Lebanese people#Identity Shifts

{{Main|Lebanese nationalism|History of Lebanon|Lebanese society}}

The Lebanese identity is rooted in a shared history and culture. Their rich cultural heritage includes food, music, literature, and art, which is also shaped by the country's location at the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean. This has allowed it to be a meeting point for different cultures and traditions.{{Cite web |title=Lebanese Culture - Fanack.com |url=https://fanack.com/lebanon/culture-of-lebanon/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=The MENA Chronicle {{!}} Fanack |language=en-US |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122211/https://fanack.com/lebanon/culture-of-lebanon/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2017-04-22 |title=Beirut in Books {{!}} Lebanese Writers {{!}} Literature from Lebanon |url=https://www.hotelibanais.com/travel/beirut-books/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=L'Hôte Libanais |language=en-US |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424123744/https://www.hotelibanais.com/travel/beirut-books/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=VIBRANTlab |title=How Has Art Been Affected By Lebanese Culture And Who We Are? |url=https://bhs.edu.lb/news/how-has-art-been-affected-by-lebanese-culture-and-who-we-are |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Brummana High School |language=en-US |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428021831/https://bhs.edu.lb/news/how-has-art-been-affected-by-lebanese-culture-and-who-we-are/ |url-status=live }}

Lebanon's religious diversity is also a significant component of the national identity. The country is home to a plurality of religious communities, including Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Jews.{{Cite web |title=International Center for Law and Religion Studies {{!}} @Lebanon: Country Info |url=https://www.iclrs.org/blurb/lebanon-country-info/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |language=en-US |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424125217/https://www.iclrs.org/blurb/lebanon-country-info/ |url-status=live }} Each community has its own distinct religious practices, traditions, and customs, which have been passed down through generations.{{Cite journal |last=Chamie |first=Joseph |date=1980 |title=Religious Groups in Lebanon: A Descriptive Investigation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/162283 |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=175–187 |doi=10.1017/S0020743800054374 |jstor=162283 |s2cid=144510231 |issn=0020-7438 |access-date=24 April 2023 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122242/https://www.jstor.org/stable/162283 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}{{Google books |id=ugpIAAAAMAAJ |title=Lebanon: Its Stand in History Among the Near East Countries }} By Salim Wakim, 1996.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-23 |title=Identity is complex for Lebanon's Christian Palestinian camp |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-religion-lebanon-cb69b35526cd5c4b8fcb6ddec2b7f46a |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122210/https://apnews.com/article/politics-religion-lebanon-cb69b35526cd5c4b8fcb6ddec2b7f46a |url-status=live }}

However, the identity has also been shaped by a long history of political and social conflict. The country has experienced a series of civil wars, foreign invasions, political crises, and economic problems, which has deepened divisions between different communities and eroded trust in the government and institutions.{{Cite web |last=Middlemiss |first=Sarah |date=2021-05-20 |title=All trends pointing to a downward spiral, searching for hope in Lebanon's compounding crises |url=https://www.international-alert.org/blogs/all-trends-pointing-downward-spiral-searching-hope-lebanons-compounding-crises/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=International Alert |language=en-GB |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122213/https://www.international-alert.org/blogs/all-trends-pointing-downward-spiral-searching-hope-lebanons-compounding-crises/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=10 Conflicts to Worry About in 2022: Lebanon |url=https://acleddata.com/10-conflicts-to-worry-about-in-2022/lebanon/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=ACLED |language=en-US |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122210/https://acleddata.com/10-conflicts-to-worry-about-in-2022/lebanon/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Instability in Lebanon |url=https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/political-instability-lebanon |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Global Conflict Tracker |language=en |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122213/https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/political-instability-lebanon |url-status=live }}

Lebanon has managed to maintain a sense of national unity and identity. In the face of political and social challenges, the Lebanese people are known for their resilience and their ability to come together in times of crisis which has helped to strengthen their sense of national identity.{{Citation |last=Human Rights Watch |title=Lebanon: Events of 2021 |date=2021-12-14 |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/lebanon |work=English |access-date=2023-04-24 |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530154915/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/lebanon |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Poverty, Inequality and Social Protection in Lebanon |url=https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/poverty-inequality-and-social-protection-in-lebanon-594375/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Oxfam Policy & Practice |language=en-US |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424122212/https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/poverty-inequality-and-social-protection-in-lebanon-594375/ |url-status=live }}

Among Lebanese Maronites, Aramaic still remains the liturgical language of the Maronite Church, although in an Eastern Aramaic form (the Syriac language,[http://www.stgeorgesa.org/ St. George Maronite Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118193429/https://www.stgeorgesa.org/ |date=18 January 2021 }}. in which early Christianity was disseminated throughout the Middle East), is distinct from the spoken Aramaic of Lebanon, which was a Western Aramaic language. Some Lebanese Christians identify themselves as Lebanese rather than Arab, seeking to draw on "the Phoenician past to try to forge an identity separate from the prevailing Arab culture".{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-phoenicians-dna-idUSL0559096520070910|title=In Lebanon DNA may yet heal rifts|date=10 September 2007|newspaper=Reuters|last1=Perry|first1=Tom|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628000556/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-phoenicians-dna-idUSL0559096520070910|url-status=live}}

