On the current account side of the balance of payments, Lebanon’s balance of trade deficit widened by $786.60 million (10.00%) y-o-y in the first half of 2026 to just above $8.65 billion up from around $7.87 billion in the same period in 2025, according to statistics published by the Lebanese Customs Administration. Said rise in the deficit was buoyed by some $246.73 million annual decrease (14.14%) in exports to $1,498 million (in part attributed to the recent war) coupled with a $539.86 million (5.62%) increase in imports to around $10.15 billion.

Switzerland led the list of countries importing from Lebanon, with its imports’ invoice aggregating to $228 million (15.22% of Lebanon’s exports). China, on the other hand, topped the list of countries exporting to Lebanon, with its exports bill reaching $1,280 million (12.61% of Lebanon’s imports). This is further elaborated in the tables below:

Exports of “pearls, precious stones and metals” accounted alone for 26.54% ($397 million) of total Lebanese exports YTD June 2026, followed by “base metals and their products” ($257 million <17.14%>), “prepared foodstuffs, beverages & tobacco” ($214 million <14.31%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($179 million <11.96%>). On the other hand, “mineral products” constituted the lion’s share of imported goods ($2,457 million <24.20%>), trailed by “pearls, precious stones and metals” ($1,371 million <13.51%>), “products of the chemical industry” ($1,001 million <9.86%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($909 million <8.96%>).