Image by Purino via Shutterstock

The Impact of Lebanon's Economic Collapse on Humanitarian Aid Programs

Authors: Lauren Reeves (policy analyst) and Sabreena Shukul (policy analyst) in collaboration with Nicole Harris (data analyst) and Serene Chan (data analyst) | State Fragility & Displacement Initiative

Executive Summary

Lebanon’s economic collapse—driven by decades of mismanagement, sectarian politics, and external shocks—has crippled public institutions and severely undermined humanitarian aid. Hyperinflation, banking restrictions, and political dysfunction have overwhelmed aid programs, just as needs among refugees and vulnerable Lebanese have surged. The crisis has fragmented humanitarian efforts, marginalized local actors, and deepened vulnerabilities among Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Donor bypassing of the state, while addressing corruption concerns, has weakened institutional recovery and service delivery. The study calls for strengthened coordination, flexible funding, protection for displaced populations, and linking humanitarian aid to long-term reforms. Without strategic international support, Lebanon’s crisis risks entrenching displacement, poverty, and regional instability.

To read the complete policy brief, please click here.

To have a better understanding of the crisis in Lebanon, please check the following interactive dashboards developed by SFDI’s data analysts Nicole Harris and Serene Chan

First Dashboard

This dashboard presents Lebanon’s State Fragility Index (SFI) for 2023, a measure of a country's vulnerability to conflict or collapse based on 12 governance, economic, and security indicators. A higher index indicates greater fragility.

The time series chart highlights two key indicators:

  • Economic Decline Indicator, which assesses factors such as gross national product, unemployment rates, inflation, productivity, debt, poverty levels, and business failures.

  • Public Service Indicator, which reflects the presence and effectiveness of basic state functions that serve the population.

These indicators point to a severe deterioration of Lebanon’s economic and institutional stability, underscoring the deepening fragility of the state.

Developer: Nicole Harris

Second Dashboard

This dashboard provides a visual representation of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Lebanon, illustrating their geographic distribution, demographic composition, and housing conditions. The data is sourced from the January 2, 2025 International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mobility Snapshot of Lebanon, which has tracked displacement trends since October 2023 and monitors daily population movements. With over 124,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 27,000 affected households, this information is crucial for guiding humanitarian response efforts and informing policies aimed at supporting displaced populations in Lebanon.

Developer: Nicole Harris

Third Dashboard

This interactive dashboard visualizes the migration patterns of Externally Displaced People (EDP) from Lebanon between 2001 and 2023. Featuring a world map of destination countries, a time-series breakdown of migration types, and yearly displacement figures, the dashboard provides insights into asylum-seeking, refugee movements, and broader migration trends. It offers a data-driven perspective on geopolitical and humanitarian shifts affecting Lebanese migration over the past two decades.

Developer: Serene Chan

Policy analysts and data analysts of Middle East and North Africa Team (Lebanon)