Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Libya: population and ages

Libya: 7.5 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until 2086, to a peak of 9.97 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
7,497,603
Median age
28.0
Births in 2026
118,954
Deaths in 2026
37,073
Life expectancy at birth
75.2
Children per woman
2.21
Under 15
26.5%
65 and over
5.3%
Population pyramid, Libya, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+020K20K40K40K60K60K80K80K
Population pyramid, Libya, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 1.13 million people, so the population is now 6.7 times as large.

The UN projects 119,000 births and 37,100 deaths in 2026, 81,900 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2082.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202402.5M5M7.5M10M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Libya: 7.5M

Ages

The median age is 28.0, which is 3.1 years below the world’s 31.1.

27% of the people are under 15 and 5.3% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2060.

Women have 2.2 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 7.0 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 75.2 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 33.1.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100LibyaWorld
2026 Libya: 28World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 9.26 million people, 23% more than now, with a median age of 36.3.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024050K100K150K200K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 119KDeaths: 37.1K

Compare Libya with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 45% of the people lived in cities, 31% in towns and semi-dense areas and 24% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 46% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet82.0%2024
Access to electricity77.4%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)60.2%1984
96.4%2024
88.5%2024
95.0%2024
Human Development Index0.7212023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 69.3 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 16.6 more years for women and 14.2 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 7.8 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 24.4.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 9.78 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 4.13 million to 19.5 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 898,000 international migrants lived here, 12.2% of the population.

In mid-2024, 157,000 people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Palestine322,909
Somalia117,956
Iraq77,265
Syria46,987
Sudan40,329
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Türkiye29,478
Italy29,343
Jordan28,839
Israel19,768
Canada10,737

Counted by citizenship. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 14.

CityPopulation 2025
Ţarābulus (Tripoli)1,239,823
Benghazi630,479
Misrata294,401
Al Zawiyah214,488
Sabha123,436
Tubruq121,983
Bayda119,135
Qabilat alturki118,313
Marj106,258
Sayyad102,973

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Libya every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19501,131,46019.755,56236,76533.17.01
19601,492,89017.576,53838,14640.87.51
19702,082,58913.696,56026,07256.48.05
19803,424,37815.0151,88623,85264.87.54
19904,445,24017.5120,20720,31269.34.78
20005,305,02221.6115,07025,25970.52.91
20106,497,83924.3152,99130,06372.22.60
20207,045,39926.5132,00739,06372.42.51
20307,885,80629.3117,94841,16275.92.08
20408,651,41732.8123,20154,31677.61.90
20509,260,60636.3116,47871,63379.31.82
20609,626,50539.3105,98988,48181.01.77
20709,807,89841.2104,85797,16782.51.75
20809,928,36842.8101,557100,12984.01.74
20909,938,20944.793,819107,77985.31.72
21009,783,56846.290,170116,71486.61.72

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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