Population growth in Libya
Libya: Population growth was 1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Libya, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Libya stood at 1.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Libya peaked at 5.8% in 1979 and was at its lowest, -2.6%, in 2012.
That places Libya 98th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Libya, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.1% | — |
| 1962 | 4.2% | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 4.1% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 3.7% | -11.2% |
| 1965 | 2.8% | -23.0% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | -12.8% |
| 1967 | 2.6% | +6.3% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +8.1% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | +9.4% |
| 1970 | 3.3% | +7.5% |
| 1971 | 3.3% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 3.9% | +17.1% |
| 1974 | 5.0% | +28.1% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | +12.0% |
| 1976 | 5.7% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 5.7% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 5.8% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 5.8% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 5.6% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | -49.8% |
| 1983 | -0.2% | -105.5% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -1035.8% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | +123.5% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -8.1% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -6.4% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -5.1% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -5.3% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | -6.6% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +10.7% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | +11.4% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | -2.4% | -218.1% |
| 2012 | -2.6% | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -176.7% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -16.2% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -8.7% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -8.9% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | +1.8% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 1.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Libya's 1.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.6%, 67% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Libya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +1035.8% | -0.2% | 1.5% |
| 2011 | -218.1% | 2.0% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | +176.7% | -2.6% | 2.0% |
| 1985 | +123.5% | 1.5% | 3.3% |
| 1983 | -105.5% | 2.8% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | -49.8% | 5.6% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.3% | 2.5% | 4.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.7% | 3.3% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | -0.2% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | -2.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More climate change data for Libya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 76.27 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,350 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,621 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,729 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.12 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 97.48 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 455.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 452.01 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.59 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.71 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Libya?
- Population growth in Libya was 1.0% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1979.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.6% in 2012.
- How does Libya rank for population growth?
- Libya ranks 98th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.