The conquest of Lebanon during the Arab and Islamic conquests was linked to the conquest of Bilād Al-Shām as a whole, or what is known as the Levant, being an integral part of it, the Arab Muslims swiftly took it from the Byzantine Empire during the era of Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, who ordered the division of the Levant when he conquered it, into four Ajnad, including the Jund Dimashq which includes Mount Lebanon with its corresponding western coastal plains and the eastern interior plains.قال صاحب معجم البلدان 1/38; «وأما الجند فيجيء في قولهم: جند قنسرين، وجند فلسطين، وجند حمص، وجند دمشق، وجند الأردن. فهي خمسة أجناد، وكلها بالشام. ولم يبلغني أنهم استعملوا ذلك في غير أرض الشام Arabization and Islamization of the Levant began in the 7th century, and it took several centuries for Islam, the Arab identity, and language to spread; the Arabs of the caliphate did not attempt to spread their language or religion in the early periods of the conquest, and formed an isolated aristocracy. The Arabs of the caliphate accommodated many new tribes in isolated areas to avoid conflict with the locals; caliph Uthman ordered his governor, Muawiyah I, to settle the new tribes away from the original population.{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/21780273|chapter=The Impact of Muslim Rule on the Pattern of Rural Settlement in Syria|editor1-first=Pierre|editor1-last=Canivet|editor2-first=Jean-paul|editor2-last=Rey-Coquais|last=Kennedy|first=Hugh|year=1992|title=La Syrie de Byzance à l'Islam VII^e-VIII^e Siècles|publisher=Damascus, Institut Français du Proche Orient|oclc=604181534|access-date=2018-08-01|archive-date=2022-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417205331/https://www.academia.edu/21780273|url-status=live |page=292}} Syrians who belonged to Monophysitic denominations welcomed the peninsular Arabs as liberators.{{cite book|last=Barker|first=John W.|year=1966|title=Justinian and the Later Roman Empire|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-03944-8 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=LiJljEXvwAoC&pg=PA244 244]}}

The Abbasids in the eighth and ninth century sought to integrate the peoples under their authority, and the Arabization of the administration was one of the tools.{{cite journal|first1=Emanuela|last1=Braida|url=https://www.academia.edu/5986641|title=Garshuni Manuscripts and Garshuni Notes in Syriac Manuscripts|journal=Parole de l'Orient|volume=37|year=2012|publisher=Holy Spirit University of Kaslik|issn=0258-8331|access-date=2018-08-02|archive-date=2023-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404001706/https://www.academia.edu/5986641|url-status=live |page=183}} Arabization gained momentum with the increasing numbers of Muslim converts; the ascendancy of Arabic as the formal language of the state prompted the cultural and linguistic assimilation of Syrian converts.{{cite book|last=Peters|first=Francis Edward|year=2003|title=Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians|url=https://archive.org/details/islamguideforjew00fepe|url-access=registration|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-400-82548-6 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=HYJ2c9E9IM8C&pg=PA191 191]}} Those who remained Christian also became Arabized; it was probably during the Abbasid period in the ninth century that Christians adopted Arabic as their first language; the first translation of the gospels into Arabic took place in this century. Many historians, such as Claude Cahen and Bernard Hamilton, proposed that the Arabization of Christians was completed before the First Crusade. By the thirteenth century, Arabic language achieved dominance in the region and its speakers became Arabs thereof.{{cite book|editor1-first=Ahmad Y.|editor1-last=al-Hassan|editor2-first=Maqbul|editor2-last=Ahmed|editor3-first=Albert Z.|editor3-last=Iskandar|last=al-Hassan|first=Ahmad Y.|year=2001|chapter=Factors Behind the Rise of Islamic Science|title=The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture|volume=4:Science and Technology in Islam. Part 1: The exact and Natural Sciences|publisher=The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|isbn=978-9-231-03830-3 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FUPnSxbUREgC&pg=PA59 59]}}

{{Main|Demographics of Lebanon}}

The total Lebanese population is estimated at 8 to 18 million. Of these, the vast majority, or 4- 14 million, constitute part of the Lebanese diaspora (residing outside of Lebanon), with approximately 4.7 million citizens residing in Lebanon itself.

There are approximately 4.7 million Lebanese citizens in Lebanon.

In addition to this figure, there are an additional 1 million foreign workers (mainly Syrians), and about 470,000 Palestinian refugees in the nation.[http://www.uschamber.com/portal/lebanon/investment_overview Business Portal to Lebanon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204024559/http://www.uschamber.com/portal/lebanon/investment_overview |date=4 December 2008 }}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|title=Middle East :: Lebanon — The World Fact book – Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=2019-03-17|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111113708/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|url-status=live}}

Lebanon is also a home to various ethnic minorities found refuge in the country over the centuries. Prominent ethnic minorities in the country include the Armenians, the Kurds, the Turks, the Assyrians, the Iranians and some European ethnicities (Greeks, Italians, French).

