According to the data from the Orders of Engineers in Beirut and Tripoli, the total cumulative construction permits witnessed a year-on-year (YOY) decrease of 11.32% to reach 7,982 permits by October 2024 due to several reasons such as decrease in the purchasing power of most of Lebanese population in addition to the escalation of the war between Hezbollah and Israel. However, the Construction Area Authorized by Permits (CAP) increased by 15.98% to record 4,299,805 square meters (sqm). This could be explained by the increased tendency for group projects rather than individual projects.
Moreover, construction activity witnessed some fluctuation compared to last year. Some governorates witnessed an increase such as Beirut, North Lebanon, and Bekaa while other governorates’ activity decreased like Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, and Nabatiye. Below table shows detailed data by governorates:
| Governorate | # of Permits | Weight | YOY Change |
| Mt Lebanon | 3,117 | 39.05% | -0.92% |
| South Lebanon | 1,927 | 24.14% | -27.12% |
| Nabatiye | 1,184 | 14.83% | -39.28% |
| Bekaa | 1,085 | 13.59% | 37.52% |
| Beirut | 358 | 4.49% | 39.84% |
| North Lebanon | 311 | 3.90% | 43.98% |
| Total | 7,982 | 100% | -11.32% |
As shown in the above table, South Lebanon and Nabatiye witnessed a remarkable decrease in the number of permits compared to the same month last year due to the escalation of the war.
Number of Construction Permits by October 2024
Source: Orders of Engineers in Beirut & Tripoli
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