The Central Administration for Statistics (CAS) released national economic data that covers official figures for gross domestic product (GDP) and its structure and components for 2017, and revised its previous figures for the 2012-16 period. The CAS indicated that its national accounts figures include the informal sector that it estimated at around 30% of recorded output, even though the precise level is uncertain. Further, the CAS stated that its estimates are subject to a wide range of uncertainty. It added that the uncertainty derives from the lack of regular surveys and detailed data on the cost of production, consumer spending, employment, visitors' expenditures and other transactions. It cautioned that its figures are not as accurate as national accounts are supposed to be. 

The CAS estimated economic growth at 0.6% in real terms in 2017, while it reduced Lebanon's real GDP growth rate for 2016 to 1.6% from 1.7% previously. Household consumption contributed 3.6 percentage points and government consumption contributed 0.8 percentage points to real GDP growth in 2017, while gross capital formation did not contribute to real GDP growth last year. In parallel, imports of goods and services had a negative contribution of -3 percentage points, while exports of goods and services had a negative contribution of 0.8 percentage points to real GDP growth in 2017.