There are also a small number of nomadic Dom people, an ethnic group with origins in the Indian subcontinent.

{{Main|Lebanese diaspora}}The Lebanese diaspora consists of approximately 4- 14 million, both Lebanese-born living abroad and those born-abroad of Lebanese descent. The majority of the Lebanese in the diaspora are Christians,{{cite web |url=http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm |title=Senior Seminar: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities |access-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204015558/http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm |archive-date=4 December 2008 }} disproportionately so in the Americas where the vast majority reside. An estimate figure show that they represent about 75% of the Lebanese in total. Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential"{{cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0518/p25s01-cogn.html |title=The invisible occupation of Lebanon |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224142526/https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0518/p25s01-cogn.html |url-status=live }} and over the course of time immigration has yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lebanon/191951.htm |title=Background Note: Lebanon |work=US Department of State |date=1 December 2011 |access-date=24 June 2017 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225021247/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lebanon/191951.htm |url-status=live }}

The largest number of Lebanese is to be found in Brazil,{{cite news |title=How the Lebanese conquered Brazil |url=https://www.executive-magazine.com/business-finance/society/lebanese-conquered-brazil |work=Executive |date=13 July 2014 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225042406/https://www.executive-magazine.com/business-finance/society/lebanese-conquered-brazil |url-status=live }} where according to the Brazilian and Lebanese governments claim, there are 7 million Brazilians of Lebanese descent. These figures, however, may be an exaggeration given that, according to a 2008 survey 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

Large numbers also reside elsewhere in North America, most notably in the United States (489,702){{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_09_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder – Results|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|website=factfinder.census.gov|access-date=6 August 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150215231840/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_09_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-date=15 February 2015|url-status=dead}} and in Canada, the people of full or partial Lebanese descent are between 190,275 (by ancestry, 2011 Census){{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=1118296&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105396&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0 |title=2011 National Household Survey: Data tables |author=Statistics Canada |date=8 May 2013 |access-date=11 February 2014 |author-link=Statistics Canada |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224190955/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=1118296&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105396&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0%20 |url-status=live }} to 250,000 based on estimates. In the rest of the Americas, significant communities are found in Argentina, Mexico (400,000);{{cite web|title=The biggest enchilada|date=8 July 2007 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3641163/The-biggest-enchilada.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3641163/The-biggest-enchilada.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=28 February 2015|quote=The Mexican-Lebanese community now numbers around 400,000 but punches way above its weight in commerce...}}{{cbignore}} Chile,{{cite book |last1=Hassan |first1=Waïl |title=The Oxford Handbook of Arab Novelistic Traditions |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0199349807 |page=592}} Colombia{{cite web |url=http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia_diplomacia.kmf?cod=8701931 |title=Brazil-Arab News Agency - Colombia awakens to the Arab world |publisher=.anba.com.br |access-date=4 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706150728/http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia_diplomacia.kmf?cod=8701931 |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead }} and Venezuela, with almost every other Latin American country having at least a small presence.

In Africa, Senegal and the Ivory Coast are home to over 100,000 Lebanese.{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/ivory-coast/72.htm|title=Ivory Coast – The Levantine Community|access-date=5 July 2008|archive-date=29 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629081653/http://countrystudies.us/ivory-coast/72.htm|url-status=live}} There are significant Lebanese populations in other countries throughout Western and Central Africa.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6908065.stm Lebanese man shot dead in Nigeria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819063517/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6908065.stm |date=19 August 2021 }}, BBC News[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/525/in3.htm Lebanese nightmare in Congo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116084516/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/525/in3.htm |date=16 November 2008 }}, Al-Ahram Weekly. Australia hosts over 180,000 and Canada 250,000. In the Arab world, around 400,000 Lebanese live in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/9cc784a7002d9eb73b339b4d2c840090.htm One in three Lebanese want to leave] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204062938/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/9cc784a7002d9eb73b339b4d2c840090.htm |date=4 December 2008 }}, Reuters More than 2,500 ex-SLA members remain in Israel.[http://www.globalpolitician.com/25247-lebanon Lebanon's refugees in Israel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216003559/http://www.globalpolitician.com/25247-lebanon |date=16 December 2008 }}, Elias Bejjani – 28 October 2008.

Until recently, Lebanon provided no automatic right to Lebanese citizenship for emigrants who lost their citizenship upon acquiring the citizenship of their host country, nor for the descendants of emigrants born abroad. This situation disproportionately affected Christians. In 2008, the Maronite Institution of Emigrants called for the establishment of an avenue by which emigrants who lost their citizenship may regain it, or their overseas-born descendants (if they so wish) may acquire it.{{cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=94429 |title=News – Politics – Sfeir tells new Maronite group emigrants 'deserve' Lebanese nationality |publisher=The Daily Star |date=24 July 2008 |access-date=4 July 2011 |archive-date=2 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102094508/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=94429 |url-status=live }}

