DataReportal Digital 2027 report records 5.42 million internet users in Lebanon

DataReportal has published its Digital 2027: Lebanon report, detailing that 5.42 million individuals in the country used the internet at the end of 2026, representing an online penetration rate of 91.7 percent. Produced with the support of Meltwater and We Are Social, the report also recorded 4.83 million active social media user identities and 4.80 million active cellular mobile connections across Lebanon.

Internet adoption and connection speeds

According to analysis by Manochi cited in the report, the number of internet users in Lebanon increased by 41 thousand, or 0.8 percent, between October 2025 and October 2026. Over the same period, the internet adoption rate decreased by a relative 0.08 percent, or 7 basis points, which the report notes can reflect population changes and revisions to historical data reporting. By the end of 2026, 491 thousand people in Lebanon, equivalent to 8.3 percent of the population, remained offline. DataReportal draws its internet figures from sources including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), GSMA Intelligence, Eurostat, national telecommunications regulators, the United Nations, and planning tools from Google and Meta.

Figures from Ookla included in the report show contrasting trends for broadband speeds at the end of 2026. The median mobile internet download speed across cellular data networks stood at 36.84 megabits per second (Mbps), following a decrease of 7.19 Mbps, or 16.3 percent, in the twelve months to August 2026. Over the same period, the median fixed internet download speed rose by 5.42 Mbps, or 33.6 percent, to reach 21.54 Mbps.

Mobile connectivity, social media, and demographics

Data from GSMA Intelligence indicates that Lebanon's 4.80 million active cellular mobile connections, excluding cellular IoT devices, equated to 81.3 percent of the total population in October 2026, after rising by 39 thousand, or 0.8 percent, between the end of 2025 and the end of 2026. While 98.5 percent of mobile connections operated on 3G, 4G, or 5G broadband networks, some subscription plans only include voice and SMS services, and individuals often hold separate personal and work connections, aided by eSIMs.

Meanwhile, Manochi's analysis found that Lebanon's 4.83 million active social media user identities in October 2026 equalled 81.8 percent of the total population, though these figures may not represent unique individuals and can reflect the largest platform's reported advertising audience. United Nations data in the report puts Lebanon's population at 5.91 million in October 2026, up by 49 thousand, or 0.8 percent, between the end of 2025 and the end of 2026. At the end of 2026, 90.2 percent of the population lived in towns and cities and 9.8 percent in rural areas, with a median age of 29.0 and a gender split of 51.3 percent female and 48.7 percent male.

Public sector digitalisation context

These connectivity metrics coincide with state efforts to overhaul paper-based public administration through the Lebanon Digital Acceleration Project (LDAP), a $150 million initiative approved by the World Bank Board. As reported by The Beiruter, the programme addresses fragmented government IT systems and limited institutional interoperability by building modern, low-carbon cloud-computing infrastructure to host national data and strengthening national cybersecurity capabilities to protect personal data, government records, and business transactions. In June 2026, Lebanon's Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) launched preparatory work to establish the legal, technical, and practical foundations for electronic signatures.

What happens next

Under the World Bank-backed project, Lebanon plans to introduce digital identification and electronic signatures so citizens and businesses can authenticate themselves and sign official documents remotely. Authorities will also analyse, simplify, and digitalise six priority public services from end to end before integrating them into Lebanon's National Portal, alongside deploying secure data-sharing platforms across public institutions to reduce duplicate paperwork. Furthermore, the programme will fund digital skills training for thousands of civil servants and build institutional capacity in data management, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

Related on IT Magazine

• Lebanon advances $150 million World Bank-backed digital transformation programme
• Ooredoo Oman and DE-CIX to launch nationwide internet exchange in early 2027

Sources: DataReportal, The Beiruter

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