IN NUMBERS
3.5 M people in need of assistance
1.5 M people assisted in January 2023
$18 M cash-based Transfers made
3,365 MT of food distributed
OPERATIONAL CONTEXT
Lebanon is entering its fourth year of a severe economic, political, and social crisis while also hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. Record-high global food and fuel prices have added to the country’s already dire situation.
These crises have led to high levels of poverty and food insecurity amongst both Lebanese and refugee communities. The first integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for Lebanon in September 2022 found that 1.29 million Lebanese and 700,000 Syrian refugees – 37 percent of the total population – are facing acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3, Crisis, and Phase 4, Emergency). As the economic crisis continues to worsen, and food prices increase, food insecurity is expected to affect 1.46 million Lebanese and 800,000 Syrian refugees (42 percent of the total population) by April 2023.
Basic living conditions are in continuous decline. The 2022 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees found that 90 percent of Syrian refugee families were in need of humanitarian assistance to survive, with the most basic needs out of reach due to inflation. Based on WFP’s Household Deprivation Score, 60 percent of the Lebanese population was multi-dimensionally deprived in August 2022, up from 53 percent in December 2021.
WFP is at the forefront of the response to Lebanon’s economic and refugee crisis, which supported 2 million of the most vulnerable Lebanese and refugees in 2022 to meet their food and other essential needs. WFP is maintaining its assistance to vulnerable communities in 2023, targeting 2.4 million people.
SITUATION UPDATE
The price of the food Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) reached LBP 1.2 million in December, up from LBP 1.1 million in November. The full SMEB (food and other essential needs) for a family of five reached LBP 12.5 million in December, a 12 percent increase from the previous month. Detailed market updates based on WFP’s assessments are available here: WFP Lebanon Market Monitor – January 2023.
Lebanon’s Central Bank devalued the official exchange rate to LBP 15,000 to the dollar, replacing the decadeslong rate of LBP 1,500/USD. While regarded as a step towards unifying the country’s multiple exchange rates, the value of the market rate remains notably lower, surpassing LBP 60,000/USD in January. The new official exchange rate is expected to further drive inflation, particularly on electricity and imported goods.
Monthly inflation in December was 6.7 percent with food inflation contributing to 38 percent of the increase in December, up from an 18 percent contribution in November (Consumer Price Index data from the Central Administration of Statistics). Further price hikes on food and other essential needs are expected for February, following continued currency depreciation.
The impact of earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria on 6 February was felt across Lebanon, but no causalities or major material damage were recorded. WFP operations and staff in Lebanon were unaffected.
Source: World Food Programme