Lebanon - Country Commercial Guide
Medical Equipment
Last published date: 2022-07-26

Overview

According to Lebanese Customs, Lebanon’s imports of medical equipment reached$187 million in 2021, of which $29 million, or 15.5 percent, was of U.S. origin.  Total medical equipment imports to Lebanon decreased by 6.5 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.

Difficult access to hard currency as a result of Lebanon’s economic collapse has led to a decrease in medical imports to Lebanon.  Experts predict trade to maintain the same figures in 2022 and 2023. .

  Table 3: Medical Equipment Chart

  2020 2021 2022 (Estimate) 2023 (Projection)
Total Local Production $1 million $1 million $1 million $1 million
Total Exports $21 million $12 million $12million $12million
Total Imports $200 million $187 million $185 million $185 million
Imports from the US $54 million $29 million $25 million $25 million
Total Market Size $180 million $176 million $174 million $174 million
Exchange Rates LBP1507.5 LBP1507.5 LBP1507.5 LBP1507.5

(Total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)
Units: $ U.S. Dollars, LBP Lebanese Pounds
Source: Lebanese Customs statistics – Section 18

Leading Sub-Sectors

According to local experts, U.S. medical equipment products are characterized by their high quality and competitive value.

Opportunities

Lebanon is an ideal location to establish a regional office to cover the Levant, including Iraq, although controls on the flow of capital will make this difficult.  The Lebanese market has traditionally been used as a platform for testing U.S. products prior to introducing them to the rest of the Levant market. 

The U.S. Commercial Service provides a wide range of services including, Gold Key Service (GKS) and International Partner Search (IPS), which help U.S. companies explore opportunities in Lebanon.

Resources

Ministry of Public Health

Lebanese Customs Administration (http://www.customs.gov.lb/home.aspx)

U.S. Commercial Service

Contact for the Commercial Section that covers the medical equipment sector: Naaman Tayyar, Head of Commercial Section, Email: Naaman.Tayyar@trade.gov.]