Further data on the continuous Lebanese youth and brain drain

Information International published a study on youth migration covering the period extending between 1992 (after the civil war) to 2014.  The study looked at reasons for migration whilst distinguishing between the various profiles of migrants based on age, professional specialization and destination. The study noted that wars, security incidents, and economic crisis witnessed by Lebanon have all resulted in an increase in the proportion of migration in addition to the rise in national debt from USD 2.8 billion in 1993 to US 65.6 billion in July 2014.  Other specific factors included the degradation in the health, education and other services and rising unemployment.  The study further noted, based on data from the Beirut International Airport that immigration has significantly increased during the past few years (2011 – 2013) as the total number of Lebanese leaving the country reached 174,704 people with an annual average of 58,234 people.  Lebanese immigrants come from various social, cultural and confessional background with youth aged between 20 and 44 constituting 82.6% of total migrants which gives a very dire indication of the future which will have an aging population. Furthermore, the households’ livelihood survey of 2007 noted that 46.3% of these migrants are university graduates, which underscores an acute problem of brain drain.
Source: Al-Safir 9 December 2014