 Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque during 2019 Lebanese revolution | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2-3.5 million[1] | |
| Religions | |
| Shia Islam,Sunni Islam,Alawite,Ismaili |
| Muslim denomination | percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunni Muslims | 31.9% | |||
| Twelver Shia Muslims | 31.2% | |||
Islam has a long, continuous history inLebanon. The majority of the Lebanese population in Lebanon is Muslim, although the precise percentage is difficult to ascertain. The Lebanese constitution officially guaranteesfreedom of religion for government-registered religions, including five denominations of Islam, although ablasphemy law and restrictions on religious groups that "disturb the public order" exist as well.[3] Under theTaif Agreement, Muslims are allocated proportional representation across multiple governmental positions.[3]
TheLebanese Druze community are sometimes counted as a branch of Islam within Lebanon, though mostDruze followers do not consider themselves Muslim and do not follow theFive Pillars of Islam.
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| Year | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 42.0% | |||
| 1985 | 68.0% | |||
| 2010 | 54.0% | |||
| 2012 | 53.5% | |||
| 2014 | 56.9% | |||
| 2018 | 61.1% | |||
| 2022 | 56.8% | |||
It is difficult to obtain precise demographic information within Lebanon, as the country has not had an officialcensus since 1932. In that census, Muslims amounted to 42% of the population (with slightly more Sunni than Shia Muslims), but Christians (primarilyMaronites) composed a small majority of the population.[4] Lebanon was aFrench mandate betweenWorld War I andWorld War II, and was founded in part to serve as a home for Christians withinWest Asia.[10]
Demographic estimates since the 1932 census have found a significantly higher proportion of Muslims than the census did. This increase is not generally believed to be a result of population changes, but rather due to less biased estimation processes.[10][11]
Current demographic estimates generally agree that Muslims represent the majority of the Lebanese population, though estimates range from 60 to 70% of the Lebanese population. According to the May 2025 edition of theCIA World Factbook, the Muslim population is estimated to be 67.8%,[a] of which approximately 47% are Sunni, 47% are Shia, and the remainder areAlawite orIsmaili.[12] Pew Research estimated the 2020 proportion of Muslims in Lebanon in 2020 at 61.2%.[13] Statistics Lebanon, a non-governmental research firm, estimated that 69.3% of Lebanese people Muslims, with approximately 45% of these Muslims being Shia, 45% being Sunni, and 10% being Alawite or Ismaili.[3] ACentral Intelligence Agency (CIA) study in 1985 put the numbers of Muslims at 68% of the population in 1985.[4]
TheDruze are sometimes designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities (Sunni, Shia, Druze, Alawi, and Ismaili),[14][15] even though mostDruze do not identify asMuslims,[16][17][18][19][20] and they do not accept thefive pillars of Islam.[21]
In Lebanon, the different Muslim sects are spread across distinct regions. Sunnis are mainly concentrated inWest Beirut,Tripoli in the north,Sidon in the south, and parts of the Bekaa Valley such asArsal. Shias are largely based in South Lebanon, particularly aroundTyre,Nabatieh, andBint Jbeil, as well as in the Bekaa Valley around Baalbek and Hermel, and in Beirut’s southern suburbs known asDahieh. Alawites, who make up a very small community, are mostly found in theJabal Mohsen neighborhood of Tripoli.
In 2014, according to *وقائع إنتخابية عن لبنان، حسب لوائح الناخبين الرسمية الصادرة عن وزارة الداخلية اللبنانية لسنة ٢٠١٤*,[23] Muslims made up 56.9% of registered voters aged 21 and above: 28.26% Sunnis, 27.83% Shias, and 0.81% Alawites.In 2022,[24] based on the registered voters aged 21+ for the elections, Muslims represented 56.83%: 28.21% Sunnis, 27.77% Shias, and 0.84% Alawites.The overall proportions remained very stable between 2014 and 2022, with only slight increases in all three groups.
