Lebanon
- 2.5 million people
- need food assistance
- 47.5 percent of people
- are food insecure (Lebanese and refugees)
- 5.3 million
- population
The recent and rapid escalation of conflict in Lebanon has forced thousands of people to flee their homes, exacerbating the already profound socioeconomic crisis and protracted Syrian refugee situation. This latest surge in violence has displaced a significant number of individuals and families, compounding the fragility of a population burdened by accumulated crises, and underscoring the urgent need for an immediate and robust humanitarian response.
WFP provides emergency food assistance to families, who have received hot meals, ready-to-eat rations, food parcels, fresh bread, sandwiches and emergency cash transfers. WFP has also been stocking food supplies in strategic areas for several months and is ready to scale up hot meal operations and cash assistance through social safety nets.
Prior to recent developments, Lebanon had already been facing record-high currency depreciation, with food inflation soaring compared to pre-COVID levels. According to the latest World Bank report issued in May 2024, poverty has more than tripled over the past decade, reaching unprecedented levels.
The human impact is dire: food insecurity is rapidly deepening across Lebanon, with 23 percent of the population – 1.26 million people – facing acute hunger. Half of Lebanese families and almost all refugees are struggling to put food on the table.
Declining humanitarian aid and renewed conflict, particularly in the south, have contributed to pushing countless families to the edge.
What the World Food Programme is doing in Lebanon
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Emergency response
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WFP is scaling up its emergency food assistance to reach those affected by the recent conflict, which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes. WFP teams are delivering food, including hot meals, ready-to-eat rations, food parcels and emergency cash assistance to newly displaced families in shelters. Kitchens and hot meal operations have been established in northern and central Lebanon to support those in need.
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Economic crisis response
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WFP is providing food parcels while carrying out assessments to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need.
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Support to refugees
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WFP provides food vouchers and cash assistance, through electronic cards, to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Refugees can buy food in more than 400 WFP-contracted shops across the country.
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School meals
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WFP’s school-meals programme provides nutritious snacks for 82,200 students at 190 schools. During the 2023–2024 academic year, 10,800 students received cold meals prepared by 101 women volunteering at nine school kitchens. School meals improve children’s food consumption and dietary diversity while increasing their ability to concentrate.
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Social protection
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WFP continues to provide technical assistance for Lebanon’s social protection system and supports the implementation of the Emergency Social Safety Net. WFP supports the food-assistance component of the National Poverty Targeting Program - Lebanon’s first targeted social safety net programme - through e-cards which can be used in WFP-contracted shops to buy food.
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Building resilience and supporting livelihoods
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WFP is focusing on strengthening food systems, environmental restoration, and disaster-risk reduction to improve livelihoods and income generation opportunities. This includes reforestation, improved irrigation systems and the promotion of climate-smart agriculture among smallholder farmers through approaches such as training.
Lebanon news releases
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Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Lebanon is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:
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Find out more about the state of food security in Lebanon
Visit the food security analysis pageOperations in Lebanon
Contacts
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Beirut
Lebanon
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