E.g., 06/07/2026
E.g., 06/07/2026
Country Resource - Libya
Adjust Font    |   
(+) Increase Font
(-) Decrease Font
Reset Font
Print    |    RSS    |    Copyright & Reuse

Libya

LY
  • Population..................................................................................7,361,263 (2024 est.)
  • Population growth rate ........................................................................1.44% (2024 est.)
  • Birth rate.............................................................20.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Death rate.........................................................3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Net migration rate.......................................-2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Ethnic groups..........................................Amazigh and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)

CIA World Factbook

Recent Activity

People displaced from Sudan at the border with South Sudan
Feature
July 16, 2025
Forgotten and Neglected, War-Torn Sudan Has Become the World’s Leading Displacement Crisis

Sudan’s civil war has created the world's largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis, one that has been largely overshadowed by conflicts and political tensions elsewhere around the globe. As major international donor countries pull back humanitarian aid funding, the crisis is only expected to worsen. This article examines the dramatic scale of displacement and its place in Sudan's history.

A Somali migrant who returned from Libya.
Feature
July 17, 2024
Migration Interrupted: Can Stranded Migrants from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan Rebuild Their Lives upon Return?

East African migrants traveling irregularly can face terrible conditions in transit, including torture and even death. Many may become stranded and need assistance from an international organization or government to return to their country of origin. This article analyzes the results of a major return and reintegration initiative for stranded migrants, finding that certain types of assistance can be quite beneficial.

Returned migrants participate in development work in Burkina Faso.
Feature
May 6, 2021
Europe’s Tackling of ‘Root Causes’ of African Migration Has a Mixed Record

The European Union has tried to leverage development assistance to address root causes of migration from Africa, including poverty, instability, and conflict. The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, unveiled in 2015, has supported more than 250 programs totaling nearly 5 billion euros across 26 countries, but has had only partial success addressing the underlying drivers of migration, as this article explains.

Sailors and marines on the HMS Bulwark help migrants ashore in Italy.
Feature
October 9, 2020
Criminalization of Search-and-Rescue Operations in the Mediterranean Has Been Accompanied by Rising Migrant Death Rate

Even as the number of people making the dangerous journey through the Central Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe has declined since the migration and refugee crisis of 2015-16, the rate of deaths has increased. This article evaluates the role of Europe's hardening approach to trans-Mediterranean migration and the criminalization of search-and-rescue operations by nongovernmental organizations.

Migrants aboard a rubber vessel are rescued in the Mediterranean
Feature
August 6, 2020
Once a Destination for Migrants, Post-Gaddafi Libya Has Gone from Transit Route to Containment

Libya was once a prized destination for workers from around the world. But after Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow in 2011, the country became the transit point for hundreds of thousands of Europe-bound asylum seekers and other migrants. Following Libya's 2017 deal with Italy to detain and return migrants caught at sea—which was renewed in February 2020—migrants became trapped in an unstable country, facing harrowing realities, as this article explores.

AfricanUnionMinisterialConferenceonMigration
Feature
April 2, 2020
Africa Deepens its Approach to Migration Governance, But Are Policies Translating to Action?

While migration once was a lower-priority topic for African governments, the last decade has seen a deepening in governance. Policymakers have integrated migration into their national development strategies and mainstreamed it across policy domains such as health and education. The actions are promising on paper, yet questions remain about the extent to which they will translate to more effective migration management.

Jamal Khashoggi
Feature
August 22, 2019
A Tightening Grip Abroad: Authoritarian Regimes Target Their Emigrant and Diaspora Communities

Authoritarian states have long attempted to restrict citizens’ movement. But what happens when their reach extends beyond their borders? The October 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi brought into sharp relief the long arm of these regimes in reaching citizens abroad. This phenomenon, “transnational authoritarianism,” further shows that the relationship between migration and authoritarianism is becoming more complex.

A man holds a sign protesting the travel ban at an airport
Policy Beat
January 31, 2019
The Travel Ban at Two: Rocky Implementation Settles into Deeper Impacts

Two years after the Trump administration’s much-litigated travel ban was created, the policy has demonstrated a significant impact on the admission of foreigners from the banned countries, while also reshaping U.S. security vetting procedures and the refugee resettlement process in enduring ways, as this article explores on the second-year anniversary.

Stranded migrant during crisis
Feature
September 6, 2018
When Disaster Strikes: Responding to Migrants Caught in Crises

Migrants displaced by crisis do not benefit from international protection the way that refugees do. This article examines the experiences of labor migrants amid manmade and natural disasters in the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon, Libya, South Africa, and Thailand, as well as stakeholder responses. Research demonstrates the agency and resilience of migrants, who develop flexible solutions in the face of crisis.

Migrants on a boat
Top Ten
December 18, 2017
European Leaders Pursue Migration Deals with North African Countries, Sparking Concerns about Human Costs

European leaders in 2017 pursued migration partnerships with North African countries, seeking to stem maritime arrivals across the Mediterranean. Italy struck a deal with Libya to provide support in cracking down on illegal migration and smugglers, while Germany signed cooperation agreements with Egypt and Tunisia. Meanwhile, widespread reports of migrant abuse in Libya are prompting questions about the limitations and human costs of these partnerships.

Pages
Cover image for The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports
April 2024

The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

While human mobility globally has largely recovered from its pandemic-era drop, it is undergoing considerable change. The causes are diverse, from climate shocks and shifting economic conditions to conflict-induced displacement. This report explores how the scale and characteristics of cross-border movement are evolving post-pandemic, featuring case studies from different world regions.

Cover image for External Processing report
Reports
February 2023

External Processing: A Tool to Expand Protection or Further Restrict Territorial Asylum?

As asylum systems in many countries have come under considerable strain in recent years, there has been renewed interest in external processing—that is, conducting part or all of an asylum procedure outside a destination country’s territory. Some countries have pursued this to deter spontaneous arrivals, but as this report explores, others are using various external processing models to expand access to protection.
cover_IOM_brief_3
Policy Briefs
July 2012

Asian Labour Migrants and Humanitarian Crises: Lessons from Libya

This brief provides a background on the displacement and evacuation of migrant workers caught in the Libyan civil war. It highlights questions raised as a result of this crisis regarding the response of the international community, discusses lessons learned from the Libyan experience, and identifies policy recommendations for addressing the protection needs of labor migrants during humanitarian crises.