On the current account side of the balance of payments, Lebanon’s balance of trade deficit widened by $692.90 million (5.65%) y-o-y in the first nine months of 2026 to just above $12.96 billion up from around $12.27 billion in the same period in 2025, according to statistics published by the Lebanese Customs Administration. Said rise in the deficit was triggered by some $76.24 million annual decrease (2.81%) in exports to $2,637 million which can be explained in part by the hostilities the country was facing in the first half of the year coupled with a $616.65 million (4.12%) increase in the imports bill to around $15.60 billion.

Switzerland led the list of countries importing from Lebanon, with its imports’ invoice aggregating to $674 million (25.56% of Lebanon’s exports). China, on the other hand, topped the list of countries exporting to Lebanon, with its exports bill reaching $2,025 million (12.98% of Lebanon’s imports). This is further elaborated in the tables below:

Exports of “pearls, precious stones and metals” accounted alone for 34.37% ($906 million) of total Lebanese exports YTD September 2026, followed by “base metals and their products” ($410 million <15.55%>), “prepared foodstuffs, beverages & tobacco” ($331 million <12.56%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($286 million <10.83%>). On the other hand, “mineral products” constituted the lion’s share of imported goods ($4,386 million <28.12%>), trailed by “pearls, precious stones and metals” ($1,570 million <10.06%>), “products of the chemical industry” ($1,474 million <9.45%>), and “machinery and electrical instruments” ($1,391 million <8.92%>).