Lebanese emigration at highest level in five years: study

The number of Lebanese citizens who left their country rocketed in 2021 as the country grappled with economic and political woes, according to a new study by Lebanese research centre Information International.

The number of Lebanese emigrants jumped from 17,721 in 2020 to 79,134 in 2021, the report found - an increase of 346 percent.

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

The findings come as the country is mired by unstable living conditions, fuelled by an economic crisis.

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.