Libya Population

6,537,479
The current population of Libya is 6,536,845 as of Sunday, March 3, 2019, based on the latest United Nations estimates.

Libya population is equivalent to 0.09% of the total world population.

Libya ranks number 108 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

The population density in Libya is 4 per Km2 (10 people per mi2).

The total land area is 1,759,540 Km2 (679,362 sq. miles)

80.7 % of the population is urban (5,300,307 people in 2019)

The median age in Libya is 27.6 years.

2019 Population Rank 108

2019 World Percentage 0.09%

2019 Growth Rate 1.53%

Density 3.73/km²

Area 1,759,540 km²

Capital City Tripoli

Region Africa

Subregion Northern Africa

Literacy of population
According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (retrieved March 13, 2016), 853,655 persons or 91.29% of adult population (aged 15 years and above) in Libya are able to
read and write. Accordingly about 367,797 adults are illiterate.

Literacy rate for adult male population is 96.72% (2,090,258 persons). 70,886 are illiterate.
Literacy rate for adult female population is 85.59% (1,763,397 persons). 296,911 are illiterate.

Youth literacy rates are 99.97% and 99.94% for males and females accordingly. The overall youth literacy rate is 99.95%. Youth literacy rate definition
covers the population between the ages of 15 to 24 years.
Largest Cities in Libya
The largest city in Libya is Tripoli, which is also the nation’s capital. There are a number of widely different estimates of its population,
however. Precise figures are difficult to come by – I’ve seen estimates ranging from 1.1 to 2.2 million, but the most common suggested
figure seems to be around the 1.2 million mark.

Libya's second and third largest cities are Benghazi (pop around 650,000) and Misrata (pop around 300,000).

Libya's stark north-south population divide

In terms of total surface area, Libya covers 1.77 million square kilometres (685,000 square miles) and this makes Libya the 17th largest
nation on earth. However, its population density is one of the world’s lowest – with only 3.6 people living in every square kilometer of
Libyan territory (9.4 people per square mile) Libya is the 185th most densely populated country in the world (of 192 countries in total).

Population density varies dramatically between two main areas of Libya. In the fertile Northern coastal strip, population density is much
higher than the countrywide average – around 50 people per sq km. Elsewhere, though, desert reigns, and people are far more widely
dispersed – less than one person on average in each square kilometer.

Libya in many ways mirrors Canada when it comes to population density. Whereas Libya's population is concentrated in a narrow
northern strip, Canada's is concentrated in a narrow strip along its southern border with the United States. Co-incidentally, both Libya
and Canada have almost identical country-wide population densities.

Libya Population History

There have been eight official censuses carried out in Libya and they have been sporadic in their timing. The first survey took place in
1931 and, with rounded figures, it confirmed that there were 704,000 people living here at the time. The next census took place in 1936
and this revealed an impressive 20% increase, taking the Libya population up to 849,000.

There was a significant gap in records from 1936 to 1954 when it was confirmed that Libya’s population had climbed above one million
for the first time. The following censuses took place in 1964, 1973, 1984, 1995 and 2006 respectively and have shown sustained growth.

Ethnicity, Religion and Language in Libya

Data on ethnicity and religion in Libya is not well defined.
The best high level data on Ethnicity seems to be from the US State Department, which records that 97% of Libyans are of mixed Arab-
Berber descent. The remaining 3% is made up of a wide mix of ethnic groups, including small groups of Tuareg and Toubou in the south of
the country, Egyptians, and a number of small groups of European descent, notably Greek and Italian.

The vast majority of Libyans are Sunni Muslims, but the country also has a few other smaller groups. Christians number around 100,000 –
made up largely of 60,000 Egyptian Copts and 40,000 Roman Catholics. The 2006 census also recorded that 0.3% of people in Libya are
Buddhists – largely workers from Asia – which makes Libya the largest centre of Buddhism in Northern Africa!

Libya used to have a substantial Jewish population, but this has reduced to nothing over the course of the 20th century.

Modern Standard Arabic is spoken by 95% of Libyans and is the most widely used language in Libya, although many different dialects are
in use around the country. Around 300,000 people speak one of a number of varieties of the Berber language. Italian, a legacy of Libya’s
colonial past is still spoken by some, mostly elderly, Libyans.

Life expectancy
The life expectancy figures for Libya have increased dramatically over the years and have certainly been partly responsible for sustained
growth of population numbers as a whole.

Back in 1950, it was claimed that the average life expectancy of Libyans was just 52.9 years (51.9 for males and 53.9 for females), and this
has increased steadily since. The CIA World Factbook reveals that, in 2010, life expectancy within the country had grown to 80.0 years
overall, which was split between 79.7 years for males and 81.9 years for females.

About Libya

Official Name State of Libya

Languages Spoken Arabic

Is Landlocked No

Latitude/Longitude 2517

Currencies Used Libyan Dinar

Demonym Libyan

Libya Population Clock

The population of Libya (as of 3/4/2019)? 6,542,732

Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2019) 6,569,864

Births Per Day 326

Deaths Per Day 93

Net Migrations Per Day -5

Net Change Per Day 228

Population Change Since January 1st 14,136

 Net Increase of 1 person every 6 minutes

 Corruption Perceptions Index = 17 (170th / 180) 2018

 Government type  In transition

 Independence: 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

 Trafficking in persons:
Current situation: Libya is a destination and transit country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution;
migrants who seek employment in Libya as labourers and domestic workers or who transit Libya en route to Europe are vulnerable to forced labor; private employers
also exploit migrants from detention centres as forced labourers on farms and construction sites, returning them to detention when they are no longer needed; some
sub-Saharan women are reportedly forced to work in Libyan brothels, particularly in the country’s south; since 2013, militia groups and other informal armed groups,
 including some affiliated with the government, are reported to conscript Libyan children under the age of 18; large-scale violence driven by militias, civil unrest, and
increased lawlessness increased in 2014, making it more difficult to obtain information on human trafficking

Military branches - I n transition; Li byan Government of Nati onal Accord has af filiated gr ound, air, naval, and coast guar d forces ( 2018)

Yearly Country's Libya

% Yearly Migrants Median Fertility Density Urban Urban Share of World Global
Year Population Change Change (net) Age Rate (P/Km²) Pop % Population World Pop Population Rank

2019 6,569,864 1.53 % 98,908 -1,999 27.6 2.36 4 80.7 5,300,307 0.09 % 7,714,576,923 108
%

2018 6,470,956 1.51 % 96,340 -1,999 27.6 2.36 4 80.5 5,209,809 0.08 % 7,632,819,325 108
%

2017 6,374,616 1.29 % 81,363 -1,999 27.6 2.36 4 80.3 5,119,943 0.08 % 7,550,262,101 109
%
 Lack of freedom of speech.
 Journalism is filled with danger; reporters face threats and attacks.