Libya vs Zambia: Urban area over the long-term

Libya
1,243 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Zambia
1,407 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Libya rank
85th
Zambia rank
83rd

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Libya
  • Zambia
05001.0k1.5k100015122025

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 1,407 km² per grid cell against 1,243 km² per grid cell in Libya, a difference of 164 km² per grid cell.

That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 times Libya's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Libya ahead.

Libya ranks 85th and Zambia ranks 83rd of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Libya averaged higher in 17 and Zambia in 23.

Head to head by decade

Decade Libya Zambia Difference Ahead
1000s 0.6415 km² per grid cell 0.0004 km² per grid cell 0.6411 km² per grid cell Libya
1100s 0.5987 km² per grid cell 0.0013 km² per grid cell 0.5974 km² per grid cell Libya
1200s 0.4562 km² per grid cell 0.0045 km² per grid cell 0.4517 km² per grid cell Libya
1300s 0.9124 km² per grid cell 0.0155 km² per grid cell 0.8969 km² per grid cell Libya
1400s 1.62 km² per grid cell 0.0523 km² per grid cell 1.57 km² per grid cell Libya
1500s 2.7 km² per grid cell 0.1744 km² per grid cell 2.53 km² per grid cell Libya
1600s 3.6 km² per grid cell 0.5675 km² per grid cell 3.04 km² per grid cell Libya
1700s 4.81 km² per grid cell 3.11 km² per grid cell 1.7 km² per grid cell Libya
1710s 5.04 km² per grid cell 3.86 km² per grid cell 1.18 km² per grid cell Libya
1720s 5.55 km² per grid cell 4.62 km² per grid cell 0.9318 km² per grid cell Libya
1730s 6.12 km² per grid cell 5.5 km² per grid cell 0.6298 km² per grid cell Libya
1740s 6.75 km² per grid cell 6.49 km² per grid cell 0.2618 km² per grid cell Libya
1750s 7.45 km² per grid cell 7.63 km² per grid cell 0.1819 km² per grid cell Zambia
1760s 8.21 km² per grid cell 8.92 km² per grid cell 0.7126 km² per grid cell Zambia
1770s 9.05 km² per grid cell 10.39 km² per grid cell 1.34 km² per grid cell Zambia
1780s 9.98 km² per grid cell 12.06 km² per grid cell 2.09 km² per grid cell Zambia
1790s 11 km² per grid cell 13.96 km² per grid cell 2.96 km² per grid cell Zambia
1800s 12.12 km² per grid cell 16.1 km² per grid cell 3.98 km² per grid cell Zambia
1810s 13.36 km² per grid cell 18.53 km² per grid cell 5.17 km² per grid cell Zambia
1820s 15.85 km² per grid cell 21.27 km² per grid cell 5.43 km² per grid cell Zambia
1830s 17.51 km² per grid cell 24.37 km² per grid cell 6.86 km² per grid cell Zambia
1840s 19.35 km² per grid cell 27.87 km² per grid cell 8.52 km² per grid cell Zambia
1850s 21.37 km² per grid cell 31.81 km² per grid cell 10.44 km² per grid cell Zambia
1860s 23.61 km² per grid cell 35.18 km² per grid cell 11.57 km² per grid cell Zambia
1870s 26.08 km² per grid cell 38.8 km² per grid cell 12.72 km² per grid cell Zambia
1880s 28.81 km² per grid cell 42.96 km² per grid cell 14.16 km² per grid cell Zambia
1890s 33.39 km² per grid cell 48.42 km² per grid cell 15.02 km² per grid cell Zambia
1900s 41.6 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 10.32 km² per grid cell Zambia
1910s 46.67 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 5.25 km² per grid cell Zambia
1920s 48.24 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 3.68 km² per grid cell Zambia
1930s 48.24 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 3.68 km² per grid cell Zambia
1940s 48.68 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 3.24 km² per grid cell Zambia
1950s 55.04 km² per grid cell 59.64 km² per grid cell 4.61 km² per grid cell Zambia
1960s 94.55 km² per grid cell 111.26 km² per grid cell 16.71 km² per grid cell Zambia
1970s 239.84 km² per grid cell 227.72 km² per grid cell 12.12 km² per grid cell Libya
1980s 423.2 km² per grid cell 375.17 km² per grid cell 48.03 km² per grid cell Libya
1990s 672.8 km² per grid cell 498.75 km² per grid cell 174.04 km² per grid cell Libya
2000s 913.65 km² per grid cell 658.5 km² per grid cell 255.15 km² per grid cell Libya
2010s 1,052 km² per grid cell 932.28 km² per grid cell 119.53 km² per grid cell Libya
2020s 1,204 km² per grid cell 1,282 km² per grid cell 77.36 km² per grid cell Zambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Libya or Zambia?
Zambia, at 1,407 km² per grid cell against 1,243 km² per grid cell in Libya as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Libya and Zambia?
164 km² per grid cell, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and Zambia?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Libya and Zambia rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Libya ranks 85th and Zambia ranks 83rd of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Libya vs Zambia: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/libya/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.