On the current account side of the balance of payments, Lebanon’s balance of trade deficit widened by $842.20 million (7.93%) y-o-y in the first eight months of 2026 to just below $11.47 billion up from around $10.63 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 $217.42 million annual decrease (9.01%) in exports to $2,196 million which can be explained in part by the hostilities the country was facing in the first half of the year coupled with a $624.78 million (4.79%) increase in the imports bill to around $13.66 billion.

Switzerland led the list of countries importing from Lebanon, with its imports’ invoice aggregating to $483 million (22.00% of Lebanon’s exports). China, on the other hand, topped the list of countries exporting to Lebanon, with its exports bill reaching $1,747 million (12.79% of Lebanon’s imports). This is further elaborated in the tables below:

Exports of “pearls, precious stones and metals” accounted alone for 31.38% ($689 million) of total Lebanese exports YTD August 2026, followed by “base metals and their products” ($354 million <16.11%>), “prepared foodstuffs, beverages & tobacco” ($292 million <13.28%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($254 million <11.57%>). On the other hand, “mineral products” constituted the lion’s share of imported goods ($3,650 million <26.71%>), trailed by “pearls, precious stones and metals” ($1,493 million <10.92%>), “products of the chemical industry” ($1,317 million <9.64%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($1,227 million <8.98%>).