On November 24, 2015, the Lebanese authorities enacted Law #41, “Reacquiring the Lebanese Citizenship”. Under this law, members of the Lebanese diaspora can apply to reacquire the Lebanese citizenship, it specifies that applications must be submitted before November 25, 2025.{{Cite web |title=Reacquiring Lebanese Citizenship – Consulate General of Lebanon in New York |url=https://nylebcons.org/reacquiring-lebanese-citizenship/ |access-date=2024-05-22 |language=en}}

In 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Emigrants launched an initiative called "The Lebanese Nationality Program" or "Lebanity",{{Cite web |title=Reacquiring Lebanese Citizenship – Consulate General of Lebanon in New York |url=https://nylebcons.org/reacquiring-lebanese-citizenship/ |access-date=2024-05-22 |language=en}} for people of Lebanese heritage around the world to apply for Lebanese Nationality, allowing them to benefit from their business, financial, consular, personal, social and political rights as Lebanese, wherever they are. In particular, this initiative is relevant for the large Lebanese communities in different countries all over the world.{{Cite web |title=Embassy of Lebanon in the United Kingdom {{!}} Reclaim Lebanese Nationality |url=http://www.mfa.gov.lb/britain/english/reclaim-lebanese-nationality |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.mfa.gov.lb}}

Applications are reviewed by a committee within the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities of Lebanon. If an application is denied, the applicant can appeal the decision within one month from the date they are officially notified, using the address specified in their application.

To be eligible, applicants must have their names, or the names of their paternal ancestors or male relatives on their father’s side, listed in the 1921–1924 census records (either residents or immigrants registers) and/or the 1932 immigrants registers, which are maintained by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.File:Lebanese residents as a percentage of country's total population.png

{{Main|Religion in Lebanon|Islam in Lebanon|Christianity in Lebanon|History of the Jews in Lebanon|Secularism in Lebanon}}

{{bar box

|title= Lebanese Muslims{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/91684898 |title=Contemporary distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=15 December 2013 |archive-date=7 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107035613/https://www.loc.gov/item/91684898 |url-status=live }}

{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|title=CIA World Factbook, Lebanon|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111113708/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/96/1/59DMEP.pdf | title=The collapse and reconstruction of Lebanon | publisher=University of Durham Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies | date=1998 | access-date=7 October 2014 | author=Najem, T. | archive-date=24 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324131937/http://dro.dur.ac.uk/96/1/59DMEP.pdf | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm | title=International Religious Freedom Report 2010 – Lebanon | publisher=US State Department | date=17 November 2010 | access-date=7 October 2014 | archive-date=13 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213121147/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.theodora.com/maps/new8/lebanon_religions.gif | title=Contemporary Religious distribution of Lebanon's main religions | publisher=theodora.com | access-date=7 October 2014 | archive-date=31 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831031824/https://www.theodora.com/maps/new8/lebanon_religions.gif | url-status=live }}[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/ "Lebanon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111113708/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/ |date=11 January 2021 }}. (July 2014 est.)

|titlebar=#ddd

|left1=Year

|right1=Percent

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|1932 |yellow|49}}

{{bar percent|1985|red|56}}

{{bar percent|2010|lightgreen|61}}

{{bar percent|2014|orange|65}}

}}

{{bar box

|title= Lebanese Christians

|titlebar=#ddd

|left1=Year

|right1=Percent

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|1932 |yellow|51}}

{{bar percent|1985|red|44}}

{{bar percent|2010|lightgreen|39}}

{{bar percent|2014|orange|35}}

}}

Lebanese people are very diverse in faith. The country has the most religiously diverse society in the Middle East, encompassing 17 recognized religious sects.{{cite web|title=Lebanon|url=http://lambdalegal.mobi/crs_country/CRSReportLebanon.pdf|publisher=The Library of Congress|access-date=11 June 2012|author=Alfred B. Prados|date=8 June 2006}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The main two religions among the Lebanese people are Christianity (the Maronite Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite, the Protestant Church) and Islam (Shia and Sunni). The third-largest religion is Druze. There are other non-Lebanese Christian minorities such as Armenians (Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholic Church), French-Italians (Latin Catholic Lebanese), Assyrians (Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Chaldean Catholic Church) and Copts (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria), who immigrated to Lebanon over the years.Daily Star. [http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-15/206550-minority-sects-demand-greater-representation-in-parliament.ashx Minority sects demand greater representation in Parliament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927165116/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-15/206550-minority-sects-demand-greater-representation-in-parliament.ashx |date=27 September 2018 }} No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e. religious) balance.Country Studies. [http://www.country-studies.com/lebanon/population.html "Lebanon Population"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010224335/http://www.country-studies.com/lebanon/population.html |date=10 October 2017 }}. Retrieved 25 November 2006.

