Market Research Companies in Lebanon

Key figures for researchers

Population

5.85 million (2025 estimate)¹

Residents surveyed by CAS

about 4.8 million, 20% non-Lebanese (2018–2019, excluding camps)²

Under 15 / 65 and over

24% / 11% of residents (2018–2019)²

Mount Lebanon / household size

42% of residents; 3.8 people per household on average (2018–2019)²

Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR

507,666 (end of January 2026)³

Palestine refugees

nearly 500,000 registered with UNRWA, about 248,000 estimated residents (2025)⁴

French speakers

38% of the population (2022 estimate)⁵

Internet users

80.6% of individuals (2024)⁶

Mobile subscriptions

74 per 100 people (2022)⁷

GDP per capita

about US$4,500 (2024)⁸

Research guide

Research landscape

Most market research agencies are based in Beirut and the surrounding Mount Lebanon governorate, which alone holds 42% of residents. Local agencies run consumer, media, social and B2B studies, and some also coordinate fieldwork in other Middle East countries. Humanitarian organisations also run large household surveys: the World Bank’s 2022–2023 survey of Lebanese, Syrians and other nationals was conducted with WFP and UNHCR.

The economy has gone through a long crisis: the World Bank found that 44% of the population in the areas it surveyed was poor in 2022, up from 12% in 2012, and described a fast-growing dollarised, cash-based economy. In its Summer 2026 Lebanon Economic Monitor, it projects real GDP to fall by 6.4% in 2026 after growth of 4.2% in 2025, with inflation expected to reach 17.5%. Purchasing power, brand choices and media habits can change quickly, so recent data matters.

Languages and fieldwork

Under Article 11 of the Constitution, Arabic is the official national language, and a law determines the cases in which French may be used. An estimated 38% of the population speaks French, and English is also widely used in business and education. Questionnaires are therefore often prepared in Arabic, French and English, with Lebanese Arabic wording for spoken interviews; let respondents choose their language and check that the three versions are equivalent.

Samples must state clearly who is covered. The CAS 2018–2019 survey counted about 4.8 million residents, 20% of them non-Lebanese, and it excluded refugee camps. UNHCR had 507,666 registered Syrian refugees at the end of January 2026 and says almost one million Syrians known to it are hosted in Lebanon; UNHCR has not registered new Syrian refugees since May 2015 under a government decision. UNRWA has nearly 500,000 registered Palestine refugees, with about 248,000 estimated to live in the country, around half of them in 12 official camps. Decide early whether the target is Lebanese nationals only or all residents, and set quotas by nationality and governorate accordingly.

Which methods work

With 80.6% of individuals online, online surveys work for urban, younger and B2B targets. With 74 mobile subscriptions per 100 people in 2022, coverage is not universal, and online panels can under-represent older, poorer and rural respondents.

Telephone interviews (CATI) and face-to-face interviews (CAPI) remain common for general population, refugee and hard-to-reach samples, particularly outside Beirut, for example in Tripoli and the North (in Akkar, the World Bank found a poverty rate of about 70% in 2022) or in the Bekaa. Labour market changes also affect B2B and recruitment: in January 2022 the CAS–ILO survey found 29.6% unemployment and a 22.2% labour force participation rate for women. Focus groups are usually held in Beirut.

Timing

Lebanon follows two calendars, Christian and Muslim, and both sets of holidays are official. Ramadan is expected to start around 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr around 9–10 March, and Eid al-Adha is expected around 17 May 2027 (exact dates depend on the moon sighting). Fieldwork among Muslim respondents often moves to the evening during Ramadan.

Christian holidays include Christmas (25 December, and 6 January for Armenian Orthodox Christmas) and two Easters: in 2027, Western Easter falls on 28 March and Orthodox Easter on 2 May, each with Good Friday and Easter Monday off. Other official holidays include St Maroun’s Day (9 February), the Annunciation (25 March) and Independence Day (22 November). Security conditions can change quickly in some areas: agree with your agency how fieldwork will be paused, moved or replaced by telephone interviews if needed.

Data protection

Personal data is covered by Law No. 81 of 10 October 2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data. There is no independent data protection authority: the Ministry of Economy and Trade receives declarations and issues permits and licences. Processing must in principle be declared to the Ministry, with exemptions, including when the data subject has agreed in advance. Data on health, genetic identity and sexual life, and on criminal matters or state security, require a licence under separate ministerial decisions.

According to DLA Piper, the law is silent on cross-border transfers and has no breach notification rule. Ask your agency how respondents give consent, where the data is stored, how identifiable data will be transferred to you, and which international standard it follows, such as the ICC/ESOMAR International Code.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, governorates, nationality quotas, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask which populations the sampling frame covers (Lebanese nationals, Syrians, Palestinians in and outside camps, other residents) and how they are reached.
• Ask for the questionnaire in Arabic, French and English, and how the versions are checked for equivalence.
• Agree on incentives and payments: the currency (US dollars or Lebanese pounds), cash or transfer, and how they are adjusted if prices change.
• Ask about quality control and a contingency plan if access to an area is restricted: back-checks, GPS or audio checks, switch to CATI.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.