Statistical information Libya 2024
Libya in the World
Libya - Introduction 2024
top of pageBackground:
Berbers have inhabited central north Africa since ancient times, but Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, and Vandals have all settled and ruled the region. In the 7th century, Islam spread through the area. In the mid-16th century, Ottoman rule began; the Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and held it until 1943, when they were defeated in World War II. Libya then came under UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership with a military coup in 1969 and began to espouse a political system that combined socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners -- one over Scotland and another in Northern Africa -- and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically; the sanctions were lifted in 2003 when Libya accepted responsibility for the bombings and agreed to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned an eight-month civil war that saw the emergence of a National Transitional Council (NTC), UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community, and the toppling of the QADHAFI regime. In 2012, the NTC handed power to an elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), which was replaced two years later with the House of Representatives (HoR). In 2015, the UN brokered the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) among a broad array of political parties and social groups, establishing an interim executive body. However, hardliners continued to oppose and hamper the LPA implementation, leaving Libya with eastern and western-based rival governments. In 2018, the international community supported a recalibrated plan that aimed to break the political deadlock with a National Conference in 2019. These plans, however, were derailed when the eastern-based, self-described Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. The LNA offensive collapsed in 2020, and a subsequent UN-sponsored cease-fire helped formalize the pause in fighting between rival camps.
In 2021, the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum selected a new prime minister for an interim government -- the Government of National Unity (GNU) -- and a new presidential council charged with preparing for elections and uniting the country’s state institutions. The HoR approved the GNU and its cabinet the same year, providing Libya with its first unified government since 2014, but the parliament then postponed the planned presidential election to an undetermined date in the future. In 2022, the HoR voted to replace GNU interim Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH, with another government led by Fathi BASHAGHA. GNU allegations of an illegitimate HoR vote allowed DUBAYBAH to remain in office and rebuff BASHAGHA's attempts to seat his government in Tripoli. In 2023, the HoR voted to replace BASHAGHA with Osma HAMAD. Special Representative of the UN Security-General for Libya, Abdoulaye BATHILY, is leading international efforts to persuade key Libyan political actors to resolve the core issues impeding elections.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned an eight-month civil war that saw the emergence of a National Transitional Council (NTC), UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community, and the toppling of the QADHAFI regime. In 2012, the NTC handed power to an elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), which was replaced two years later with the House of Representatives (HoR). In 2015, the UN brokered the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) among a broad array of political parties and social groups, establishing an interim executive body. However, hardliners continued to oppose and hamper the LPA implementation, leaving Libya with eastern and western-based rival governments. In 2018, the international community supported a recalibrated plan that aimed to break the political deadlock with a National Conference in 2019. These plans, however, were derailed when the eastern-based, self-described Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. The LNA offensive collapsed in 2020, and a subsequent UN-sponsored cease-fire helped formalize the pause in fighting between rival camps.
In 2021, the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum selected a new prime minister for an interim government -- the Government of National Unity (GNU) -- and a new presidential council charged with preparing for elections and uniting the country’s state institutions. The HoR approved the GNU and its cabinet the same year, providing Libya with its first unified government since 2014, but the parliament then postponed the planned presidential election to an undetermined date in the future. In 2022, the HoR voted to replace GNU interim Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH, with another government led by Fathi BASHAGHA. GNU allegations of an illegitimate HoR vote allowed DUBAYBAH to remain in office and rebuff BASHAGHA's attempts to seat his government in Tripoli. In 2023, the HoR voted to replace BASHAGHA with Osma HAMAD. Special Representative of the UN Security-General for Libya, Abdoulaye BATHILY, is leading international efforts to persuade key Libyan political actors to resolve the core issues impeding elections.
Libya - Geography 2024
top of pageLocation: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria
Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map reference: Africa
Area
Total: 1,759,540 km²
Land: 1,759,540 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly larger than Alaska
Country comparison total: 4,339 km
Country comparison border countries: (6) Algeria 989 km; Chad 1,050 km; Egypt 1,115 km; Niger 342 km; Sudan 382 km; Tunisia 461 km
Land boundaries
Total: 4,339 km
Border countries: (6) Algeria 989 km; Chad 1,050 km; Egypt 1,115 km; Niger 342 km; Sudan 382 km; Tunisia 461 km
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm
Note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Elevation
Highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
Mean elevation: 423 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 8.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 7.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 91.1% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,700 km² (2012)
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²: Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 km²)
Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 700 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 280 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 4.85 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 700 million m³ (2020 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Geography
Note 1: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
Note 2: the volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis -- the name means 'oasis of mosquitoes' -- containing several small lakes surrounded by vegetation and hosting various insects and a large diversity of birds
Libya - People 2024
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map
Total: 7,361,263
Male: 3,747,364
Female: 3,613,899 (2024 est.)