A study conducted by Statistics Lebanon, a Beirut-based research firm, cited by the United States Department of State found that of Lebanon's population of approximately 4.3 million is estimated to be: 54% Islam (Shia and Sunni, 27% each), 40.5% Christian (21% Maronite, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Melkite Catholics, 1% Protestant, 5.5% other minority Christian denominations like Latin Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, Assyrian Catholic and Coptic Orthodox) and 5.5% Druze (a minority religion, descended from Shia Islam, who do not consider themselves to be Muslim,{{cite book|title=The Templar Spirit: The Esoteric Inspiration, Rituals and Beliefs of the Knights Templar|first=Margaret|last= Jonas|year= 2011| isbn= 9781906999254| page =83|publisher=Temple Lodge Publishing|quote=[Druze] often they are not regarded as being Muslim at all, nor do all the Druze consider themselves as Muslim}}{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of American Islam| first=Yvonne |last=Yazbeck Haddad|year=2014| isbn=9780199862634| page = 142|publisher=Oxford University Press}} even though under the terms of the Lebanese Constitution the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community.)

There are also very small numbers of other religions such as Judaism, Mormons, Baháʼí Faith. While Jews have been present in Lebanon since ancient times,{{cite book |last=Parfitt |first=Tudor |title=Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations |year=2000 |pages=87}} their numbers had dwindled during the Muslim era.Kirsten Schulze. "Lebanon." Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Brill Online, 2013. By the 2000s the Jewish quarter of Beirut, Wadi Abu Jamil, was virtually abandoned, and there were only around 40 Jews left in Beirut.{{Cite web |date=26 September 2010 |title=Lebanon's Jews: Loyalty to Whom? BBC Documentary Tracks Vanished Community |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lebanons-jews-loyalty-to_b_739583}} Many well-established Lebanese Jewish diaspora communities exists, such as in Brazil, France, Switzerland, Canada and the United States.{{cite web |date=September 8, 1972 |title=Lebanese Jews Settle Alongside Syrian and Egyptian Jews |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49944725 |newspaper=The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle}}

With the diaspora included, the Christians are an absolute majority. Lebanon has a population of Mhallamis also known as Mardinli), most of whom migrated from northeast Syria and southeast Turkey are estimated to be between 75,000 and 100,000 and considered to be part of the Sunni population. These have in recent years been granted Lebanese citizenship and, coupled with several civil wars between Islamic extremists and the Lebanese military that have caused many Christians to flee the country, have re-tipped the demographic balance in favour of the Muslims and the Sunnis in particular.International Journal of Kurdish Studies, Jan 2002 by Lokman I. Meho [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SBL/is_16/ai_n13807710 "The Kurds in Lebanon: a social and historical overview"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327225008/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SBL/is_16/ai_n13807710 |date=27 March 2008 }} In addition, many thousands of Arab Bedouins in the Bekaa and in the Wadi Khaled region, who are entirely Sunnis, were granted Lebanese citizenship. Lebanon also has a Jewish population, estimated at less than 100.

Most Lebanese people communicate in the Lebanese variety of Levantine Arabic, but Lebanon's official language is Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). French is recognized and used next to MSA on road signs and Lebanese banknotes. Lebanon's native sign language is the Lebanese dialect of Levantine Arabic Sign Language. English is the fourth language by number of users, after Levantine, MSA, and French. Lebanon's official language, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),{{cite book |doi=10.1515/9783110184181.3.9.1917 |chapter=The Arabic-speaking Middle East |title=Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society|volume=3 |year=2006 |isbn=978-3-11-019987-1 |editor1-last=Ammon |editor1-first=Ulrich |editor2-first=Norbert |editor2-last=Dittmar |editor3-first=Klaus J |editor3-last=Mattheier |editor4-first=Peter |editor4-last=Trudgill|editor-link4=Peter Trudgill | first=Enam | last=Al-Wer |publisher=De Gruyter |pages=1917–1924|oclc= 1089428643}}{{rp|page=1917}} has no native speakers in or outside Lebanon.Arabic, Standard, 24th Edition, Ethnologue It is almost never used in conversations{{Cite news |date=16 June 2010 |title=Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10316914 |access-date=7 September 2023 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} and is learned through formal instruction rather than transmission from parent to child.{{cite book |doi=10.1002/9781118827628.ch32 |chapter=Dialects of Arabic |title=The Handbook of Dialectology |year=2017 |last1=Al-Wer |first1=Enam |last2=Jong |first2=Rudolf |pages=523–534 |isbn=978-1-118-82755-0 |publisher=Wiley|editor1-first=Charles|editor1-last=Boberg|editor-link1=Charles Boberg| editor2-first=John|editor2-last=Nerbonne|editor-link2=John Nerbonne| editor3-first=Dominic|editor3-last=Watt|oclc= 989950951 }}{{rp|p=525}}

The majority of Lebanese people speak Lebanese Arabic, which is grouped in a larger category called Levantine Arabic, while Modern Standard Arabic is mostly used in magazines, newspapers, and formal broadcast media. Code-switching between Arabic and French is very common.{{cite news |last=Shawish |first=Hesham |date=24 June 2010 |title=Campaign to save the Arabic language in Lebanon |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10316914 |work=BBC News Online}}{{cite news |last=Mortada |first=Dalia |date=October 5, 2015 |title=Is Beirut the codeswitching capital of the world? |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-10-05/beirut-residents-switch-languages-practically-each-breath |work=Public Radio International}}{{cite web |last=Talhouk |first=Suzanne |date=October 27, 2015 |title=Don't kill your language |url=http://ideas.ted.com/dont-kill-your-language/ |publisher=TED}}

