Despite favourable recent developments, Lebanon continues to face vulnerabilities and mounting challenges. The conflict in Syria and the resulting mass influx of refugees into Lebanon have affected the Lebanese economy, its infrastructure and social services. In fact, Lebanon is facing slow economic growth accompanied by a large current account deficit as well as high public and external debt. In details, real GDP is estimated to grow at an incremental 1-1.5% in 2017 and 2018. Moreover, the spillovers in the region have deterred foreign investments in the country. This was translated in the drop in FDIs in the past few years, specifically after the start of the Syrian war in 2012. As for the current account deficit, it remains large mainly due to the increasing trade deficit which reached $16.21B in 2017.
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