Note: immigrants make up just over 12% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)
Growth rate: 1.44% (2024 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Libyan(s)
Adjective: Libyan
Ethnic groups: Amazigh and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)
Languages: Arabic (official), Italian, English (all widely understood in the major cities); Tamazight (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)
Major-language samples: دليل جيوس العالمي، المصدر الذي لا غنى عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions: Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, folk religion <1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)
Note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 32.3% (male 1,211,087/female 1,165,648)
15-64 years: 63.2% (male 2,385,152/female 2,263,780)
65 years and over: 4.6% (2024 est.) (male 151,125/female 184,471)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.8
Youth dependency ratio: 43.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.3
Potential support ratio: 13.8 (2021 est.)
Median age
Total: 26.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 26.3 years
Female: 26.2 years
Population growth rate: 1.44% (2024 est.)
Birth rate: 20.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate: 3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Population distribution: well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
Urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas
Population: 1.183 million TRIPOLI (capital), 984,000 Misratah, 859,000 Benghazi (2023)
Environment
Current issues: desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities; water pollution is a significant problem; the combined impact of sewage, oil byproducts, and industrial waste threatens Libya's coast and the Mediterranean Sea
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Law of the Sea
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 29.84 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 50.56 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 45.76 megatons (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio: 72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 12.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 75.5 years
Female: 80 years
Total fertility rate: 3 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: 27.7% (2014)
Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: NA
Current health expenditure
Physicians density
Hospital bed density: 3.2 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 99.3% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 32.5% (2016)
Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.7% (2014)
Education expenditures: NA
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91%
Male: 96.7%
Female: 85.6% (2015)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 49.4% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 41.2% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 68% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Libya - Government 2024
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: State of Libya
Conventional short form: Libya
Local long form: Dawlat Libiya
Local short form: Libiya
Etymology: name derives from the Libu, an ancient Libyan tribe first mentioned in texts from the 13th century B.C.
Government type: in transition
Capital
Name: Tripoli (Tarabulus)
Geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: originally founded by the Phoenicians as Oea in the 7th century B.C., the city changed rulers many times over the successive centuries; by the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. the region around the city was referred to as Regio Tripolitana by the Romans, meaning 'region of the three cities' - namely Oea (i.e., modern Tripoli), Sabratha (to the west), and Leptis Magna (to the east); over time, the shortened name of 'Tripoli' came to refer to just Oea, which derives from the Greek words tria and polis meaning 'three cities'
Administrative divisions: 22 governorates (muhafazah, singular - muhafazat); Al Butnan, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jabal al Gharbi, Al Jafarah, Al Jufrah, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Marqab, Al Wahat, An Nuqat al Khams, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi (Benghazi), Darnah, Ghat, Misratah, Murzuq, Nalut, Sabha, Surt, Tarabulus (Tripoli), Wadi al Hayat, Wadi ash Shati
Dependent areas
Independence: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 23 October (2011)
Constitution
History: previous 1951, 1977; in July 2017, the Constitutional Assembly completed and approved a draft of a new permanent constitution; in September 2018, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional referendum law in a session with contested reports of the quorum needed to pass the vote and submitted it to the High National Elections Commission in December to begin preparations for a constitutional referendum
Note: in early March 2023, the High Council of State voted for a constitutional amendment to provide a groundwork for elections
Legal system: Libya's post-revolution legal system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Libya
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: varies from 3 to 5 years
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal
Executive branch
Chief of state: President, Presidential Council, Mohammed al-MANFI (since 5 February 2021)
Head of government: GNU Interim Prime Minister Abd-al-Hamid DUBAYBAH (since 5 February 2021)
Elections/appointments: Libya’s first direct presidential election, scheduled for 24 December 2021, was not held; no new date has been set for elections
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Representatives (Majlis Al Nuwab) or HoR (200 seats; members directly elected by majority vote; member term NA)
Elections: last held on 25 June 2014
Elections results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Note: 32 seats are reserved for women
Judicial branch
Highest courts: Libya's judicial system consists of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts; the judicial system is factious given the ongoing tension between Libya's eastern and western regions; since 2011, Libyan political factions and armed groups have targeted judges and courthouses
Political parties and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BDEAC, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, LCBC, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNSMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation
In the us: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Fadil S M OMAR (since 17 July 2023)
In the us chancery: 1460 Dahlia Street NW, Washington, DC 20,012
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 944-9,601
In the us fax: [1] (202) 944-9,606
In the us email address and website: info@embassyoflibyadc.com; [link]
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Jeremy BERNDT (since 14 October 2023)
From the us embassy: US Embassy Tripoli operations suspended in 2014
From the us mailing address: 8,850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20,521-8,850
From the us telephone: [216] 71-107-000
From the us email address and website: Webmaster_Libya@state.gov; [link]
From the us note: the US Embassy in Tripoli closed in July 2014 due to Libyan civil unrest; embassy staff and operations currently are located at US Embassy Tunis, Tunisia
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), black (double width), and green with a white crescent and star centered on the black stripe; the National Transitional Council reintroduced this flag design of the former Kingdom of Libya (1951-1969) on 27 February 2011; it replaced the former all-green banner promulgated by the QADHAFI regime in 1977; the colors represent the three major regions of the country: red stands for Fezzan, black symbolizes Cyrenaica, and green denotes Tripolitania; the crescent and star represent Islam, the main religion of the country
National symbols: star and crescent, hawk; national colors: red, black, green
National anthem
Name: 'Libya, Libya, Libya'
Lyrics/music: Al Bashir AL AREBI/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB
Note: also known as 'Ya Beladi' or 'Oh, My Country!'; adopted 1951; readopted 2011 with some modification to the lyrics; during the QADHAFI years between 1969 and 2011, the anthem was 'Allahu Akbar,' (God is Great) a marching song of the Egyptian Army in the 1956 Suez War
National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 5 (all cultural)
Selected world heritage site locales:
Libya - Economy 2024
top of pageEconomy overview: upper middle-income, fossil fuel-based North African economy; 31% economic contraction due to COVID-19 and 2020 oil blockade; reduced government spending; central bank had to devalue currency; public wages are over 60% of expenditures
Real gdp purchasing power parity: $121.951 billion (2023 est.); $124.026 billion (2022 est.); $122.39 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
Real gdp growth rate: -1.67% (2023 est.); 1.34% (2022 est.); 153.49% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real gdp per capita: $17,700 (2023 est.); $18,200 (2022 est.); $18,200 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 26.1% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 31.8% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 16.1% (2018 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.4% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 68.6% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -41.3% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.6% (2023 est.)
