Lebanese Diaspora - History

History

The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the Lebanese Civil War, with many Lebanese 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, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait amongst others. The Lebanese diaspora identifies large numbers of both Muslims and Christian. Recent investigations shows that should the diaspora return to the Lebanon, it would be the only majority Christian country in the middle east

The Americas have long been a destination for Lebanese migration, 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 over 7 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese nearly twice that of the entire population of Lebanon. There are also large Lebanese communities in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico), Venezuela and the Caribbean. Many Lebanese have also been settled for quite some time in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, most notably France. There are also sizable populations in West Africa, particularly Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal and Liberia.

Lebanese abroad are not presently permitted the right to vote in Lebanese elections. A law passed in late 2008 gives expatriates the right to vote in elections in 2013.