The 2018 Global Knowledge Index (GKI) ranked Lebanon in 74th place among 134 countries around the world and in ninth place among 18 countries in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Lebanon also came in 19th place among 34 upper middle-income countries (UMICs) included in the survey. Based on the same set of countries included in the 2017 and 2018 surveys, Lebanon's global rank regressed by 10 spots year-on-year, while its regional rank declined by two notches from the 2017 survey.

The GKI is a joint initiative between the United Nations Development Program and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation. The index measures the multidimensional concept of knowledge, and aims to introduce a comprehensive approach to "knowledge-based development". It is composed of seven sub-indices that are Pre-University Education (15%); Technical Vocational Education & Training (15%); Higher Education (15%); Research, Development & Innovation (15%); Information & Communications Technology (15%); the Economy (15%); and the General Enabling Environment (10%). The index aims to guide policymakers and the private sector in fostering a development process that seeks to equip individuals with the necessary skills for the labor market of the future.

Globally, the knowledge level in Lebanon is better than the level of Botswana, Jordan and South Africa, while it is lower than the level of knowledge of Mongolia, Turkey and Colombia. Lebanon received a score of 45.2 points in 2018 compared to 46 points in the 2017 survey. Lebanon's score was lower than the global average score of 47.6 points and the UMICs' average score of 45.4 points, but it was higher than the MENA region's average score of 44.3 points.