Military personnel in Libya

Libya: Military personnel was 7,000 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
7,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
137th
of 194 countries
All-time high
91,000
in 1985
All-time low
3,000
in 1951
Years of data
63
1951–2015

Military personnel in Libya, 1951–2015

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k195119832015

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Libya recorded 7,000 for military personnel in 2015.

The figure is down 90.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Libya peaked at 91,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 3,000, in 1951.

Libya ranks 137th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Military personnel in Libya, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Libya, 1951 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1951 3,000 —
1952 3,000 +0.0%
1953 3,000 +0.0%
1954 3,000 +0.0%
1955 3,000 +0.0%
1956 3,000 +0.0%
1957 3,000 +0.0%
1958 3,000 +0.0%
1959 5,000 +66.7%
1960 5,000 +0.0%
1961 8,000 +60.0%
1962 8,000 +0.0%
1963 13,000 +62.5%
1964 16,000 +23.1%
1965 17,000 +6.2%
1966 20,000 +17.6%
1967 20,000 +0.0%
1968 30,000 +50.0%
1969 25,000 -16.7%
1970 18,000 -28.0%
1971 19,000 +5.6%
1972 20,000 +5.3%
1973 20,000 +0.0%
1974 25,000 +25.0%
1975 25,000 +0.0%
1976 25,000 +0.0%
1977 30,000 +20.0%
1978 50,000 +66.7%
1979 51,000 +2.0%
1980 53,000 +3.9%
1981 55,000 +3.8%
1982 55,000 +0.0%
1983 68,000 +23.6%
1984 90,000 +32.4%
1985 91,000 +1.1%
1986 91,000 +0.0%
1987 91,000 +0.0%
1988 86,000 -5.5%
1989 86,000 +0.0%
1990 86,000 +0.0%
1991 86,000 +0.0%
1992 85,000 -1.2%
1993 85,000 +0.0%
1994 80,000 -5.9%
1995 76,000 -5.0%
1996 76,000 +0.0%
1997 70,000 -7.9%
1998 70,000 +0.0%
1999 85,000 +21.4%
2000 76,000 -10.6%
2001 76,000 +0.0%
2002 76,000 +0.0%
2003 76,000 +0.0%
2004 76,000 +0.0%
2005 76,000 +0.0%
2006 76,000 +0.0%
2007 76,000 +0.0%
2008 76,000 +0.0%
2009 76,000 +0.0%
2010 76,000 +0.0%
2011 76,000 +0.0%
2014 7,000 -90.8%
2015 7,000 +0.0%

Libya compared with similar countries

  • Libya's 7,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,000, 30% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Libya's 7,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500, 8% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3,222 3,000 5,000 9
1960s 16,200 5,000 30,000 10
1970s 28,300 18,000 51,000 10
1980s 76,600 53,000 91,000 10
1990s 79,900 70,000 86,000 10
2000s 76,000 76,000 76,000 10
2010s 41,500 7,000 76,000 4

Countries ranked near Libya

  1. 137 Brunei 7,000 compare
  2. 137 Burkina Faso 7,000 compare
  3. 137 Estonia 7,000 compare
  4. 137 Latvia 7,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Libya

All data for Libya →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Libya?
Military personnel in Libya was 7,000 in 2015, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Libya?
The highest recorded value was 91,000 in 1985.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Libya?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 in 1951.
How does Libya rank for military personnel?
Libya ranks 137th out of 194 countries with data for 2015.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Libya?
Over the last ten years it is down 90.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Libya data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel in Libya. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/libya/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed