Population in the largest city in Libya
Libya: Population in the largest city was 18.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Libya, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
Libya recorded 18.4% for population in the largest city in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Libya peaked at 50.8% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 18.4%, in 2025.
Libya ranks 121st of 153 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Libya, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.2% | — |
| 1961 | 50.0% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 49.7% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 49.4% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 49.3% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 50.8% | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 50.1% | -1.3% |
| 1967 | 48.1% | -4.1% |
| 1968 | 45.7% | -5.0% |
| 1969 | 43.4% | -4.9% |
| 1970 | 41.7% | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 40.8% | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 40.7% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 41.2% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 39.0% | -5.4% |
| 1975 | 36.6% | -6.2% |
| 1976 | 34.4% | -6.0% |
| 1977 | 32.4% | -5.8% |
| 1978 | 30.5% | -5.6% |
| 1979 | 28.9% | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 27.4% | -5.1% |
| 1981 | 26.1% | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 25.6% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 25.9% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 25.9% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 25.4% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 25.0% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 24.7% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 24.5% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 24.2% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 24.1% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 23.9% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 23.8% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 23.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 23.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 23.8% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 23.5% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 23.1% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 22.8% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 22.5% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 22.1% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 21.8% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 21.5% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 20.2% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 19.6% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 19.4% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 19.1% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 20.4% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 19.9% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 19.8% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 19.6% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 19.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 18.5% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 18.4% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 18.4% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 18.4% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.7% | 43.4% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.6% | 28.9% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.5% | 24.2% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.5% | 22.5% | 24.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.7% | 19.4% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.6% | 19.0% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 18.4% | 18.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More urban development data for Libya
- Population density 4.15 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- 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 in the largest city in Libya?
- Population in the largest city in Libya was 18.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 1965.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.4% in 2025.
- How does Libya rank for population in the largest city?
- Libya ranks 121st out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.