Because of its economic stability and political neutrality, Lebanon was considered the "Switzerland of the Orient" in the 1950s and 1960s. In the decades that followed, wars and economic crises disrupted the state in the Near East. The influx of numerous refugees from Syria since 2011 has put additional strain on the economy. The explosion disaster in Beirut in 2020 exacerbated the situation - many people were traumatised. Five million inhabitants live in the republic according to the Human Development Report 2021/2022.