On an economic level, 2014 was not the best year for Lebanon. All indicators of growth and production declined, as the World Bank recorded a 1.5% growth rate for 2014. The treasury deficit is expected to reach 10.2% of the gross domestic product compared to 9.4% in 2013. The situation does not bode well for the coming year, although these challenges are to be expected in a country that is affected by the repercussions of the Syrian war, especially on the security level.

Perhaps the best indicator showing a strong correlation between security and the economy is the Consumer Confidence Index, which is issued in partnership between the Byblos Bank and the American University in Beirut. The Consumer Confidence Index recorded a recovery in the first half of 2014, as a result of the formation of the government in February and a relative improvement in the security situation, after a halt in the series of bombings, which rocked Beirut and Tripoli from March 2013 to January 2014. Thus, the indicator stood at 29 in the second half of 2013 and reached 33.5 in the first half of 2014.

This recovery in the first half of 2014 boosted the construction sector, which is traditionally a key driver of consumption. According to the World Bank’s Lebanon Economic Monitor report that was released in the fall of 2014, there has been a slight increase in consumption reflected in an increase in loans in the private sector, which rose by 7.4%, compared to 4.1% for the same period in 2013.

However, this improvement faded with the outbreak of the fighting between the Lebanese army and Syrian militants in the summer of 2014, which caused the security situation to further deteriorate. The Consumer Confidence Index reached "a record level in decline in the second half of 2014," Nassib Ghobril, head of the economic studies at Byblos Bank, told Al-Monitor. This has caused consumer loans to decline, as shown in the statistics carried out by the financial company Kafalat.