Total population | |
---|---|
40,000 | |
Languages | |
Vernacular: Lebanese Arabic |
|
Religion | |
Christianity (Protestantism) |
Protestantism in Lebanon is a Christian minority in an overwhelmingly Muslim (27% Shia and 27% Sunni) and Christian (22% Maronite and 8% Eastern Orthodox) country.
Most Protestants in Lebanon were converted by missionaries, primarily English and American, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They are divided into a number of denominations, including Presbyterian, Congregational, and Anglican. They are perceived by some to number disproportionately highly among the professional middle class.
The Lebanese Protestant Christians constitute nearly 1 percent of the population (around 40,000) and live primarily in Beirut (Greater Beirut).
Under the terms of an unwritten agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the Protestant community in Lebanon has one reserved seat in the Parliament of Lebanon. (see Politics of Lebanon#Legislative_branch)