AREA: 1,759,540 sq KM
Coastline: 1770 km

BORDERING COUNTRIES: Algeria 989 km; Chad 1,050 km; Egypt 1,115 km; Niger 342 km; Sudan 382 km; Tunisia 461 km

POPULATION:7,252,573 (2023 est.)
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE: about one-third of Libyans live at or below the national poverty line

URBANIZATION: 81.6% of total population (2023)

ETHNIC GROUPS:Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)

RELIGIONS: Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, folk religion <1%, other  <1%, unafilliated <1% (2020 est.)

AGES:
0-14 years: 32.81% (male 1,213,850/female 1,166,039)

15-64 years: 62.8% (male 2,340,685/female 2,213,782)

65 years and over: 4.39% (2023 est.) (male 143,737/female 174,480)

GOVERNMENT TYPE:
In transition

INDEPENDENCE:
December 24, 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

CHIEF OF STATE: chief of state: Chairman, Presidential Council, Mohammed Al MENFI (since 5 February 2021)

Head of government: Interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid DUBAYBAH (since 5 February 2021)

MILITARY STRENGTH:
estimates not available

REFUGEES: refugees (country of origin): 20,355 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 11,308 (Syria) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,716 (Eritrea) (2023)

IDPs: 134,787 (conflict between pro-QADHAFI and anti-QADHAFI forces in 2011; post-QADHAFI tribal clashes 2014) (2022)

TERRORISTS: 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)

SOURCE: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya/#military-and-security