Share of population living in urban areas in Libya
Libya: Share of population living in urban areas was 75.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Libya, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Libya stood at 75.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Libya peaked at 75.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 50.6%, in 1950.
That places Libya 110th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 urban areas in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.6% | — |
| 1955 | 52.0% | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 55.7% | +7.2% |
| 1965 | 59.9% | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 62.6% | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 66.5% | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 67.4% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 68.9% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 70.7% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 72.5% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 73.8% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 74.7% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 75.2% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 75.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 75.4% | +0.4% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 75.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 75.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.0%, 86% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.3% | 50.6% | 52.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 57.8% | 55.7% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 64.6% | 62.6% | 66.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 68.1% | 67.4% | 68.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.6% | 70.7% | 72.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 74.3% | 73.8% | 74.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 75.2% | 75.1% | 75.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 75.4% | 75.4% | 75.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 107 Liechtenstein 75.5% compare
- 108 Kyrgyzstan 75.5% compare
- 109 Antigua and Barbuda 75.5% compare
- 111 Kenya 75.3% compare
- 112 Angola 75.2% compare
- 113 Guadeloupe 75.0% compare
More reference data data for Libya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0637 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2136 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1144 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Libya?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Libya was 75.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.6% in 1950.
- How does Libya rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Libya ranks 110th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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 major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.