Land covered by forest
0.1%% of land area
#205 of 2132023
0% of world average
SERIAL · 434Africa
Libya
CapitalTripoli
CurrencyLYD · Libyan dinar
LanguageArabic
Area1.8M km²
Since1551
ISOLBY · LY
Population
—
Watermark portrait: Omar al-Mukhtar
— THE COUNTRY —
Country in North Africa
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. With an area of almost 1.8 million km2 (700,000 sq mi), Libya is the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world. The country claims 32,000 square kilometres of southeastern Algeria, south of the Libyan town of Ghat. The capital and largest city is Tripoli, located in the northwest and containing over a million of Libya's seven million people.
Text: Wikipedia — LibyaCC BY-SA 4.0 · revised 2026-07-23
— FACTS —
- Capital
- Tripoli
- Currency
- Libyan dinar (LYD)
- Official language
- Arabic
- Drives on the
- Right
- Calling code
- +218
- Licence plate code
- LAR
- Top-level domain
- .ly
- Independence / founding
- 25 Aug 1551
- Highest point
- Bikku Bitti (2,267 m)
- Lowest point
- Sabkhat Ghuzayyil (-47 m)
- Anthem
- Libya, Libya, Libya
— LAND —
Forest area
2,170km²
#155 of 2132023
1% of world average
Agricultural land
8.7%% of land area
#182 of 2092023
23% of world average
Farmable (arable) land
1.0%% of land area
#183 of 2062023
7% of world average
Land area
1.8Mkm²
#16 of 2152023
269% of world average
— PEOPLE —
16 of 16 figures unavailable for Libya.
— MONEY —
39 of 39 figures unavailable for Libya.
— TRADE —
12 of 12 figures unavailable for Libya.
— HEALTH —
Physicians
2.0 /1,000per 1,000 people
#86 of 1872017
97% of world average
Nurses and midwives
6.4 /1,000per 1,000 people
#57 of 1962017
135% of world average
Hospital beds
3.5 /1,000per 1,000 people
#50 of 1572022
118% of world average
Access to clean drinking water
96.4%% of population
#116 of 2142024
106% of world average
Access to basic sanitation
88.5%% of population
#130 of 2132024
110% of world average
Suicide rate
5per 100,000 people
#64 of 1852021
59% of world average
Adults who smoke
24.2%% of adults
#114 of 1662024
122% of world average
HIV prevalence
0.1%% aged 15-49
#19 of 1532024
7% of world average
Tuberculosis cases
63per 100,000 people
#128 of 2082024
63% of world average
▸ ISSUE 2 MORE
Undernourishment
16.5%% of population
#132 of 1682023
164% of world average
Children vaccinated against measles
89.0%% of children 12-23 months
#105 of 1932024
104% of world average
8 of 19 figures unavailable for Libya.
— LEARNING —
Education spending
2.3%% of GDP
not enough data to rank1999
52% of world average
Education spending
8.1%% of government spending
not enough data to rank1999
60% of world average
Adult literacy
60.2%% aged 15+
not enough data to rank1984
72% of world average
Youth literacy
89.3%% aged 15-24
not enough data to rank1984
98% of world average
Primary school enrolment
107.0%% gross
not enough data to rank2006
106% of world average
Secondary school enrolment
97.6%% gross
not enough data to rank2006
112% of world average
University enrolment
58.5%% gross
not enough data to rank2003
118% of world average
Primary school completion
90.1%% of relevant age group
not enough data to rank1983
100% of world average
Pupils per teacher, primary school
17pupils per teacher
not enough data to rank1983
76% of world average
▸ ISSUE 1 MORE
Years of compulsory education
9.0 yrsyears
#136 of 1972025
90% of world average
— WORK —
Unemployment
18.8%% of labour force
#177 of 1862025
272% of world average
Youth unemployment
50.1%% of labour force aged 15-24
#183 of 1862025
319% of world average
Labour force participation
48.0%% aged 15+
#163 of 1862025
79% of world average
Women in the labour force
33.0%% of women aged 15+
#162 of 1862025
65% of world average
Men in the labour force
62.5%% of men aged 15+
#149 of 1862025
90% of world average
Labour force
2.6Mpeople
#121 of 1862025
13% of world average
Working in agriculture
10.0%% of employment
#109 of 1862025
45% of world average
Working in industry
18.6%% of employment
#100 of 1862025
95% of world average
Working in services
71.4%% of employment
#55 of 1862025
122% of world average
▸ ISSUE 2 MORE
Self-employed
25.9%% of employment
#113 of 1862025
67% of world average
Employed
39.0%% aged 15+
#167 of 1862025
69% of world average
1 of 12 figures unavailable for Libya.