| Year | Muslims | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Sunnis | Shias | Alawites | |
| 2014[23] | 56.9% | 28.26% | 27.83% | 0.81% |
| 2022[24] | 56.83% | 28.21% | 27.77% | 0.84% |
| Year | Muslims | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Sunnis | Shias | Alawites | |||||
| 2014[23] | 1 999 770 | 993 124 | 978 043 | 28 603 | ||||
| 2022[24] | 2 272 545 | 1 128 282 | 1 110 707 | 33 556 | ||||
| Growth | +272 775 | +135 158 | +132 664 | +4 953 | ||||
| % growth |  12.00% | 11.98% | 11.94% | 14.76% | ||||
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[23] | 2022[24] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 362 100 | 85.59% | 387 513 | 78.79% |
| South Governorate | 308 976 | 78.34% | 362 277 | 78.11% |
| North Governorate | 306 989 | 54.63% | 353 253 | 55.63% |
| Beirut Governorate | 285 542 | 61.17% | 313 610 | 59.31% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 250 655 | 85.79% | 280 120 | 84.25% |
| Akkar Governorate | 186 098 | 72.27% | 221 292 | 73.26% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 155 190 | 51.59% | 174 990 | 50.9% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 119 248 | 18.41% | 133 700 | 18.78% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 24 972 | 14.68% | 22 120 | 12.08% |
| Total Lebanese Muslim population | 1 999 770 | 56.9% | 2 272 545 | 56.83% |
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[23] | 2022[24] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| North Governorate | 286 292 | 28.83% | 330 089 | 29.02% |
| Beirut Governorate | 211 862 | 21.33% | 231 695 | 20.37% |
| Akkar Governorate | 170 566 | 17.17% | 202 146 | 17.77% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 109 859 | 11.06% | 121 858 | 10.71% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 70 918 | 7.14% | 75 289 | 6.62% |
| South Governorate | 68 671 | 6.93% | 79 501 | 6.99% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 41 084 | 4.14% | 48 328 | 4.25% |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 30 716 | 3.09% | 36 877 | 3.24% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 3 156 | 0.32% | 2 499 | 0.22% |
| Total Lebanese Sunni population | 993 124 | 100% | 1 128 282 | 100% |
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[23] | 2022[24] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 346 331 | 35.41% | 374 296 | 33.61% |
| South Governorate | 240 280 | 24.57% | 282 768 | 25.39% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 209 463 | 21.42% | 231 702 | 20.8% |
| Beirut Governorate | 73 517 | 7.52% | 81 915 | 7.35% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 52 701 | 5.39% | 58 411 | 5.24% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 45 313 | 4.63% | 53 132 | 4.77% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 17 210 | 1.76% | 19 617 | 1.76% |
| North Governorate | 5 201 | 0.53% | 5 288 | 0.47% |
| Akkar Governorate | 3 012 | 0.31% | 3 578 | 0.32% |
| Total Lebanese Shia population | 978 043 | 100% | 1 110 707 | 100% |
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[23] | 2022[24] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| North Governorate | 15 496 | 54.18% | 17 876 | 53.27% |
| Akkar Governorate | 12 520 | 43.77% | 15 568 | 46.39% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 220 | 0.77% | 0 | 0% |
| Beirut Governorate | 163 | 0.57% | 0 | 0% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 108 | 0.38% | 90 | 0.27% |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 38 | 0.13% | 10 | 0.03% |
| South Governorate | 25 | 0.09% | 8 | 0.02% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 18 | 0.06% | 0 | 0% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 15 | 0.05% | 4 | 0.01% |
| Total Lebanese Alawite population | 28 603 | 100% | 33 556 | 100% |
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Although Lebanon is officially asecular country, religious identity and religious leadership play significant roles for the Lebanese government. Religious groups must register with the Lebanese government, and citizens report their religious identity to the Ministry of Interior’s (MOI’s) Personal Status Directorate. The government considers the Druze a sect of Islam.[3] Religious identities play a critical role in maintaining the balance of power within the Lebanese government; theNational Pact of 1943 guarantees that thePrime Minister must be aSunnite, and theSpeaker of Parliament must be aShiite, and thePresident must be aMaronite Christian.[25] Under the National Pact, 45% of the governmental and parliamentary positions were reserved for Muslims. Since theTaif Agreement in 1990, this has been revised to a 50-50 split between Muslims and Christians.[11]
Family matters such asmarriage,divorce andinheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. Calls forcivil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages conducted in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities.[3]
Atheism is not recognized by the state. However, theMinister of the InteriorZiad Baroud made it possible in 2009 to have the religious sect removed from one’sLebanese identity card. This does not, however, deny religious authorities complete control over civil family issues inside the country.[26][27]
Lebanese Muslims are divided into many branches likeShiites,Sunnis,Alawites, andIsmailis.
TheDruze are sometimes considered a fifth branch of Islam for governmental purposes, despite significant religious differences between the faiths most don't identify as Muslims.[28][29][18][19][20]
TheLebanese Shia Muslims are around 29%[30][31]-31%[3] of the total population.Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed byAlawites andIsmailis. TheSpeaker of Parliament is always a Shi'a Muslim, as it is the only high post that Shi'as are eligible for.[32][33][34][35] The Shiites are largely concentrated in northern and centralBeqaa,Southern Lebanon, in southBeirut (southern parts ofGreater Beirut).[36][37]
TheLebanese Sunni Muslims constitute around 27%[36]–29%[3] of the total population with theHanafi andShafiʽimadhhab being the predominant Sunni groups. Sunni notables traditionally held power in the Lebanese state together, and they are still the only ones eligible for the post ofPrime Minister[38] Sunnis form the majority in westBeirut,Tripoli,Sidon, Central and WesternBeqaa and hasbaya, ikleem al kharroub, Miniyeh, and Danniyeh districts, andAkkar in the north.[36]
Several largeSufi orders are active in the country, including theNaqshbandi andQadiriyyatariqas.[39]
TheLebanese Druze constitute 5%[3] of the population and can be found primarily in Mount Lebanon and the Shouf District. Under the Lebanese political division (Parliament of Lebanon Seat Allocation) the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities (Sunni, Shia, Druze, Alawi, and Ismaili).[14][15] MostDruze do not identify asMuslims.[28][29][18][19][20]
[Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim
Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.
While they appear parallel to those of normative Islam, in the Druze religion they are different in meaning and interpretation. The religion is considered distinct from the Ismaili as well as from other Muslims belief and practice... Most Druze consider themselves fully assimilated in American society and do not necessarily identify as Muslims..
Theologically, one would have to conclude that the Druze are not Muslims. They do not accept the five pillars of Islam. In place of these principles the Druze have instituted the seven precepts noted above..
[Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim
| Byreligion1 |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By ethnicity or nationality | |||||||
1 TheLebanese people has the most religious diversity of all peoples in theMiddle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects recognized by theConstitution of Lebanon. 2 Under the terms of theConstitution of Lebanon, the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community. | |||||||
