The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Lebanese global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Lebanon.

1. Gems, precious metals: US$661 million (17.3% of total exports)
2. Mineral fuels including oil: $375.7 million (9.8%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: $288.4 million (7.5%)
4. Vehicles: $268.8 million (7%)
5. Plastics, plastic articles: $187.5 million (4.9%)
6. Machinery including computers: $176.6 million (4.6%)
7. Perfumes, cosmetics: $131.2 million (3.4%)
8. Iron, steel: $123.3 million (3.2%)
9. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: $104.8 million (2.7%)
10. Copper: $95.5 million (2.5%)

Lebanon’s top 10 exports accounted for 63% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Mineral fuels including oil was the fastest-growing among the top 10 export categories, up by 793.6% from 2017 to 2018 mainly propelled by higher international sales of refined petroleum oils.

In second place for improving export sales was electrical machinery and equipment which appreciated 73.8%.

Lebanese shipments of plastics and articles made from plastic posted the third-fastest gain in value via a 40.3% increase.

The sole decliner among the top 10 Lebanese exported product categories was vehicles, thanks to its -56.9% drop year over year.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, processed petroleum oils (9.7% of total) represented Lebanon’s most valuable export product for 2018. In second place were shipments of gold (7.6%) trailed by unmounted diamonds (7.5%), cars (6.3%), electric generating sets or converters (3.3%), iron or steel scrap (3.1%), copper waste or scrap (2.3%) then jewelry (1.7%).

Eight categories of Lebanese exported products generated positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Lead: US$30.6 million (Up by 8.8% since 2017)
2. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: $25.5 million (Up by 15.3%)
3. Fertilizers: $19.7 million (Up by 121.3%)
4. Books, newspapers, pictures: $14.5 million (Down by -46.2%)
5. Inorganic chemicals: $4.2 million (Reversing an -$11.3 million deficit)
6. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $2.7 million (Up by 14.9%)
7. Collector items, art, antiques: $2.5 million (Reversing a -$1.6 million deficit)
8. Miscellaneous animal-origin products: $984,000 (Up by 137.1%)

Lebanon has highly positive net exports in the international trade of lead and miscellaneous items made from lead. In turn, these cashflows indicate Lebanon’s strong competitive advantages under the lead product category.

Overall Lebanon incurred a -$16.6 billion product trade deficit for 2018. That deficit reflects an 18.2% expansion in red ink from one year earlier.

Below are exports from Lebanon that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Lebanon’s goods trail Lebanese importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$4 billion (Up by 21.9% since 2017)
2. Vehicles: -$1.4 billion (Up by 36.6%)
3. Pharmaceuticals: -$1.3 billion (Up by 13.6%)
4. Machinery including computers: -$1.1 billion (Up by 15.2%)
5. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$808.5 million (Up by 48.8%)
6. Gems, precious metals: -$591.8 million (Up by 82.4%)
7. Iron, steel: -$549.4 million (Up by 11.7%)
8. Plastics, plastic articles: -$456.5 million (Up by 0.7%)
9. Live animals: -$408.8 million (Up by 41.1%)
10. Dairy, eggs, honey: -$353.1 million (Up by 25.9%)

Lebanon has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels including oil category, notably for refined petroleum oils, petroleum gases and petroleum coke.

Lebanese Export Companies

Two regional banks headquartered in Lebanon rank among Forbes Global 2000, namely Bank Audi and Blom Bank.

Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from Lebanon. Selected examples are shown below:

• Bonjus (juice)
• Château Musar (winery)
• IXSIR wine (winery)
• Massaya (winery, distillery)
• Middle East Airlines (airliner)
• Tabbah (jewelry)