Libya

in transition

name: Tripoli (Tarabulus) geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name derives from the Greek words tri and polis , meaning "three cities;" the modern-day city was founded in the 14th century to replace the three ancient cities of Pallantium, Tegea, and Mantineia

chief of state: President, Presidential Council, Mohammed al-MANFI (since 5 February 2021) head of government: GNU Interim Prime Minister Abd-al-Hamid DUBAYBAH (since 5 February 2021) election/appointment process: first direct presidential election was not held as planned most recent election date: scheduled for 24 December 2021 but not held expected date of next election: no new date has been set for elections

legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwaab) number of seats: 200 (all directly elected) electoral system: other systems scope of elections: full renewal most recent election date: 6/25/2014 percentage of women in chamber: 16.5% expected date of next election: December 2026 note: 32 seats are reserved for women

highest court(s): Libya's judicial system consists of a supreme court, central high courts (in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha), and a series of lower courts

history: previous 1951, 1977, 2011 (interim) note: a draft constitution was approved in 2017, but it is not yet ratified

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BDEAC, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, LCBC, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNSMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

not available

the Libyan Armed Forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) have various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces, which include a mix of nominally integrated and semi-regular units, tribal armed groups and militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign military contractors; the GNU's armed forces are nominally under the control of the Ministry of Defense; the GNU also has various internal security forces under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior (2025) note: the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA; aka Libyan Arab Armed Forces, LAAF) under Khalifa HAFTER also includes various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, other armed groups, and foreign military contractors; some of the armed units nominally under the LNA operate under their own command structures and engage in their own operations

not available

the western-based forces aligned with the GNU and the eastern-based LNA forces are separated by a fortified line of control just west of the coastal city of Sirte; Turkey has provided support to the GNU forces, including military trainers, ammunition, weapons, and aerial drones; Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have been the main supporters of the LNA (2025)

$90.609 billion (2024 est.) $91.161 billion (2023 est.) $82.756 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$12,300 (2024 est.) $12,500 (2023 est.) $11,500 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-0.6% (2024 est.) 10.2% (2023 est.) -8.3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.1% (2024 est.) 2.4% (2023 est.) 4.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

7.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

$37.753 billion (2023 est.) $39.831 billion (2022 est.) $32.38 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$33.284 billion (2023 est.) $27.872 billion (2022 est.) $25.406 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

18.7% (2024 est.) 18.8% (2023 est.) 19.3% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $28.005 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $37.475 billion (2019 est.)

petroleum, petrochemicals, aluminum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

potatoes, onions, watermelons, tomatoes, dates, olives, milk, chicken, wheat, vegetables (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 7,361,263 (2024 est.) male: 3,747,364 female: 3,613,899 note: immigrants make up just over 12% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)

1.35% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 32.3% (male 1,211,087/female 1,165,648) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 2,385,152/female 2,263,780) 65 years and over: 4.6% (2024 est.) (male 151,125/female 184,471)

19.83 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 77.7 years (2024 est.) male: 75.5 years female: 80 years

urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Amazigh and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)

Arabic (official), Italian, English (all widely understood in the major cities); Tamazight (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq) major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist 1%, Hindu 1%, Jewish 1%, folk religion 1%, other 1%, unaffiliated 1% (2020 est.) note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims ( 1% of the population) and foreign Muslims

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Ansar al-Sharia groups; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Libya (ISIS-L); al-Mulathamun Battalion (al-Mourabitoun); al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

tier rating: Special Case; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/libya/

refugees: 277,010 (2024 est.) IDPs: 139,305 (2024 est.)

75 (2025)

total: 96 (2023) by type: general cargo 2, oil tanker 13, other 81

total subscriptions: 13.9 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 205 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 89% (2023 est.)