Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of in Lebanon
Lebanon: Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of was 228,274 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of in Lebanon, 1960–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
In 2025, refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of in Lebanon stood at 228,274.
That represents a change of down 53.1% on the previous year and down 50.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of in Lebanon peaked at 492,833 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 122,967, in 1967.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 137,884 | — |
| 1961 | 142,670 | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 146,969 | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 152,747 | +3.9% |
| 1964 | 157,274 | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 162,499 | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 161,262 | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 122,967 | -23.7% |
| 1968 | 168,927 | +37.4% |
| 1969 | 173,539 | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 177,862 | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 181,764 | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 185,597 | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 189,277 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 192,830 | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 197,974 | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 199,238 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 206,521 | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 215,248 | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 223,470 | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 230,105 | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 233,881 | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 239,217 | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 252,593 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 260,270 | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 267,614 | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 274,878 | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 282,757 | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 292,098 | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 296,871 | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 306,471 | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 315,508 | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 324,219 | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 334,659 | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 342,121 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 349,773 | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 356,258 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 362,098 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 367,610 | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 373,440 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 380,072 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 384,918 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 389,233 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 394,532 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 399,152 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 404,170 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 408,438 | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 413,962 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 422,188 | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 425,640 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 430,078 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 436,154 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 441,543 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 447,328 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 452,669 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 458,369 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 463,664 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 469,555 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 475,075 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 476,033 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 479,537 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 482,676 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 487,282 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 492,833 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 486,269 | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 228,274 | -53.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of in Lebanon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -53.1% | 486,269 | 228,274 |
| 1968 | +37.4% | 122,967 | 168,927 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 152,674 | 122,967 | 173,539 | 10 |
| 1970s | 196,978 | 177,862 | 223,470 | 10 |
| 1980s | 263,028 | 230,105 | 296,871 | 10 |
| 1990s | 343,216 | 306,471 | 373,440 | 10 |
| 2000s | 402,230 | 380,072 | 425,640 | 10 |
| 2010s | 455,047 | 430,078 | 476,033 | 10 |
| 2020s | 442,812 | 228,274 | 492,833 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
- 1 Palestine, State of 2.48 million compare
- 2 Jordan 2.40 million compare
- 3 Syrian Arab Republic 357,985 compare
More social development data for Lebanon
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 535,168 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 9,568 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 9,568 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0915 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of in Lebanon?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of in Lebanon was 228,274 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 492,833 in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 122,967 in 1967.
- How does Lebanon rank for refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of?
- Lebanon ranks 4th out of 4 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unrwa by country or territory of rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lebanon data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of asylum. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Palestine Refugees, are persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict. Palestine Refugees, and descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children, are eligible to register for UNRWA services. UNRWA accepts new applications from persons who wish to be registered as Palestine Refugees. Once they are registered with UNRWA, persons in this category are referred to as Registered Refugees. Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA are not typically included in the statistics on refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).