Islam in Lebanon: history and Muslim population data

History of Islam in Lebanon

The Muslim presence in Lebanon started in 13H or 634AD, during thereign of Caliph Omar, after opening Damascus. The Muslim troops wereled by the Prophet’s companion Khalid bnul Walid. Currently, theRepublic of Lebanon has an area of 10,400 sq km and its map ispresented in Figure 2.3.5. It was taken by the French from the Ottomansin 1920 and gained its independence from France in 1943. According toOttoman census, the Muslim population of the Tripoli/Beirut provinceincreased from 0.20 million or 76.4% in 1580 to 0.54 million or 59.1% in1881. This province, however, included the costal side of current Syriaand northern Palestine. A census in 1860 taken by the French Armyfound a Muslim population of 0.13 million or 27.0% of the totalpopulation.

Based on census data, the Muslimpopulation increased from 0.13 million or 27.0% in 1860, to 0.29 millionor 66.5% in 1914, but decreased to 0.23 million or 37.7% in 1922, thenbounced to 0.33 million or 42.0% in 1932, to 0.42 million or 40.5% in 1943,to 0.54 million or 38.4% in 1956. The relatively high percentage ofMuslims in 1914 is also due to the inclusion of Druze who constitutedfrom 6.8% to 7.2% of the total population in the first half of the twentiethcentury. During the second half of the latter, the percentage of Muslimsincreased by about two percentage points per decade. This is due tolarger Muslim fertility rate, and the exodus of the non-Muslimpopulation to Europe and the Americas where they had betteropportunities. According to the World Values Survey (

Thus, assuming that the percentage of the Muslim population willincrease by two of a percentage points per decade; then the Muslimpopulation will reach 3.3 million or 67% by 2050 and 3.6 million or 77%in 2100.

Historical Muslim population dataset for Lebanon

The figures below are from the CoMPS historical dataset. Population values are expressed in thousands; 2100 is a modelled projection, not a present-day count.

For the full time series and visualisation, use the interactive map above.