Israel vs Lebanon
Israel is 99% larger than Lebanon. Lebanon would fit into Israel about 2.0 times.
IsraelLebanonIsrael moved onto Lebanon · Equal-area projection
1.99×
Israel is 1.99× the area of Lebanon.
 Israel |  Lebanon | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIsrael: 1.99× the area | 20,770 km²#150 of 194 | 10,452 km²#162 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIsrael: 1.73× the population | 10,122,800#96 of 194 · 2025 | 5,849,421#115 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLebanon: 1.15× the density | 487 / km²#17 of 194 | 560 / km²#12 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 92%#17 of 192 · 2025 | 91%#18 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIsrael: 1.29× the births per woman | 2.87 per woman#56 of 192 · 2024 | 2.23 per woman#83 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIsrael: 0.45 points higher | +1.20%#84 of 192 · 2025 | +0.75%#112 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIsrael: 1.16× the birth rate | 18.6 per 1,000#80 of 192 · 2024 | 16.0 per 1,000#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLebanon: 1.13× the death rate | 5.3 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2024 | 6.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Israel: 1.6 points higher | 27.2%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 25.6%#88 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Israel: 2.3 points higher | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 | 10.4%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIsrael: 2.8 per 1,000 higher | +1.1 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2025 | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLebanon: 13.7× the refugees for its size | 0.12 per 1,000#113 of 190 · 2025 | 1.64 per 1,000#49 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIsrael: 5.3 years longer | 83.2 years#13 of 192 · 2024 | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLebanon: 5.67× the infant mortality | 2.7 per 1,000 births#170 of 191 · 2024 | 15.3 per 1,000 births#80 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIsrael: 1.42× the doctors per person | 3.80 per 1,000#36 of 178 · 2023 | 2.68 per 1,000#69 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolmentIsrael: 1.03× the university enrolment | 56.3%#63 of 145 · 2024 | 54.4%#68 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIsrael: 0.167 higher | 0.919#26 of 190 · 2023 | 0.752#101 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIsrael: 15.8× the income per person | $56,180#17 of 185 · 2025 | $3,560#131 of 185 · 2024 |
| GDPIsrael: 23.5× the economy | $610.78B2025 | $25.97B2024 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Israel: 5.01× the output per person | $59,717#33 of 184 · 2025 | $11,917#122 of 184 · 2024 |
| GDP growthIsrael: 10.0 points higher | +2.9%#104 of 187 · 2025 | −7.1%#187 of 187 · 2024 |
| InflationLebanon: 11.6 points higher | +3.0%#90 of 176 · 2025 | +14.6%#13 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLebanon: 3.14× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 11.0%#29 of 178 · 2023 |
| Extreme povertyLebanon: 14.5× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2022 | 5.8%#52 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Israel: 2.8 higher | 38.3#50 of 149 · 2022 | 35.5#68 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureLebanon: 2.7 points higher | 0.8% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in industryLebanon: 5.0 points higher | 15.1% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 | 20.1% of jobs#76 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in servicesIsrael: 7.7 points higher | 84.1% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 76.4% of jobs#26 of 178 · 2023 |
| Foreign investmentLebanon: 2.5 points higher | 4.3% of GDP#43 of 184 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2024 |
| ExportsIsrael: 4.3 points higher | 27.6% of GDP#107 of 168 · 2025 | 23.3% of GDP#119 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingIsrael: 3.11× the military spending | 7.8% of GDP#3 of 155 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#40 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIsrael: 1.09× the share online | 88%#67 of 184 · 2024 | 81%#97 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIsrael: 2.39× the mobile subscriptions | 177 per 100#9 of 191 · 2024 | 74 per 100#154 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLebanon: 2.03× the forest share | 7% of land#160 of 192 · 2024 | 14% of land#136 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIsrael: 3.04× the CO₂ per person | 5.77 t a year#41 of 185 · 2024 | 1.90 t a year#105 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLebanon: 0.6 points higher | 6.2%#155 of 190 · 2021 | 6.8%#154 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Lebanon: 1.22× the air pollution | 21.9 µg/m³#71 of 191 · 2023 | 26.7 µg/m³#57 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIsrael: 14.6 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 13.0% of land#130 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIsrael: 1.1 points higher | 11.9% of land#85 of 190 · 2024 | 10.8% of land#94 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIsrael: 2.24× the water stress | 132.0%#11 of 176 · 2021 | 58.8%#31 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLebanon: 1.52× the rain and snow | 435 mm#148 of 180 · 2021 | 661 mm#118 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIsrael: 0.36 higher | −0.91#164 of 193 · 2025 | −1.27#170 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIsrael: 2.18 higher | +0.96#35 of 193 · 2025 | −1.22#167 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateLebanon: 1.38× the homicide rate | 1.6 per 100,000#85 of 146 · 2022 | 2.2 per 100,000#74 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary democracy | Parliamentary republicparliamentary democratic republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Jerusalem | Beirut |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel (ILS) | Lebanese pound (LBP) |
| Official languages | Hebrew | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +972 | +961 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Western Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Israel sits at about 31° N and is stretched to 1.37× its true area; Lebanon at 34° N is stretched to 1.45×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Israel bigger than Lebanon?
- Yes. Israel is 99% larger than Lebanon. Israel covers 20,770 km² and Lebanon covers 10,452 km².
- How many times does Lebanon fit into Israel?
- About 2.0 times: Israel has 1.99× the area of Lebanon.
- Why do Israel and Lebanon look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Israel is drawn about 1.37× its true area there and Lebanon about 1.45×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Israel or Lebanon?
- Israel: 10,122,800 people against 5,849,421. Density: Israel 487 per km², Lebanon 560 per km².
- Which is richer, Israel or Lebanon?
- By gross national income per person, Israel: $56,180 against $3,560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 15.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Israel or Lebanon?
- In Israel: life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years, against 77.9 — 5.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Israel and Lebanon have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).