Berbers have inhabited central north Africa since ancient times, but Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, and Vandals have all settled and ruled the region. In the 7th century, Islam spread through the area. In the mid-16th century, Ottoman rule began; the Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and held it until 1943, when they were defeated in World War II. Libya then came under UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Col. Muammar al-QADHAFI assumed leadership with a military coup in 1969 and began to espouse a political system that combined socialism and Islam. During the 1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing of two airliners -- one over Scotland and another in Northern Africa -- and a discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically and economically; the sanctions were lifted in 2003 when Libya accepted responsibility for the bombings and agreed to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries in 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in 2011. QADHAFI's brutal crackdown on protesters spawned an eight-month civil war that saw the emergence of a National Transitional Council (NTC), UN authorization of air and naval intervention by the international community, and the toppling of the QADHAFI regime. In 2012, the NTC handed power to an elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC), which was replaced two years later with the House of Representatives (HoR). In 2015, the UN brokered the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) among a broad array of political parties and social groups, establishing an interim executive body. However, hardliners continued to oppose and hamper the LPA implementation, leaving Libya with eastern and western-based rival governments. In 2018, the international community supported a recalibrated plan that aimed to break the political deadlock with a National Conference in 2019. These plans, however, were derailed when the eastern-based, self-described Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. The LNA offensive collapsed in 2020, and a subsequent UN-sponsored cease-fire helped formalize the pause in fighting between rival camps.
In 2021, the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum selected a new prime minister for an interim government -- the Government of National Unity (GNU) -- and a new presidential council charged with preparing for elections and uniting the country’s state institutions. The HoR approved the GNU and its cabinet the same year, providing Libya with its first unified government since 2014, but the parliament then postponed the planned presidential election to an undetermined date in the future. In 2022, the HoR voted to replace GNU interim Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH, with another government led by Fathi BASHAGHA. GNU allegations of an illegitimate HoR vote allowed DUBAYBAH to remain in office and rebuff BASHAGHA's attempts to seat his government in Tripoli. In 2023, the HoR voted to replace BASHAGHA with Osma HAMAD. Special Representative of the UN Security-General for Libya, Abdoulaye BATHILY, is leading international efforts to persuade key Libyan political actors to resolve the core issues impeding elections.
Despite continuing unrest, Libya remains a destination country for economic migrants. It is also a hub for transit migration to Europe because of its proximity to southern Europe and its lax border controls. Labor migrants have been drawn to Libya since the development of its oil sector in the 1960s. Until the latter part of the 1990s, most migrants to Libya were Arab (primarily Egyptians and Sudanese). However, international isolation stemming from Libya’s involvement in international terrorism and a perceived lack of support from Arab countries led QADHAFI in 1998 to adopt a decade-long pan-African policy that enabled large numbers of Sub-Saharan migrants to enter Libya without visas to work in the construction and agricultural industries. Although Sub-Saharan Africans provided a cheap labor source, they were poorly treated and were subjected to periodic mass expulsions.
By the mid-2000s, domestic animosity toward African migrants and a desire to reintegrate into the international community motivated QADHAFI to impose entry visas on Arab and African immigrants and to agree to joint maritime patrols and migrant repatriations with Italy, the main recipient of illegal migrants departing Libya. As his regime neared collapse in 2011, QADHAFI reversed his policy of cooperating with Italy to curb illegal migration and sent boats loaded with migrants and asylum seekers to strain European resources. Libya’s 2011 revolution decreased immigration drastically and prompted nearly 800,000 migrants to flee to third countries, mainly Tunisia and Egypt, or to their countries of origin. The inflow of migrants declined in 2012 but returned to normal levels by 2013, despite continued hostility toward Sub-Saharan Africans and a less-inviting job market.
