A survey conducted by the U.S.-based opinion polling think tank Pew Research Center indicated that 88 percent of Lebanese own a mobile phone, constituting the 20th highest share among 40 countries globally and the 11th highest share among 29 emerging countries covered in the survey. The share of participants who own a mobile phone in Lebanon is similar to the global median and is higher than the emerging economies’ median of 83 percent. The trend improved slightly from the 2013 survey when 86 percent of Lebanese respondents owned a mobile phone.
Further, 52 percent of adults in Lebanon have a smartphone, representing the 15th highest share globally and the sixth highest share among emerging countries. The share of Lebanese who have a smartphone is higher than the global median of 43 percent and the emerging economies’ median of 35 percent, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of Byblos Bank.
The trend improved from the 2013 survey when 45 percent of Lebanese adults owned a smartphone. Also, the survey showed that 74 percent of Lebanese who are between 18 and 34 years old own a smartphone, while only 37 percent of those older than 35 years have such a phone. Further, 79 percent of Lebanese who have a high level of education own a smartphone, while only 17 percent of those who are less educated own one. In addition, 85 percent of Lebanese with a high level of income own a smartphone, while 20 percent of lower-income citizens have one.
In parallel, the results show that 66 percent of Lebanese participants in the survey access the Internet occasionally or own a smartphone, constituting the 21st highest share globally and the 10th highest share among emerging economies. The share of participants who access the Internet occasionally or own a smartphone in Lebanon is lower than the global median of 67 percent, but is higher than the emerging economies’ median of 52 percent. The trend improved from the 2013 survey when 57 percent of Lebanese respondents accessed the Internet occasionally or owned a smartphone.
The survey showed that 89 percent of Lebanese aged between 18 and 34 years access the Internet occasionally or own a smartphone, while only 50 percent of those older than 35 years do so. Also, the survey pointed out that 90 percent of Lebanese who have a high level of education access the Internet occasionally or own a smartphone, while only 34 percent of those who are less educated do so. Further, 92 percent of Lebanese with a high level of income access the Internet occasionally or own a smartphone, while 41 percent of those who generate a lower income do so.
In addition, the survey showed that 92 percent of Internet users or smartphone owners in Lebanon access the Internet on a daily basis, constituting the highest percentage among countries worldwide. The trend improved from the 2013 survey when 90 percent of Internet users or smartphone owners in Lebanon accessed the Internet on a daily basis.
In parallel, the survey indicated that 75 percent of Internet users or smartphone owners in Lebanon access social networking sites, constituting, along with Senegal and Vietnam, the 21st highest rate globally, and the 20th highest rate among emerging markets. The share of Internet users or smartphone owners in Lebanon who access social networking sites is lower than the global median of 76 percent and the emerging economies’ median of 80 percent. The trend improved from the 2013 survey when 72 percent of Internet users or smartphone owners in Lebanon accessed social networking sites.