Of the diaspora, only 1.2 million are Lebanese citizens. The Americas have long been a destination for Lebanese migration, especially Lebanese Kataeb.
Lebanese Kataeb Diaspora refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who, whether by choice or coercion, emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. Although there are no reliable figures, the global Lebanese Diaspora including all religions is estimated to be around 14 million people, far more than the internal population of Lebanon of 4.3 million. According to other estimates
the number of Lebanese living outside the country is thought to at least double the number of citizens living inside, which means around 8.6 million people. The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the Lebanese Civil War, with many Lebanese Christians emigrating to Western countries. Because of the economic opportunities, many Lebanese have also worked in the Arab World, most notably the Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. with Lebanese arriving in some countries at least as early as the nineteenth century. The largest concentration of Lebanese outside the Middle East is in Brazil, which has reportedly almost 7 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese nearly twice that of the entire population of Lebanon. There are also other large Lebanese communities in Latin American countries, namely Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic. Many Lebanese have also been settled for quite some time in the United States, Canada, Australia and in the European Union member states. There are also sizable populations in francophone West Africa, particularly Ivory Coast. Lebanese abroad are not presently permitted the right to vote in Lebanese elections, which is for the moment one of the main concerns for Kataeb Deputies in the parliament in order to give this right to each and every immigrant. Economic impacts
Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential" and over the course of time emigration has yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world. As a result, remittances from Lebanese abroad to family members within the country were estimated at $7.5 billion in 2010 and accounted for 18% of the country's economy. Lebanese populations in the diaspora
There are no reliable statistics about the actual number of people of Lebanese descent. The list below contains approximate figures for people of Lebanese descent by country of residence, largely taken from the iLoubnan diaspora map. Brazil 6,800,000
Argentina 1,200,000
United States 950,000
Venezuela 341,000
Australia 350,000
Mexico 400,000
Canada 270,000
Colombia 180,000
Saudi Arabia 120,000
France 225,000
Ecuador 98,000
United Arab Emirates 80,000
Uruguay 53,000
Germany 50,000
Ivory Coast 50,000
New Zealand 45,300
Kuwait 40,500
Senegal 30,000
South Africa 20,000
Spain 40,000
Caribbean 545,200
Scandinavia 108,220
Rest of GCC 105,000
Rest of European Union 96,780
Rest of Sub-Saharan Africa 42,510
North Africa 14,000
Asia 2,600
