimated to be around 14 million people, far more than the internal population of Lebanon of around 4 million. According to other estimates the number of Lebanese living outside the country is thought to at the very least double the number of citizens living inside, which means at least 8 million people. Of the diaspora, 1.2 million are Lebanese citizens.

History

The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the Lebanese Civil War, with many Lebanese emigrating to Western countries. Because of the economic opportunities, many Lebanese have also worked in the Arab World, most notably the Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Currently around 60% of Lebanese citizens resident in Lebanon are Muslim and around 40% are Christian.

The Americas have long been a destination for Lebanese migration, with Lebanese arriving in some countries at least as early as the nineteenth century. The largest concentration of Lebanese outside the Middle East is in Brazil, which has, according to some sources, at least 6 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese more than twice that of the entire population of Lebanon. The population of Brazil of either full or partial Lebanese descent is estimated at 7 million people by Arab-Brazilian organizations. According to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East

There are also other large Lebanese communities in Latin American countries, namely Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic. Many Lebanese have also been settled for quite some time in the United States, Canada, Australia and in the European Union member states. There are also sizable populations in francophone West Africa, particularly Ivory Coast.

Lebanese abroad are not presently permitted the right to vote in Lebanese elections. A law passed in late 2008 gives expatriates the right to vote in elections in 2013.

Business networks and economic impacts

Many Lebanese entrepreneurs and business people worldwide have proved very successful, in all kinds of sectors and contexts. Therefore, Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential." Remittances from Lebanese abroad to family members within the country were estimated at $8.9 billion in 2014 and accounted for 18% of the country's economy. Though, there remains a great untapped potential for further collaboration and cooperation between the diaspora and the Lebanese in their home-country. Foreign Direct Investment is indeed below 7% of GDP while almost half the Lebanese population is enrolled in tertiary education.

Throughout their history, the Lebanese diaspora used their Lebanese identity to create strong networks to help each other out and many used them to develop a productive and profitable activity. Over the course of time, immigration has indeed yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.

Lebanese populations in the diaspora

There are no reliable statistics about the actual number of people of Lebanese descent. The list below contains approximate figures for people of Lebanese descent by country of residence, largely taken from the iLoubnan diaspora map. Additional reliable cites have been provided where possible. Additional estimates have been included where they can be cited; where applicable, these are used in place of the iLoubnan figures.

Country	Estimate	Upper Estimate	Region	Country article in English Wikipedia	List of personalities of Lebanese origin
Brazil	5,800,000; according to a research conducted by IBGE in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in the Middle East	7,000,000(Brazilian/Lebanese governments)	Latin America	Lebanese Brazilian	Brazil
Argentina	1,200,000	1,500,000	Latin America	Lebanese Argentine	Argentina
United States	500,000	950,000	North America	Lebanese American	USA
Venezuela	341,000	500,000	Latin America	Lebanese Venezuelan	Venezuela
Australia	271,000	350,000	Oceania	Lebanese Australian	Australia
Mexico	240,000	400,000 - 505,000	Latin America	Lebanese Mexican	Mexico
Canada	190,275	250,000 - 270,000	North America	Lebanese Canadians	Canada
Colombia	125,000	700,000	Latin America	Lebanese Colombian	Colombia
Saudi Arabia	120,000	299,000	Arab World	Lebanese people in Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia
Syria	114,000		Arab World	Lebanese people in Syria	Syria
France	100,000	225,000 - 250,000	European Union	Lebanese French	France
Ecuador	98,000	250,000	Latin America	Lebanese Ecuadorian	Ecuador
United Arab Emirates	80,000	156,000	Arab World	Lebanese people in the United Arab Emirates	United Arab Emirates
Uruguay	53,000	70,000	Latin America	Lebanese Uruguayan	Uruguay
Germany	50,000		European Union	Lebanese German	Germany
Ivory Coast	50,000	90,000	Sub-saharan Africa	Lebanese people in Ivory Coast
New Zealand	45,300		Oceania
Kuwait	41,775	106,000	Arab World	Lebanese people in Kuwait
Senegal	30,000		Sub-Saharan Africa	Lebanese Senegalese
Qatar	25,000	191,000	Arab World	Lebanese people in Qatar
Spain	11,820		European Union	Lebanese Spanish	Spain
South Africa	5,100	20,000	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lebanese people in South Africa	South Africa
Caribbean	545,200		Latin America	Lebanese Jamaican	Caribbean  · Cuba  · Haiti  · Jamaica
Rest of Latin America, ex. Caribbean	181,800		Latin America	Lebanese Chileans	Chile  · Guatemala  · Dutch Antilles
Scandinavia	108,220		European Union	Lebanese Swedish	Sweden  · Denmark
Rest of GCC	105,000		Arab World
Rest of European Union	96,780		European Union	Lebanese British  · Lebanese Bulgarian** · Lebanese Greek	Bulgaria  · Cyprus  · Germany  · Italy  · Monaco  · Netherlands  · Switzerland  · UK
Rest of Sub-Saharan Africa	42,510		Sub-Saharan Africa	Lebanese Sierra Leonean	Ghana  · Sierra Leone
North Africa	14,000		North Africa	Lebanese Egyptian	Egypt
Asia	2,600		Asia

