The 2014 UNDP Human Development Report, entitled ‘Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience’, placed Lebanon 65 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index with a overall value of 0.765. This value has risen 3.2 percent since 2005.

“This index measures purchasing power parity, level of education and life expectancy, but doesn’t include a qualitative analysis of politics, debt or the refugee crisis,” said Hassan Krayem, Governance Portfolio Manager at UNDP Lebanon.

He said the GDP to population wealth ratio came to $9,000 per person.  Lebanon's 91 percent literacy rate and life expectancy in the 70s, places the country in the upper middle ranking on the report.

As for gender inequality, the country registered a 0.413 index, to place 80 among 149 nations. “We have a three percent ratio of female parliamentarians, considered very low, but it’s balanced with high university enrollment exceeding a 50 percent share,” Krayem said.

Women have a 22.8 percent share of jobs compared to 70.5 for men, according to the report, the remaining are under-age workers. “This (also) doesn’t take into account seasonal workers, farm labor, and other domestic workforce,” said Krayem.