Editing Demographics of Lebanon (section)

==Diaspora==
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Prominent Lebanese Figures<br/>{{lang|ar|وجوه من لبنان}}
| image            = {{Image array 	| perrow = 3
	| image1 = StJohnMaron.jpg
    | link1 = John Maron
	| image2 = Charbel.jpg
    | link2 = Charbel Makhlouf
	| image3 = Estephane-Douaihi.jpg
    | link3 = Estephan El Douaihy
	| image4 = Peter Hoayek.JPG
    | link4 = Elias Peter Hoayek
	| image5 = Young Youssef Bey Karam.jpg
    | link5 = Youssef Bey Karam
	| image6 = Camille chamoun.jpg
    | link6 = Camille Chamoun
	| image7 = Fairuz in btd concert 2001.jpg
    | link7 = Fairuz
	| image8 = Kahlil Gibran 1913.jpg
    | link8 = Khalil Gibran
	| image9 = Carlos Slim Helú.jpg
    | link9 = Carlos Slim
	| image10= Sabah - Al Mawed.jpg
    | link10= Sabah (singer)
	| image11= Carlos Ghosn - India Economic Summit 2009.jpg
    | link11= Carlos Ghosn
	| image12= Elie Saab in Beirut 2005.jpg
    | link12= Elie Saab
	| image13= CharlesElachi.jpg
    | link13= Charles Elachi
	| image14= John Abizaid.jpg
    | link14= John Abizaid
	| image15= Elissar Zakaria Khoury.jpg
    | link15= Elissa (Lebanese singer)
	| image16= Donna Shalala - Knight Foundation.jpg
    | link16= Donna Shalala
	| image17= Ray LaHood official DOT portrait.jpg
    | link17= Ray LaHood
	| image18= Michel Temer.jpg
    | link18= Michel Temer
	| image19= Naderspeak.JPG
    | link19= Ralph Nader
	| image20= Cardinal Nasrallah Peter Sfeir.jpg
    | link20= Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir
	| image21= Béchara-Raï.jpg
    | link21= Bechara Boutros al-Rahi
	| image22= Cristina Kirchner con Michel Sleiman 03.jpg
    | link22= Michel Suleiman
    | link23 = Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah 07 (1).jpg
	}}
| caption          = Prominent Lebanese people and people of Lebanese descent.
}}
{{Main|Lebanese diaspora}}
Apart from the four and a half million citizens of Lebanon proper, there is a sizeable Lebanese [[diaspora]]. There are more [[Lebanese people]] living [[Lebanese diaspora|outside of Lebanon]] (over 4 million<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/><ref name=":2"/>), than within (4.6 million citizens plus 1.5 million refugees). The majority of the diaspora population consists of [[Christianity in Lebanon|Lebanese Christians]]; however, there are some who are Muslim. They trace their origin to several waves of [[Christian emigration]], starting with the exodus that followed the [[1860 Lebanon conflict]] in [[Ottoman Syria]].

Under the current [[Lebanese nationality law]], diaspora Lebanese do not have an automatic [[right of return]] to Lebanon. Due to varying degrees of [[cultural assimilation|assimilation]] and high degree of interethnic marriages, most diaspora Lebanese [[language shift|have not passed on the Arabic language to their children]], while still maintaining a Lebanese [[ethnic identity]].

Many Lebanese families are economically and politically prominent in several [[Latin America]]n countries (in 2007 Mexican [[Carlos Slim Helú]], son of Lebanese immigrants, was determined to be the wealthiest man in the World by [[Fortune Magazine]]), and make up a substantial portion of the [[Lebanese American]] community in the [[United States]]. The largest Lebanese diaspora is located in [[Brazil]], where about 6–7 million people have Lebanese descent (see [[Lebanese Brazilian]]). In [[Argentina]], there is also a large Lebanese diaspora of approximately 1.5 million people having Lebanese descent. (see [[Lebanese Argentine]]). In [[Canada]], there is also a large Lebanese diaspora of approximately 250,000-500,000 people having Lebanese descent. (see [[Lebanese Canadians]]).

There are also sizable populations in [[West Africa]], particularly [[Lebanese people in Ivory Coast|Ivory Coast]], [[Lebanese people in Sierra Leone|Sierra Leone]] and [[Lebanese people in Senegal|Senegal]].

The large size of Lebanon's diaspora may be partly explained by the historical and cultural tradition of seafaring and traveling, which stretches back to Lebanon's ancient [[Phoenicia]]n origins and its role as a "gateway" of relations between [[Europe]] and the [[Middle East]]. It has been commonplace for Lebanese citizens to emigrate in search of economic prosperity. Furthermore, on several occasions in the last two centuries the Lebanese population has endured periods of [[ethnic cleansing]] and displacement (for example, 1840–60 and 1975–90). These factors have contributed to the geographical mobility of the Lebanese people.

While under Syrian occupation, Beirut passed legislation which prevented second-generation Lebanese of the diaspora from automatically obtaining [[Lebanese nationality law|Lebanese citizenship]]. This has reinforced the émigré status of many diaspora Lebanese. There is currently a campaign by those Lebanese of the diaspora who already have [[Lebanese nationality law|Lebanese citizenship]] to attain the vote from abroad, which has been successfully passed in the Lebanese parliament and will be effective as of 2013 which is the next parliamentary elections. If suffrage was to be extended to these 1.2{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} million Lebanese émigré citizens, it would have a significant political effect, since as many as 82% of them are believed to be Christian.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

===Lebanese Civil War refugees and displaced persons===
{{see also|Lebanese Civil War}}
With no official figures available, it is estimated that 600,000–900,000 persons fled the country during the [[Lebanese Civil War]] (1975–90). Although some have since returned, this permanently disturbed Lebanese population growth and greatly complicated demographic statistics.

Another result of the war was a large number of [[internally displaced person]]s. This especially affected the southern Shia community, as [[Israel]]i invasion of southern Lebanon in [[Operation Litani|1978]], [[1982 Lebanon War|1982]], and [[Operation Grapes of Wrath|1996]] prompted waves of mass emigration, in addition to the continual strain of [[South Lebanon security belt|occupation and fighting]] between Israel and [[Hezbollah]] (mainly 1982 to 2000).

Many Shias from Southern Lebanon resettled in the suburbs south of Beirut. After the war, the pace of Christian emigration accelerated, as many Christians felt discriminated against in a Lebanon under increasingly oppressive [[Syrian occupation of Lebanon|Syrian occupation]].

According to a [[UNDP]] study, as much as 10% of the Lebanese had a [[disability]] in 1990.<ref name=disable>[http://www.irinnews.org/node/195086 LEBANON: Disabled remain marginalized, study finds], IRIN. Accessed August 6, 2009.</ref> Other studies have pointed to the fact that this portion of society is highly marginalized due to the lack of educational and governmental support of their advancement.<ref name=disable/>