Libya Population

Libya's demographics have been hostage to its politics since the 2011 uprising, with a decade of fragmented government and intermittent conflict. Fertility has fallen to moderate levels and the population, concentrated along the Mediterranean coast, grows only slowly. The country is also a major transit point for migrants heading to Europe, a population that passes through rather than settles.

Libya is home to about 7.5 million people in 2026, the 105th largest population of any country. Set in Northern Africa, its demographic path this century turns on the balance of births, deaths and migration. Population density stands at about 4 people for every square kilometre of land.

Libya is projected to keep growing until about 2087, when its population peaks at roughly 10.0 million before a gradual decline sets in, leaving it near 9.8 million by 2100.

At roughly 2.30 births per woman, fertility remains above replacement, though it has been trending down.

Half of Libya is currently younger than about 27, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 46, even as life expectancy improves from about 71 years. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

The trajectory above is the UN's medium scenario. Wars, policy shifts, economic change and migration can all move the numbers, but the broad shape, growth followed by an eventual peak, is robust across the main variants.