While Libya is not an appealing destination for migrants, since 2014, transiting migrants – primarily from East and West Africa – continue to exploit its political instability and weak border controls and use it as a primary departure area to migrate across the central Mediterranean to Europe in growing numbers. In addition, approximately 135,000 people were displaced internally as of August 2022 by fighting between armed groups in eastern and western Libya and, to a lesser extent, by inter-tribal clashes in the country’s south.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "32.3% (male 1,211,087/female 1,165,648)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "63.2% (male 2,385,152/female 2,263,780)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "4.6% (2024 est.) (male 151,125/female 184,471)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "50.8" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "43.5" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "7.3" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "13.8 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "26.2 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "26.3 years" }, "female": { "text": "26.2 years" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "1.44% (2024 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "20.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "81.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "1.183 million TRIPOLI (capital), 984,000 Misratah, 859,000 Benghazi (2023)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.04 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.82 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)" } }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "12.1 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "9.3 deaths/1,000 live births" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "77.7 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "75.5 years" }, "female": { "text": "80 years" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "3 children born/woman (2024 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "1.46 (2024 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "27.7% (2014)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.9% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "NA" }, "Physician density": { "text": "2.09 physicians/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "3.2 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.3% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "32.5% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "11.7% (2014)" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "59.2% (2023 est.)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "NA" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "91%" }, "male": { "text": "96.7%" }, "female": { "text": "85.6% (2015)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "desertification; limited natural freshwater resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities; water pollution is a significant problem; the combined impact of sewage, oil byproducts, and industrial waste threatens Libya's coast and the Mediterranean Sea" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Law of the Sea" } }, "Climate": { "text": "Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "8.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 7.6% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "0.1% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "91.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "81.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Food insecurity": { "severe localized food insecurity": { "text": "due to civil insecurity, economic and political instability, and high food prices - a 2023 analysis states that about 300,000 people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023; the country relies heavily on imports (up to 90%) to cover its cereal consumption requirements (mostly wheat for human consumption and barley for feed); between 2016 and 2020, the country sourced over 30% of its wheat imports from Ukraine, and 20% from the Russian Federation; almost 65% of total maize imports of 650,000 mt, and 50% of total barley imports of 1 million mt originated from Ukraine, making the Libya vulnerable to disruptions in shipments from the Black Sea region (2023)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0.06% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "29.84 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "50.56 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "45.76 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "2,147,596 tons (2011 est.)" } }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)" }, "Major aquifers": { "text": "Nubian Aquifer System, North Western Sahara Aquifer System, Murzuk-Djado Basin" }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "700 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "280 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "4.85 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "700 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "State of Libya" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Libya" }, "local long form": { "text": "Dawlat Libiya" }, "local short form": { "text": "Libiya" }, "etymology": { "text": "name derives from the Libu, an ancient Libyan tribe first mentioned in texts from the 13th century B.C." } }, "Government type": { "text": "in transition" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Tripoli (Tarabulus)" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "32 53 N, 13 10 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "originally founded by the Phoenicians as Oea in the 7th century B.C., the city changed rulers many times over the successive centuries; by the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. the region around the city was referred to as Regio Tripolitana by the Romans, meaning \"region of the three cities\" - namely Oea (i.e., modern Tripoli), Sabratha (to the west), and Leptis Magna (to the east); over time, the shortened name of \"Tripoli\" came to refer to just Oea, which derives from the Greek words tria and polis meaning \"three cities\"" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "22 governorates (muhafazah, singular - muhafazat); Al Butnan, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jabal al Gharbi, Al Jafarah, Al Jufrah, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Marqab, Al Wahat, An Nuqat al Khams, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi (Benghazi), Darnah, Ghat, Misratah, Murzuq, Nalut, Sabha, Surt, Tarabulus (Tripoli), Wadi al Hayat, Wadi ash Shati" }, "Independence": { "text": "24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)" }, "National holiday": { "text": "Liberation Day, 23 October (2011)" }, "Legal system": { "text": "Libya's post-revolution legal system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "previous 1951, 1977; in July 2017, the Constitutional Assembly completed and approved a draft of a new permanent constitution; in September 2018, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional referendum law in a session with contested reports of the quorum needed to pass the vote and submitted it to the High National Elections Commission in December to begin preparations for a constitutional referendum" }, "amendments": { "text": "note - in early March 2023, the High Council of State voted for a constitutional amendment to provide a groundwork for elections" } }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Libya" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "no" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "varies from 3 to 5 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age, universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "President, Presidential Council, Mohammed al-MANFI (since 5 February 2021)" }, "head of government": { "text": "GNU Interim Prime Minister Abd-al-Hamid DUBAYBAH (since 5 February 2021)" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "Libya’s first direct presidential election, scheduled for 24 December 2021, was not held; no new date has been set for elections
" } }, "Legislative branch": { "legislative structure": { "text": "unicameral" }, "chamber name": { "text": "House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwaab)" }, "number of seats": { "text": "200 (all directly elected)" }, "electoral system": { "text": "other systems" }, "scope of elections": { "text": "full renewal" }, "most recent election date": { "text": "6/25/2014" }, "percentage of women in chamber": { "text": "16.5%" }, "expected date of next election": { "text": "December 2025" }, "note": "note: 32 seats are reserved for women" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { "text": "Libya's judicial system consists of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts; the judicial system is factious given the ongoing tension between Libya's eastern and western regions; since 2011, Libyan political factions and armed groups have targeted judges and courthouses" } }, "Political parties": { "text": "NA