Report by Lara al-Hachem, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine
Unfortunately, marriage in Lebanon has become a luxury due to the successive crises from 2019 until today. It started even before the economic crisis when housing loans provided by banks and the Public Housing Institution through banks, the Housing Bank, and military housing were halted. With the economic crisis freezing depositors' funds and the fluctuation of the dollar exchange rate, there was a decrease in marriage. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted all wedding celebrations. Even those who are financially capable struggled to get married, and you surely remember the phenomenon of those who got married through the Zoom application. The Beirut port explosion was the last straw that led thousands of Lebanese to emigrate in search of safety and security. All these factors led to a 38% decline in residential and commercial construction permits between 2018 and 2022. Marriage contracts also declined by 18% between 2018 and 2022, naturally affecting birth rates, which decreased by 32%. Due to the scarcity of infrastructure projects and lack of liquidity, couples have no option but renting. However, even rental options are scarce due to high demand and limited supply, especially because property owners who invested to build a building prefer to sell the apartment and collect their dues in cash rather than renting it out, even if there's a delay in selling.