Population in Libya
Libya: Population was 7.31 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Population in Libya, 1000–2023
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Libya recorded 7.31 million people for population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Libya peaked at 7.31 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 200,000 people, in 1200.
That places Libya 106th out of 238 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1100s | 350,000 people | 350,000 people | 350,000 people | 1 |
| 1200s | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 1 |
| 1300s | 300,000 people | 300,000 people | 300,000 people | 1 |
| 1400s | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 1 |
| 1500s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1600s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1700s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1710s | 465,166 people | 465,166 people | 465,166 people | 1 |
| 1720s | 468,333 people | 468,333 people | 468,333 people | 1 |
| 1730s | 471,500 people | 471,500 people | 471,500 people | 1 |
| 1740s | 474,666 people | 474,666 people | 474,666 people | 1 |
| 1750s | 477,833 people | 477,833 people | 477,833 people | 1 |
| 1760s | 481,000 people | 481,000 people | 481,000 people | 1 |
| 1770s | 484,166 people | 484,166 people | 484,166 people | 1 |
| 1780s | 487,333 people | 487,333 people | 487,333 people | 1 |
| 1790s | 490,500 people | 490,500 people | 490,500 people | 1 |
| 1800s | 230,677 people | 230,044 people | 231,311 people | 10 |
| 1810s | 232,903 people | 231,454 people | 234,953 people | 10 |
| 1820s | 239,341 people | 235,594 people | 243,722 people | 10 |
| 1830s | 250,478 people | 244,892 people | 256,137 people | 10 |
| 1840s | 263,289 people | 257,418 people | 269,239 people | 10 |
| 1850s | 282,681 people | 270,585 people | 297,097 people | 10 |
| 1860s | 316,629 people | 300,528 people | 333,222 people | 10 |
| 1870s | 355,117 people | 337,064 people | 373,934 people | 10 |
| 1880s | 404,770 people | 378,777 people | 432,477 people | 10 |
| 1890s | 471,995 people | 439,158 people | 506,389 people | 10 |
| 1900s | 551,686 people | 514,376 people | 590,172 people | 10 |
| 1910s | 635,532 people | 598,690 people | 671,733 people | 10 |
| 1920s | 714,783 people | 679,435 people | 751,334 people | 10 |
| 1930s | 808,144 people | 760,476 people | 860,189 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 982,338 people | 876,455 people | 1.10 million people | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.25 million people | 1.13 million people | 1.43 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.76 million people | 1.49 million people | 2.01 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.57 million people | 2.08 million people | 3.23 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.89 million people | 3.42 million people | 4.34 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.85 million people | 4.45 million people | 5.22 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.81 million people | 5.31 million people | 6.37 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.55 million people | 6.18 million people | 6.95 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.18 million people | 7.05 million people | 7.31 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More population data for Libya
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 455,012 people (2100)
- Population density 5.56 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 2.3 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 200,335 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 2.3 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 2.3 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 1.0% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.35 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Libya?
- Population in Libya was 7.31 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.31 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 200,000 people in 1200.
- How does Libya rank for population?
- Libya ranks 106th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.