Share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya

Libya: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 83.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
83.2%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
46th
of 202 countries
All-time high
83.2%
in 2025
All-time low
0.2%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya, 1000–2025

020406080100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya is 83.2%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya peaked at 83.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1000.

That places Libya 46th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1100s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1200s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1300s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1400s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1500s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1600s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1700s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1710s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1720s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1730s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1740s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1750s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1760s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1
1770s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1780s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1790s 4.2% 4.2% 4.2% 1
1800s 4.6% 4.6% 4.6% 1
1810s 5.0% 5.0% 5.0% 1
1820s 5.5% 5.5% 5.5% 1
1830s 6.0% 6.0% 6.0% 1
1840s 6.6% 6.6% 6.6% 1
1850s 7.2% 7.2% 7.2% 1
1860s 7.9% 7.9% 7.9% 1
1870s 8.6% 8.6% 8.6% 1
1880s 9.5% 9.5% 9.5% 1
1890s 10.4% 10.4% 10.4% 1
1900s 11.3% 11.3% 11.3% 1
1910s 12.4% 12.4% 12.4% 1
1920s 13.6% 13.6% 13.6% 1
1930s 14.9% 14.9% 14.9% 1
1940s 16.3% 16.3% 16.3% 1
1950s 20.8% 17.9% 24.5% 10
1960s 32.3% 25.4% 43.4% 10
1970s 59.5% 46.4% 68.2% 10
1980s 74.5% 70.1% 76.3% 10
1990s 76.9% 76.2% 77.7% 10
2000s 78.1% 78.1% 78.1% 10
2010s 79.7% 78.1% 81.4% 10
2020s 82.4% 81.7% 83.2% 6

Countries ranked near Libya

  1. 43 Western Sahara 84.9% compare
  2. 44 Norway 84.5% compare
  3. 45 Jordan 83.7% compare
  4. 47 Djibouti 83.1% compare
  5. 48 Mexico 82.6% compare
  6. 49 Spain 82.1% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Libya

All data for Libya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Libya was 83.2% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Libya?
The highest recorded value was 83.2% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Libya?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1000.
How does Libya rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Libya ranks 46th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Libya?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Libya data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.