— CONNECTED —
People online
82.0%% of population
#103 of 2072024
115% of world average
Mobile phone subscriptions
193per 100 people
#8 of 2102022
167% of world average
Fixed broadband subscriptions
5per 100 people
#144 of 2082022
25% of world average
Fixed telephone lines
17per 100 people
#71 of 2132022
113% of world average
Access to electricity
77.4%% of population
#172 of 2142024
87% of world average
Electricity used per person
3,796kWh per person
#58 of 1492023
90% of world average
Energy used per person
2,662kg oil equivalent per person
#39 of 1492023
118% of world average
Air passengers carried
1.1Mpassengers
#95 of 1652023
4% of world average
Air freight
60million tonne-km
#67 of 1632023
5% of world average
▸ ISSUE 5 MORE
Container port traffic
465,168TEU
#91 of 1672023
9% of world average
Patent applications by residents
12count
not enough data to rank1996
0% of world average
Scientific journal articles published
443count
#105 of 1972023
3% of world average
Tourists arriving
760,000count
not enough data to rank2008
15% of world average
Money earned from tourism
$170.0Mcurrent US$
not enough data to rank2010
5% of world average
4 of 18 figures unavailable for Libya.
— NATURE —
Carbon emissions per person
9tonnes per person
#180 of 2032024
192% of world average
Carbon emissions
64Mt CO2
#153 of 2032024
34% of world average
Greenhouse gas emissions
98Mt CO2-equivalent
#147 of 2032024
39% of world average
Protected land
0.1%% of land area
#208 of 2132025
1% of world average
Protected coastal waters
0.6%% of territorial waters
#118 of 1742025
6% of world average
Freshwater withdrawn
817.1%% of internal resources
#172 of 1772022
644% of world average
Renewable water available per person
97m³ per person
#170 of 1832022
1% of world average
Renewable energy use
3.1%% of final energy consumption
#173 of 2122021
11% of world average
Electricity from renewables
0.0%% of total
#202 of 2062021
0% of world average
▸ ISSUE 3 MORE
Electricity from fossil fuels
100.0%% of total
#205 of 2092022
168% of world average
Electricity from nuclear power
0.0%% of total
#125 of 2082021
0% of world average
Energy imported (net)
-249.7%% of energy use
#134 of 1432022
no comparison
— STATE —
Military spending
5.3%% of GDP
#10 of 1562023
237% of world average
Military spending
$1.57Bcurrent US$
#68 of 1602023
9% of world average
Military spending
5.5%% of government spending
#71 of 1532023
74% of world average
Armed forces personnel
0people
#168 of 1702020
0% of world average
Armed forces
0.0%% of labour force
#167 of 1682020
0% of world average
2 of 7 figures unavailable for Libya.
— TRADE PARTNERS —
Loading trade partner map…
— TRADE —
No trade data available for Libya.
— EXTRAS —
Anthem
Libya, Libya, LibyaAudio: Wikimedia Commons
Capital time
--:--:--Tripoli · approx. UTC+1
Landmarks
Leptis MagnaImage: Wikimedia Commons 
Tadrart AcacusImage: Wikimedia Commons 
CyreneImage: Wikimedia Commons 
Old Town of GhadamèsImage: Wikimedia Commons 
Archaeological Site of SabrathaImage: Wikimedia Commons
People
Omar al-MukhtarLeader of the Senussi resistance against the Italian fascist occupation (1858–1931)
Idris I of LibyaKing of Libya from 1951 to 1969
Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafiengineer and politician (1972–2026)
Fayez al-SarrajArchitect and former Prime Minister of Libya
Khalifa Belqasim HaftarLibyan war criminal
Mustafa Abdul JalilDe facto leader of Libya from 2011 to 2012
Mahmoud JibrilLibyan politician (1952-2020)
Mohamed al-MenfiLibyan politician
Abd al-Hamid DbeibehLibyan politician, architect and Prime Minister of Libya since 2021
Ali ZeidanLibyan politician (born 1950)
Al-Saadi Gaddafithird son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
Ayesha GaddafiLibyan colonel and lawyer
History
25 Aug 1551Libya — founding / independence (Wikidata)
Size, side by side
Loading size comparison…
1960 → now
2026
Population7.5M2025
GDP$48.10B2025
GDP per person$6,4492025