Every morning at 7 am, Maria, a migrant domestic worker from the Philippines, leaves the small room she shares in Beirut and takes a bus to work. She moves through streets full of people like her, women and men working in homes, restaurants, shops, and hospitals.

Lebanon depends on migrant workers like Maria. They cook, clean, care for children and the elderly, support shops and restaurants, and keep essential parts of the economy running. Their presence is deeply woven into everyday life.

Yet despite this visibility, one crucial part of their story remains almost invisible:
Where do migrant workers actually live across Lebanon?
Are they evenly spread across the country, or heavily concentrated in certain areas?

When I analyzed the dataset of migrant worker counts by governorate, I expected some differences, but nothing prepared me for the scale of the imbalance I discovered.

The first visualization reveals the imbalance immediately:
Beirut alone hosts more than 120,000 migrant workers, far more than any other governorate in Lebanon.

Mount Lebanon, the second-highest region, has around 40,000.
After that, the numbers drop drastically:

• The North

• The South

• Bekaa

• Nabatieh

• Baalbek-Hermel

• Akkar

All show significantly smaller populations.

This means one small governorate, just a fraction of Lebanon’s land area, is carrying the largest share of migrant labor.
For Maria and thousands like her, this means living in densely packed neighborhoods, often far from their families and support networks, and always navigating systems that weren’t designed with them in mind.

This imbalance is not just a statistic; it shapes the daily realities of tens of thousands of workers.

Before we can consider solutions, we must understand the root cause behind the concentration.

Beirut plays an outsized economic role in Lebanon:

• Most service-sector jobs (restaurants, hotels, private households) are in the capital.

• Higher household incomes mean more families hire domestic workers.

• More employers and agencies operate in Beirut than in any other governorate.

• Living arrangements (like shared rooms, collective housing, and employment-based accommodation) are mostly concentrated in the city.

For Maria, this means Beirut is the only place where she can find consistent work, even though rent is high and space is limited.

This economic pull creates a natural, but problematic, clustering of migrant workers.

The map visualization brings the issue to life.
Beirut appears in the darkest shade, while the rest of the country is much lighter.

The pattern is unmistakable:

• Migrant workers are overwhelmingly concentrated in the capital.

• Surrounding governorates show drastically lower numbers.

• More remote regions hold only a small fraction of the total workforce.

This pattern is not just about economics; it affects support, safety, and oversight.

For example:

• In Beirut, labor offices, NGOs, and support services are overwhelmed.

• In regions far from the capital, workers may have less access to help, legal advice, or community networks.

• Living conditions vary significantly depending on the governorate.

Maria may find work easily in Beirut, but she also faces the loneliness and challenges that come with an extremely concentrated migration system.

A fairer, more balanced system would help everyone:

1. Reduce pressure on Beirut:

Labor offices, support centers, and NGOs in the capital are overloaded.
By decentralizing services, workers could receive quicker and more effective support.

2. Improve oversight in other governorates:

Many regions with migrant workers lack strong monitoring systems.
This can leave workers vulnerable to exploitation or unsafe conditions.

3. Create more equal access to protection:

Workers outside Beirut often have fewer legal resources or community networks.
Strengthening regional frameworks would ensure consistent protection nationwide.

4. Encourage regional job distribution:

If more employment opportunities are developed outside Beirut, workers like Maria could live and work in less crowded, more stable environments.

The data clearly validates the need for structural change.

Maria’s story is one of thousands, each representing a life built far from home.
Behind every bar in the chart and every shade on the map is a person contributing to Lebanon’s daily life, economy, and communities.

To make the system more fair and sustainable, Lebanon should:

1. Decentralize labor and support services:

Spread labor-related responsibilities more evenly across governorates.

2. Strengthen regional labor offices:

Give workers better access to help regardless of where they live.

3. Improve oversight outside Beirut:

Ensure that workers in smaller governorates receive equal protection.

4. Recognize and plan for geographic inequality:

Use data-driven policymaking to identify gaps and allocate resources effectively.

Visibility is the first step toward change.
Mapping migrant workers across Lebanon helps make sure people like Maria, wherever they live, are truly seen, heard, and protected.