80 Percent Poor
he financial and economic crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, political and security instability, and the Port Explosion have coalesced to exacerbate the living conditions in the country. The headcount poverty rate doubled from 28 percent of the total population in 2019 to 55 percent in 2020. The percentage of those suffering from extreme poverty tripled to 23 percent from eight percent. The situation got worse in 2021. According to the United Nations, 78 percent of the population (around three million people) lives below the poverty line. Nearly 36 percent (more than one million people) live in extreme poverty. ESCWA said in its ‘Multidimensional poverty in Lebanon (2019-2021)’ report: “The poverty rate in Lebanon doubled from 42 percent in 2019 to 82 percent of the total population in 2021, with nearly four million people living in multidimensional poverty.” Households
