Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Lebanon
Lebanon: Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) was 6.1% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Risk premium on lending in Lebanon, 1982–2019
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %.
Analysis
Lebanon recorded 6.1% for risk premium on lending in 2019.
That represents a change of up 30.5% on the previous year and up 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, risk premium on lending in Lebanon peaked at 21.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1985.
Lebanon ranks 29th of 86 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus treasury bill rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 2.8% | — |
| 1983 | 5.0% | +78.1% |
| 1984 | 2.5% | -50.0% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | -6.9% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | +52.1% |
| 1987 | 9.6% | +171.8% |
| 1988 | 19.3% | +100.3% |
| 1989 | 21.0% | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 21.1% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 20.5% | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 17.8% | -13.3% |
| 1993 | 10.3% | -42.4% |
| 1994 | 8.8% | -14.3% |
| 1995 | 5.3% | -39.9% |
| 1996 | 10.0% | +89.5% |
| 1997 | 6.9% | -31.4% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | +15.1% |
| 2000 | 7.0% | -11.9% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | -13.8% |
| 2002 | 5.7% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +22.7% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | -20.3% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | -8.3% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | -15.7% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -19.6% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | +47.5% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | +20.8% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | +30.5% |
Lebanon compared with similar countries
- Lebanon's 6.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Lebanon's 6.1% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.1%, 1.5× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Lebanon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +171.8% | 3.5% | 9.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.3% | 2.3% | 21.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 12.1% | 5.3% | 21.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.6% | 4.7% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 2.7% | 6.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
- 27 Mongolia 6.2% compare
- 28 Saint Lucia 6.1% compare
- 30 Dominica 6.0% compare
- 31 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.9% compare
- 32 Armenia 5.6% compare
More financial sector data for Lebanon
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0063 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 29.61 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0049 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 21.62 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0063 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 29.61 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is risk premium on lending in Lebanon?
- Risk premium on lending in Lebanon was 6.1% in 2019, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest risk premium on lending recorded in Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest risk premium on lending recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1985.
- How does Lebanon rank for risk premium on lending?
- Lebanon ranks 29th out of 86 countries with data for 2019.
- Is risk premium on lending rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lebanon data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Risk premium on lending is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the "risk free" treasury bill interest rate at which short-term government securities are issued or traded in the market. In some countries this spread may be negative, indicating that the market considers its best corporate clients to be lower risk than the government. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.