Population density in Libya
Libya: Population density was 4.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.15 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
208th
of 215 countries
All-time high
4.15 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
0.8842 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Libya, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
Libya recorded 4.15 people per sq. km of land area for population density in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Libya peaked at 4.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.8842 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Libya 208th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Libya, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.8842 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 0.9218 people per sq. km of land area | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 0.9607 people per sq. km of land area | +4.2% |
| 1964 | 0.9967 people per sq. km of land area | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 1.03 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 1.05 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.08 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1968 | 1.11 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 1.14 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 1.18 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 1.22 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 1.27 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 1.32 people per sq. km of land area | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 1.38 people per sq. km of land area | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 1.46 people per sq. km of land area | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 1.55 people per sq. km of land area | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 1.64 people per sq. km of land area | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 1.73 people per sq. km of land area | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 1.84 people per sq. km of land area | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 1.95 people per sq. km of land area | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 2.06 people per sq. km of land area | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 2.12 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 2.11 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 2.14 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 2.22 people per sq. km of land area | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 2.28 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 2.35 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 2.41 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 2.47 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.53 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 2.58 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 2.64 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 2.69 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 2.74 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 2.79 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 2.83 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 2.88 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 2.92 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 2.97 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 3.02 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 3.07 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 3.13 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 3.19 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 3.26 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 3.33 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 3.4 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 3.47 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 3.54 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 3.62 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 3.69 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 3.61 people per sq. km of land area | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 3.51 people per sq. km of land area | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 3.58 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 3.65 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 3.71 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 3.77 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 3.83 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.89 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 3.95 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 4 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 4.06 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 4.11 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 4.15 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.02 people per sq. km of land area | 0.8842 people per sq. km of land area | 1.14 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.46 people per sq. km of land area | 1.18 people per sq. km of land area | 1.84 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.21 people per sq. km of land area | 1.95 people per sq. km of land area | 2.47 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.76 people per sq. km of land area | 2.53 people per sq. km of land area | 2.97 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3 people per sq. km of land area | 3.02 people per sq. km of land area | 3.62 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.72 people per sq. km of land area | 3.51 people per sq. km of land area | 3.95 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.08 people per sq. km of land area | 4 people per sq. km of land area | 4.15 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 205 Mauritania 4.87 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 206 Canada 4.56 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 207 Botswana 4.38 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 209 Suriname 3.92 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 210 Guyana 3.91 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 211 Iceland 3.82 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Libya
- Population in the largest city 18.4% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 20.01 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1613 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.20 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.9183 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 0.6725 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.20 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.65 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 96.68 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Libya?
- Population density in Libya was 4.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.15 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8842 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Libya rank for population density?
- Libya ranks 208th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.