French is a common non-native language in Lebanon, with about 50% of the population being Francophone. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used within government,{{cite web |author=Prof. Dr. Axel Tschentscher, LL.M. |title=Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution |url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/le00000_.html#A011_ |accessdate=17 January 2013 |publisher=Servat.unibe.ch}} and is often used as a prestige language for business, diplomacy and education. Almost 40% of Lebanese are considered francophone, and another 15% "partial francophone," and 70% of Lebanon's secondary schools use French as a second language of instruction.{{Cite book |last1=Nadeau |first1=Jean-Benoît |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liZwswxx7TcC&q=Lebanon&pg=PA311 |title=The Story of French |last2=Barlow |first2=Julie |date=28 May 2010 |publisher=Knopf Canada |isbn=9780307370495 |via=Google Books}}{{cite book |last1=Nadeau |first1=Jean-Benoît |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NN5oc0HFC7QC&pg=PA311 |title=The Story of French |last2=Barlow |first2=Julie |publisher=Macmillan |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-312-34184-8 |page=311 |access-date=14 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511134912/http://books.google.com/books?id=NN5oc0HFC7QC&pg=PA311 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}} The use of Arabic by Lebanon's educated youth is declining, as they usually prefer to speak in French and, to a lesser extent, English.{{cite web |date=25 June 2010 |title=Arabic – a dying language? |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/20100625-arabic-dying-language-lebanon-beirut |publisher=France 24}} It is also a reaction to the negativity associated with Arabic since the September 11 attacks.{{cite journal |last=Esseili |first=Fatima |date=2017 |title=A sociolinguistic profile of English in Lebanon |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/weng.12262 |journal=World Englishes |language=en |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=684–704 |doi=10.1111/weng.12262 |issn=1467-971X |s2cid=148739564|url-access=subscription }} In 1997, the Lebanese government committed to a policy of trilingualism in education, including French and English alongside the official Arabic language in the curriculum.{{cite journal |last=Esseili |first=Fatima |date=2017 |title=A sociolinguistic profile of English in Lebanon |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/weng.12262 |journal=World Englishes |language=en |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=684–704 |doi=10.1111/weng.12262 |issn=1467-971X |s2cid=148739564|url-access=subscription }} L'Orient-Le Jour is a Lebanese French-language newspaper.{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.lorientlejour.com/view.php?page=2 L'Orient-Le Jour About Us], Lorient Le Jour

Syriac Aramaic is also spoken as a first language in some Lebanese communities such as Syriac Catholics, Syriac Orthodox and Assyrian Lebanese. Syriac remained both the sole vernacular language of the Maronites until the 14th century when the Mamluks conquered North Lebanon.{{cite book|last=Hitti|first=Philip |author-link=Philip K. Hitti |date=1957 |title=Lebanon in History |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.53848 |location=India |publisher=Macmillan |page=336}} It is It still used in liturgies by the Maronite church.

Lebanese cuisine has ancient roots and is part of the culinary tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean. Many dishes in Lebanese cuisine can be traced back thousands of years to eras of Phoenician, Persian, Egyptian, Neo-Babylonian, Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Arab and Ottoman rule.{{Cite book |last=Edelstein |first=Sari |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lj0CeaIIETkC&q=lebanese+cuisine+phoenicia&pg=PA582 |title=Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals |date=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |isbn=978-0-7637-5965-0 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=DeMeester |first=Fabien |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kPXurhDHsT4C&q=lebanese+cuisine+phoenicia&pg=PA493 |title=Wild-type Food in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: The Columbus Concept |date=2008-01-23 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-59745-330-1 |language=en}} In the last 500 years, Lebanese cuisine has been influenced by the different foreign civilizations that held power. From 1516 to 1918, the Ottoman Turks controlled Lebanon and introduced a variety of foods that have become staples in the Lebanese diet, such as cooking with lamb. After the Ottomans were defeated in World War I (1914–1918), France took control of Lebanon until 1943, when the country achieved its independence. The French introduced foods such as flan, caramel custard, eclairs, french fries and croissants.{{Cite book |last=Choueiri |first=Ramzi N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEcLaAEACAAJ |title=The Culinary Heritage of Lebanon |date=2002-01-01 |publisher=Ramzi Choueiri |isbn=978-9953-0-0753-3 |language=en}}

The Lebanese diaspora who live worldwide has introduced new ingredients, spices and culinary practices into Lebanese cuisine, keeping the cuisine innovative and renowned both beyond and within its borders.{{Cite book |last1=Hannam |first1=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHTDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA136 |title=Event Mobilities: Politics, place and performance |last2=Mostafanezhad |first2=Mary |last3=Rickly |first3=Jillian |date=2016-03-17 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-45047-4 |page=136}}{{Cite book |last=Food |first=Lonely Planet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wat9BAAAQBAJ&q=lebanese+sfiha+brazil&pg=PT153 |title=The World's Best Street Food: Where to Find it & How to Make it |date=2012-08-01 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74321-664-4 |language=en}} Chef and writer Tara Khattar describes her style of cookery as 'progressive Lebanese cuisine'.{{Cite web |last=Kufer |first=Katrina |date=10 December 2018 |title=The Food Hustle: Chef Tara Khattar Rethinks Lebanese Cuisine |url=https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/dining/chef-tara-khattar-lebanese-cuisine}}

