Demographics of Libya (original) (raw)

Libya has a small population in a large land area. Population density is about 50 persons per km� (80/sq. mi.) in the two northern regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, but falls to less than one person per km� (1.6/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. More than half the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the two largest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi. 50% of the population is estimated to be under age 15.

Native Libyans are primarily a mixture of Arabs and Berbers. Small Tebou and Tuareg tribal groups in southern Libya are nomadic or seminomadic. Among foreign residents, the largest groups are citizens of other African nations, including North Africans (primarily Egyptians and Tunisians), West Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans.

**Population:**5,115,450
_note:_includes 162,669 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
_0-14 years:_36% (male 938,476; female 899,139)
_15-64 years:_60% (male 2; female 1,000,000)
_65 years and over:_4% (male 97,770; female 99,690) (2000 est.)

**Population growth rate:**2.42% (2000 est.)

**Birth rate:**27.68 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

**Death rate:**3.51 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

**Net migration rate:**0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
_at birth:_1.05 male(s)/female
_under 15 years:_1.04 male(s)/female
_15-64 years:_1.07 male(s)/female
_65 years and over:_0.98 male(s)/female
_total population:_1.06 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

**Infant mortality rate:**30.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
_total population:_75.45 years
_male:_73.34 years
_female:_77.66 years (2000 est.)

**Total fertility rate:**3.71 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
_noun:_Libyan(s)
_adjective:_Libyan

**Ethnic groups:**Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%

Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Literacy:
_definition:_age 15 and over can read and write
_total population:_76.2%
_male:_87.9%
_female:_63% (1995 est.)

See also : Libya