Share of population living in the capital city in Libya
Libya: Share of population living in the capital city was 16.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Libya, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in the capital city in Libya stood at 16.7%.
That represents a change of up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Libya peaked at 19.9% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 1950.
Libya ranks 81st of 170 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.7% | — |
| 1955 | 12.0% | +12.2% |
| 1960 | 12.9% | +8.1% |
| 1965 | 14.3% | +10.9% |
| 1970 | 17.8% | +24.0% |
| 1975 | 19.9% | +11.9% |
| 1980 | 17.0% | -14.6% |
| 1985 | 14.6% | -14.1% |
| 1990 | 13.9% | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 13.8% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | +10.8% |
| 2005 | 16.3% | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | +9.8% |
| 2020 | 16.7% | -5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.3% | 10.7% | 12.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.6% | 12.9% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.9% | 17.8% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.8% | 14.6% | 17.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.9% | 13.8% | 13.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 15.3% | 16.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 16.1% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More population data for Libya
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1882 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1882 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3412 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 8,540 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.9554 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2302 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 5.56 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 455,012 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Libya?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Libya was 16.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 19.9% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 1950.
- How does Libya rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Libya ranks 81st out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.