Industry: 85% (2023 est.)
Services: 46.6% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
Agriculture products: potatoes, watermelons, tomatoes, onions, dates, milk, olives, chicken, wheat, vegetables (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, aluminum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate: 12.54% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Labor force: 2.398 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Labor force
Unemployment rate: 18.74% (2023 est.); 19.32% (2022 est.); 19.6% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 49.4% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 41.2% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 68% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $28.005 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $37.475 billion (2019 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 51.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public debt: 4.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
Revenue
From forest resources: 0.06% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Fiscal year
Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.37% (2023 est.); 4.51% (2022 est.); 2.87% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance: $5.675 billion (2021 est.); -$4.78 billion (2020 est.); $4.817 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports: $32.38 billion (2021 est.); $9.537 billion (2020 est.); $29.326 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Italy 26%, Spain 10%, Germany 9%, China 7%, France 6% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: crude petroleum, natural gas, gold, refined petroleum, scrap iron (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports: $25.406 billion (2021 est.); $14.334 billion (2020 est.); $25.368 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Turkey 15%, China 12%, Italy 12%, Greece 10%, UAE 7% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, garments, broadcasting equipment, tobacco (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $92.427 billion (2023 est.); $86.683 billion (2022 est.); $82.262 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Debt external
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates:
Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 4.813 (2023 est.)
4.813 (2022 est.)
4.514 (2021 est.)
1.389 (2020 est.)
1.398 (2019 est.)
4.813 (2022 est.)
4.514 (2021 est.)
1.389 (2020 est.)
1.398 (2019 est.)
Libya - Energy 2024
top of pageElectricity
Access electrification total population: 70% (2022 est.)
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Installed generating capacity: 10.517 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 24.674 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 847.216 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 6.457 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Coal
Imports: 300 metric tons (2022 est.)
Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 1.245 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 230,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 48.363 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Production: 11.832 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Consumption: 9.212 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Exports: 2.62 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.505 trillion m³ (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 49.751 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 31.68 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 18.072 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: 117.609 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Libya - Communication 2024
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.218 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 13.94 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 205 (2022 est.)
Telephone system
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Libya - Military 2024
top of pageMilitary expenditures: not available
Military and security forces: the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) has access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of formations and equipment from the QADHAFI regime, semi-regular and nominally integrated units, tribal armed groups/militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries; the GNU has a Ministry of Defense, but has limited control over its security forces; the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries; the LNA operates independently from the GNU and exerts influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya; some of the armed groups nominally under the LNA operate under their own command structures and engage in their own operations (2024)
Note 1: the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNA; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies; other forces operating in western Libya include the Misrata Counter Terrorism Force, Special Deterrence Forces (aka Radaa), 444 Brigade, 111 Brigade, Nawasi Brigade, and the Joint Operations Force
Note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which receive government salaries but lack formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
Military service age and obligation: not available
Space program
Terrorist groups: Ansar al-Sharia groups; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Libya (ISIS-L); al-Mulathamun Battalion (al-Mourabitoun); al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide
Libya - Transportation 2024
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 9 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 55
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 927,153 (2018)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5A
Airports: 66 (2024)
Heliports
Pipelines: 882 km condensate, 3,743 km gas, 7,005 km oil (2013)
Railways
Roadways
Total: 34,000 km (2021)
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Libya - Transnational issues 2024
top of pageDisputes international
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 11,623 (Syria) (refugees and asylum seekers), 8,302 (Eritrea) (2023); 6,293 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2024)
Idps: 125,802 (conflict between pro-QADHAFI and anti-QADHAFI forces in 2011; post-QADHAFI tribal clashes 2014) (2023)
Illicit drugs