Note: An important percentage of Arabs in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Portugal and Spain are of Lebanese ancestry. They are denoted ** for this purpose.

Notable persons of Lebanese descent

Main article: List of Lebanese people (Diaspora)

Prominent Lebanese Figures
وجوه من لبنان

90x90px 90x90px 90x90px 90x90px 90x90px Top row (left to right) Some of the figures are of Lebanese Descent, while others are Lebanese Citizens John Maron • Charbel Makhluf • Estephan El Douaihy • Elias Peter Hoayek • Youssef Bey Karam • Former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun • Fairuz • Khalil Gibran • Former Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel • Carlos Slim • Sabah • Carlos Ghosn • Elie Saab • Charles Elachi • John Abizaid • John Abizaid • Elissa • Etienne Saqr • Donna Shalala • Ray LaHood • Michel Temer • U.S. Presidency Candidate Ralph Nader • Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih • Amal Clooney • Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir • Bechara Boutros al-Rahi • Lebanese President Michel Suleiman

Famous scientists of Lebanese descent include: Peter Medawar (Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine), Elias Corey (Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Michael Atiyah (Fields Medalist, Mathematics).

Prominent members of the Lebanese diaspora include Presidents and Vice-Presidents, e.g. Julio Teodoro Salem, Abdalá Bucaram, Alberto Dahik, Jamil Mahuad (all in Ecuador), Jacobo Majluta Azar (Dominican Republic), Julio Cesar Turbay (Colombia) and Alberto Abdala (Uruguay). Other famous politicians include Philip Habib US Politician and Peace Envoy, George J. Mitchell US Politician and Peace Envoy, Ralph Nader, 2004 and 2008 US presidential candidate, Edward Seaga Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Very famous businessmen of Lebanese descent include Carlos Slim Helú, Carlos Ghosn and Nicolas Hayek and famous names in entertainment like Danny Thomas, Salma Hayek, Shakira, Tony Shalhoub, Paul Anka, Mika and sportsmen like Doug Flutie, and Rony Seikaly.

See also

• Arab diaspora
• List of Lebanese people
• LERC, an organization aimed at bringing together Lebanese youth with Lebanese youth living abroad.
• Little Syria, Manhattan
• History of Lebanon
• Politics of Lebanon
• Lebanese passport
• Lebanese identity card
• Lebanese nationality law
• Visa requirements for Lebanese citizens
• Visa policy of Lebanon
• Driving licence in Lebanon
• Vehicle registration plates of Lebanon
• Constitution of Lebanon

External links

• The Lebanese Demographic Reality Lebanese Information Center, reviewed by Statistics Lebanon. 14 January 2013.
• KUSUMO, Fitra Ismu, "ISLAM EN AMERICA LATINA Tomo I: La expansión del Islam y su llegada a América Latina (Spanish Edition)"[1]
• KUSUMO, Fitra Ismu, "ISLAM EN AMÉRICA LATINA Tomo II: Migración Árabe a América Latina y el caso de México (Spanish Edition)" [2]
• KUSUMO, Fitra Ismu, "ISLAM EN AMÉRICA LATINA Tomo III: El Islam hoy desde América Latina (Spanish Edition)"[3]