In literature, Kahlil Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.{{cite magazine |last=Acocella |first=Joan |date=31 December 2007 |title=Prophet Motive |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/01/07/prophet-motive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316101047/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/01/07/prophet-motive |archive-date=16 March 2019 |access-date=14 April 2019 |magazine=The New Yorker |via=www.newyorker.com}} He is particularly known for his book The Prophet (1923), which has been translated into over twenty different languages.{{cite web |title=Called by life |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/01/05/stories/2003010500320500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812094242/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/01/05/stories/2003010500320500.htm |archive-date=12 August 2010 |access-date=17 January 2013 |work=The Hindu}} Ameen Rihani was a major figure in the mahjar literary movement developed by Arab emigrants in North America, and an early theorist of Arab nationalism. Mikhail Naimy is widely recognized as among the most important figures in modern Arabic letters and among the most important spiritual writers of the 20th century. Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved international success; including Elias Khoury, Amin Maalouf, Hanan al-Shaykh, and Georges Schéhadé.

Family life is very important in the Lebanese culture. Family functioning is associated with the values of collectivism in the Lebanese society. One person's family functioning is indicative of their individual status and identity.Kazarian, Shahe S. "Family Functioning, Cultural Orientation, and Psychological Well-Being Among University Students in Lebanon." The Journal of Social Psychology 145.2 (2005): 141–54. The average household size in Lebanon ranges between 3.9 and 4.9.{{Cite web |title=UNFPA Lebanon – Country Profile |url=http://www.unfpa.org.lb/UNFPA-LEBANON/Country-Profile.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919052311/http://www.unfpa.org.lb/UNFPA-LEBANON/Country-Profile.aspx |archive-date=2017-09-19 |access-date=2012-08-26}} Child-rearing practices are characterized by abundant protection imposed on children by parents. Unlike Western societies, parental control does not stop at the age of 18; instead, it continues for as long as the child lives in the parents' residence or until the child marries.

Though Lebanon is a secular country, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages held in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities.

Music is famous in Lebanese society.{{Cite book |last=Carter |first=Terry |title=Lonely Planet Syria & Lebanon |author2=Dunston Lara |date=15 July 2008 |publisher=Lonely Planet |others=Thomas Amelia |isbn=978-1-74104-609-0 |edition=3 |series=Lonely Planet |pages=254–255 |chapter=Arts |access-date=19 September 2009 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_R-I_Gx5OgQC&pg=PA255}} While traditional folk music remains popular in Lebanon, modern music reconciling traditional styles, pop, and fusion are rapidly advancing in popularity.{{Cite book |last=Sheehan |first=Sean |title=Lebanon |author2=Latif Zawiah |date=30 August 2007 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Children's Books |isbn=978-0-7614-2081-1 |edition=2 |series=Cultures of the World |page=105 |chapter=Arts |access-date=19 September 2009 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cA-RDzlwVVAC&pg=PA105}} Radio stations feature a variety of genres and languages, including traditional, classical Arabic and ArmenianMcKenzie, Robert. Comparing Media from Around the World, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2006, p. 372 {{ISBN|0-205-40242-9}}{{Cite book |last=Kamalipour |first=Yahya |title=Media, sex, violence, and drugs in the global village |author2=Rampal Kuldip |date=15 November 2001 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7425-0061-7 |page=265 |chapter=Between Globalization and Localization |access-date=19 September 2009 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yL3l0GwdNcsC&pg=PA265}} Prominent traditional musicians include Fairuz, an icon during the civil war, Sabah Melhem Barakat, Wadih El Safi, Majida El Roumi, and Najwa Karam who built an international audience for the genre. Marcel Khalife, a musician who blends classical Arab music with modern sounds, boasts immenseOne source says "cult following", other says "folk hero" popularity for his politically charged lyrics. Distinguished pop artists include Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbe, Fadl Shaker, Elissa, and Mika.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Lebanon's music industry is growing and could attain leading status in the region.{{Cite book |last=World Intellectual Property Organization |title=Performance of copyright industries in selected Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2003 |isbn=978-92-805-1316-5 |pages=148–152 |chapter=Copyright Industries in Lebanon |access-date=19 September 2009 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzygcVYOpa8C&pg=PA148}} Lebanese performers are celebrated throughout the Arab World,{{Cite book |last=Karam |first=Michael |url=http://nowlebanon.com/Sub.aspx?ID=173&MID=24&PID=23&FParentID=3&FFParentID=38 |title=Wines of Lebanon |date=27 October 2005 |publisher=Saqi Books |isbn=978-0-86356-598-4 |page=263 |access-date=18 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514060822/http://nowlebanon.com/Sub.aspx?ID=173&MID=24&PID=23&FParentID=3&FFParentID=38 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |url-status=dead}} and with the notable exception of Egypt enjoy increasing regional popularity. Rising demand for Arabic music outside Western Asia has provided Lebanese artists with a small but significant global audience. However, widespread piracy continues to inhibit the music industry's growth.

