Country Comments

Lebanon’s population has seen replacement level fertility for the past decade but with a massive displacement of Syrians (estimated around 1.5 million into Lebanon) from its civil war beginning in 2011 and a median age of under 30 years old its population has been generally increasing. The past few years with annual emigration reaching 30,000 population levels have remained steady.

The country is one of the most densely populated areas in the world and at current population, consumption and waste production levels it is very unsustainable. Contamination from hazardous chemicals, landfill sites at capacity, and water pollution, are among the most urgent environmental and public health challenges faced by Lebanese citizens.

Despite favourable knowledge of and access to family planning methods as well as positive attitudes towards family planning, there is a clear stagnation in the rate of contraception use over the past four decades.The identified major factors hindering the use of family planning methods in Lebanon appear to be religion, age and lower educational levels. (1)

(1) https://srh.bmj.com/content/45/4/269