Economy · Urban population · Libya
Libya’s urban population rose to 87.9% of population in 2025.
87.9% of population
2025
Up 0.03 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
87.9% of population
What it is. This measure gives the share of a country's people who live in areas classed as urban. Each country sets its own definition of urban, usually by settlement size or administrative status, so the figure describes settlement patterns within Libya's own boundaries. It counts where people live and says nothing about the quality of housing, services or jobs there.
Neither way is good in itself. Urbanisation describes where people live, and a higher or lower share carries no verdict on its own. The latest figure, for January 2025, is 87.9% of population, the same as a year earlier, with a change of 0.03 percentage points. Since 2016 the share has ranged from 87.8% of population in January 2016 to 87.9% of population in January 2025. The latest reading sits at the top of that very narrow range.
Why it matters. Most Libyans live in towns and cities, so demand for housing, electricity and water concentrates in urban areas. Schools and clinics face the same concentration. With the share this stable, urban demand grows broadly in line with the total population, and planning for services can follow city growth.
| Period | Urban population · Libya |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 87.8% of population |
| 2017 | 87.8% of population |
| 2018 | 87.8% of population |
| 2019 | 87.8% of population |
| 2020 | 87.8% of population |
| 2021 | 87.8% of population |
| 2022 | 87.8% of population |
| 2023 | 87.9% of population |
| 2024 | 87.9% of population |
| 2025 | 87.9% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Urban population, Libya, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/urban-population/libya
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Methodology
Share of the population living in urban areas. Unit: % of population.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.