Libya Population
Libya had an estimated population of 7,458,555 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 105th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.09% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.04% a year.
Libya at a glance
How Libya's population is changing
Libya's population is growing: +1.04% a year, which works out to about +77,938 people per year, or +213 a day. Births (16.5 per 1,000) and deaths (6.5 per 1,000) alone would give +1.00% a year; net migration removes about 172 people a year (−0.00%). Roughly one in every 1,101 people on Earth lives in Libya.
Population of Libya since 1960
In 1960, Libya had 1,492,890 people. By 2025 that was 7,458,555 — 5.0× larger. The fastest growth came between 1971 and 1981, when the population rose by 68%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,492,890 | — |
| 1970 | 2,082,589 | +39.5% |
| 1980 | 3,424,378 | +64.4% |
| 1990 | 4,445,239 | +29.8% |
| 2000 | 5,305,021 | +19.3% |
| 2010 | 6,497,839 | +22.5% |
| 2020 | 7,045,399 | +8.4% |
| 2025 | 7,458,555 | +5.9% |
Libya from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Libya at about 230,044 people in 1800; the UN estimates 7,458,554 in 2025 (32× 1800) and projects 9,783,570 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2086 at 9,970,720 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 230,044 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 270,585 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 514,376 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,131,471 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 5,305,020 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 7,458,554 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 9,260,610 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 9,882,187 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 9,783,570 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Libya
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 7,458,555. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tripoli | 1,239,823 | UN urban centre | 16.62% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Benghazi | 630,479 | UN urban centre | 8.45% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Misratah | 355,657 | GeoNames settlement | 4.77% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Al Khums | 201,943 | GeoNames settlement | 2.71% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Az Zāwīyah | 200,000 | GeoNames settlement | 2.68% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Janzūr | 154,389 | GeoNames settlement | 2.07% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Tobruk | 141,499 | GeoNames settlement | 1.90% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Al Ajaylat | 130,546 | GeoNames settlement | 1.75% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Al Bayḑā’ | 129,439 | GeoNames settlement | 1.74% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Al Jadīd | 126,386 | GeoNames settlement | 1.69% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Libya compares
Libya has almost the same population as Hong Kong (7,498,900).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Libya | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #103 |  Turkmenistan | 7,618,847 | +2% | compare → |
| #104 |  Hong Kong | 7,498,900 | +1% | compare → |
| #106 |  Kyrgyzstan | 7,343,064 | −2% | compare → |
| #107 |  Paraguay | 7,013,078 | −6% | compare → |
Compare Libya with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Libya
Land neighbours (6)
Egypt 118,365,995 · 15.9× the population · compare
Sudan 51,662,147 · 6.9× the population · compare
Algeria 47,435,312 · 6.4× the population · compare
Niger 27,917,831 · 3.7× the population · compare
Chad 21,003,705 · 2.8× the population · compare
Tunisia 12,348,573 · 1.7× the population · compare
Libya's 6 neighbours together hold 278,733,563 people — 37.4× Libya's population. The most populous is Egypt (118,365,995).
In its region
Libya is the 15th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 0.9% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Libya
Cities
Tripoli, Benghazi, Misratah, Al Khums, Az Zāwīyah, Janzūr, Tobruk, Al Ajaylat — all Libya's cities on the map.
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About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.