{{Further|Lebanese Sunni Muslims#Genetics|Lebanese Shia Muslims#Genetics}}

{{See also|Genetic history of the Middle East|}}

File:Tristram Ellis 002.jpg

File:Lebanesefighta.JPG, late 1800s]]File:Metouali.jpg, 1970's]]In a 2011 genetic study by Haber et al. which analyzed the male-line Y-chromosome genetics of the different religious groups of Lebanon, revealed no large genetic differentiation between the Maronites, Greek Orthodox Christians, Greek Catholic Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, and Druze of the country in regards to the more frequent haplogroups. Major differences between Lebanese groups were found among the less frequent haplogroups.{{cite journal|last1=Haber|first1=M|last2=Platt|first2=DE|last3=Badro|first3=DA|display-authors=et al|date=2011|title=Influences of history, geography, and religion on genetic structure: the Maronites in Lebanon|journal=European Journal of Human Genetics|volume=19|issue=3|pages=334–40|doi=10.1038/ejhg.2010.177|pmc=3062011|pmid=21119711}}

In a 2017 study by Haber et al., the authors concluded that modern-day Lebanese individuals "derive most of their ancestry from a Canaanite-related population". This finding "implies substantial genetic continuity in the Levant since at least the Bronze Age." Additionally, the researchers identified Eurasian ancestry in modern Lebanese genomes that was absent in Bronze Age populations. They estimated Eurasian ancestry appeared in the Levant approximately 3,750–2,170 years ago.{{cite journal |last1=Haber |first1=M |last2=Doumet-Serhal |first2=C |last3=Scheib |first3=C |last4=Xue |first4=Y |last5=Danecek |first5=P |last6=Mezzavilla |first6=M |last7=Youhanna |first7=S |last8=Martiniano |first8=R |last9=Prado-Martinez |first9=J |last10=Szpak |first10=M |last11=Matisoo-Smith |first11=E |last12=Schutkowski |first12=H |last13=Mikulski |first13=R |last14=Zalloua |first14=P |last15=Kivisild |first15=T |date=3 August 2017 |title=Continuity and Admixture in the Last Five Millennia of Levantine History from Ancient Canaanite and Present-Day Lebanese Genome Sequences. |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |volume=101 |issue=2 |pages=274–282 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.06.013 |pmc=5544389 |pmid=28757201 |last16=Tyler-Smith |first16=C}}

In a 2020 study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, authors showed that there is substantial genetic continuity in Lebanon and the Levant since the Bronze Age (3300–1200 BC) interrupted by three significant admixture events during the Iron Age, Hellenistic, and Ottoman period, each contributing 3%–11% of non-local ancestry to the admixed population. The admixtures were tied to the Sea Peoples of the Late Bronze Age collapse, South or Central Asians, and Ottoman Turks, respectively.{{cite journal |title=A Genetic History of the Near East from an aDNA Time Course Sampling Eight Points in the Past 4,000 Years |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |year=2020 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.05.008|last1=Haber |first1=Marc |last2=Nassar |first2=Joyce |last3=Almarri |first3=Mohamed A. |last4=Saupe |first4=Tina |last5=Saag |first5=Lehti |last6=Griffith |first6=Samuel J. |last7=Doumet-Serhal |first7=Claude |last8=Chanteau |first8=Julien |last9=Saghieh-Beydoun |first9=Muntaha |last10=Xue |first10=Yali |last11=Scheib |first11=Christiana L. |last12=Tyler-Smith |first12=Chris |volume=107 |issue=1 |pages=149–157 |pmid=32470374 |pmc=7332655 }}

One study by the International Institute of Anthropology in Paris, France, confirmed similarities in the Y-haplotype frequencies in Lebanese, Palestinian, and Sephardic Jewish men, identifying them as "three Near-Eastern populations sharing a common geographic origin."{{cite journal|title=Y-chromosome DNA haplotypes in Jews: comparisons with Lebanese and Palestinians|first1=Gérard|last1=Lucotte|first2=Géraldine|last2=Mercier|date=1 January 2003|journal=Genet. Test.|volume=7|issue=1|pages=67–71|doi=10.1089/109065703321560976|pmid=12820706}} The study surveyed one Y-specific DNA polymorphism (p49/Taq I) in 54 Lebanese and 69 Palestinian males, and compared with the results found in 693 Jews from three distinct Jewish ethnic groups; Mizrahim, Sephardim, and Ashkenazim.

{{Main|List of Lebanese people (diaspora)}}

{{Lebanese people}}

• List of Lebanese people
• Levant
• Mediterranean race
• Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite web |url=http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm |title=Senior Seminar: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities |access-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115011357/http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora2002/Lebanese/Paper.htm |archive-date=15 January 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}, Hamline University, 2002

{{Lebanese people by religious background}}

{{Lebanese diaspora}}

{{Demographics of Lebanon}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebanese People}}

Category:Arab people

Category:Semitic-speaking peoples

Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East