Foreign workers play a central role in Lebanon’s economy, especially in domestic labor, construction, and services. Yet the size of each migrant community is often misunderstood. Using data from AUB’s CODEC platform, this visualization compares the total number of immigrants by nationality across Lebanese districts. The goal is simple: to understand how the foreign workforce is distributed, without making assumptions or relying on anecdotes.

The comparison highlights one clear insight: Ethiopian workers form the largest non-Arab migrant community in Lebanon, with more than 60,000 individuals recorded across the dataset. They are followed by a broad category labeled “other nationalities,” which includes smaller groups not individually classified. Bangladeshi workers also represent a major share, clustered in sectors such as construction and cleaning services.

Egyptian workers occupy the next position, reflecting their long-standing presence in multiple economic sectors. Sri Lankan and Filipino communities, historically linked to domestic labor, remain significant but no longer dominate in size as they once did in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, Sudanese and Iraqi migrants are present in smaller numbers.

This simple bar chart helps break down a complex topic: the foreign workforce is not monolithic. Each nationality has its own scale, history, and economic role. By comparing totals side by side, the visualization offers a more accurate picture of Lebanon’s migrant landscape.

Understanding this distribution matters because it corrects misconceptions. Discussions often merge “foreign workers” into a single category, but the data shows a far more diverse and structured reality. A clearer picture of the migrant population can support better public understanding and more informed debates about labor dynamics in the country.