Lebanon is one of the smallest countries in the region, but strategically located on the Eastern Mediterranean, it is an important commercial hub for the Middle East. A heterogeneous country, highly divided along both religious and confessional lines, Lebanon has a relatively young population. The Lebanese system of government reflects a combination of the prime ministerial and presidential systems. A lengthy power vacuum was recently filled with the appointment of Michel Aoun as President and Saad Hariri as Prime Minister.
The business environment in Lebanon is relatively restrictive, with the World Bank ranking it 126 out of the 189 countries surveyed in its Doing Business 2017. In terms of Global Competitiveness, the World Economic Forum ranks Lebanon as the 101st most competitive nation in the world (out of 138 economies).
A high profitability sector with high short-term yield, real estate remains one of the prime sectors in the Lebanese economy, having maintained its considerable stake of GDP in 2015, despite a slowdown in the property market since 2011. In spite of the slowing demand, property prices have increased during the past five years, attributed to the fact that both local and foreign investors in the recent years show a real instead of a speculative demand. Although the capital suffers the most from the subsiding demand for property, Beirut remains the most expensive region. This study is a part of the Development Study and analyses the real estate and construction sector.
1. Country Profile
1.1 History of Lebanon
1.1.1 Early History
1.1.2 The Civil War
1.1.3 Recent Developments
1.1.4 Relationships with neighbouring states
1.2 Geography
1.2.1 Area and Boundaries
1.2.2 Topography
1.2.3 Land Use and Water Resources
1.2.4 Environmental Concerns
1.3 People and Society
1.3.1 Population and National Identity
1.3.2 Demographics
1.3.3 Societal Characteristics
1.4 Government
1.4.1 Framework of Government
1.4.2 Executive Branch
1.4.3 Legislative Branch
1.4.4 Judicial Branch
1.4.5 Political Parties and Leaders
1.5 Main Infrastructure
1.5.1 Transportation
1.5.2 Tele Communications
1.5.3 Energy
1.6 Key Industries and National Resources
2. Real Estate and Construction
2.1 Demand Factors
2.2 Supply Factors
2.3 Real Estate Prices
2.4 Financing
2.5 Competitive landscape
2.6 Challenges and opportunities
3. Doing Business
3.1 Starting a Business
3.2 Dealing with Construction Permits
3.3 Getting Electricity
3.4 Registering Property
3.5 Getting Credit
3.6 Protecting Minority Investors
3.7 Paying Taxes
3.8 Trading across Borders
3.9 Enforcing Contracts
3.10 Resolving Insolvency
3.11 Measuring competitiveness by the World Economic Forum
3.12 Corruption Index
3.13 Public – Private Partnerships