Libya vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Urban population
Libya
87.9%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
44.7%
in 2025
Libya rank
40th
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
37th
Urban population over time
- Libya
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Libya currently reports 87.9% against 44.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 43.2%.
That makes Libya's figure about 2.0 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Libya has been ahead every year.
Libya ranks 40th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 37th of 218 countries.
Libya has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Libya | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.2% | 16.1% | 12.1% | Libya |
| 1970s | 59.5% | 20.7% | 38.8% | Libya |
| 1980s | 75.5% | 25.5% | 50.0% | Libya |
| 1990s | 83.8% | 30.4% | 53.4% | Libya |
| 2000s | 87.9% | 34.9% | 53.0% | Libya |
| 2010s | 87.9% | 39.6% | 48.3% | Libya |
| 2020s | 87.9% | 43.4% | 44.5% | Libya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Libya or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Libya, at 87.9% against 44.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 43.2%, with Libya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for urban population?
- Libya ranks 40th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 37th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.