Capital

Libyen

name: Tripoli (Tarabulus)

geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: originally founded by the Phoenicians as Oea in the 7th century B.C., the city changed rulers many times over the successive centuries; by the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. the region around the city was referred to as Regio Tripolitana by the Romans, meaning "region of the three cities" - namely Oea (i.e., modern Tripoli), Sabratha (to the west), and Leptis Magna (to the east); over time, the shortened name of "Tripoli" came to refer to just Oea, which derives from the Greek words tria and polis meaning "three cities"

Libanon

name: Beirut

geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: derived from the Canaanite or Phoenician word "ber'ot," meaning "the wells" or "fountain," which referred to the site's accessible water table

Citizenship

Libyen

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Libya

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: varies from 3 to 5 years

Libanon

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Lebanon

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Legal system

Libyen

Libya's post-revolution legal system is in flux and driven by state and non-state entities

Libanon

mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities

Suffrage

Libyen

18 years of age, universal

Libanon

21 years of age; authorized for all men and women regardless of religion; excludes persons convicted of felonies and other crimes or those imprisoned; excludes all military and security service personnel regardless of rank

Area

Libyen

total: 1,759,540 sq km

land: 1,759,540 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Libanon

total: 10,400 sq km

land: 10,230 sq km

water: 170 sq km

Land use

Libyen

agricultural land: 8.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 7.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.1% (2018 est.)

other: 91.1% (2018 est.)

Libanon

agricultural land: 63.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 12.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 39.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 13.4% (2018 est.)

other: 23.3% (2018 est.)

Location

Libyen

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria

Libanon

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Age structure

Libyen

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)

Libanon

0-14 years: 19.21% (male 524,172/female 500,185)

15-64 years: 71.69% (male 1,929,150/female 1,892,806)

65 years and over: 9.1% (2023 est.) (male 208,436/female 276,454)

Birth rate

Libyen

20.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

12.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Libyen

3.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Libyen

Arabic (official), Italian, English (all widely understood in the major cities); Berber (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Libanon

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Libyen

total population: 77.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 75.2 years

female: 79.8 years

Libanon

total population: 79 years (2023 est.)

male: 77.6 years

female: 80.5 years

Major urban areas - population

Libyen

1.183 million TRIPOLI (capital), 984,000 Misratah, 859,000 Benghazi (2023)

Libanon

2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023)

Median age

Libyen

total: 26.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 26.1 years

female: 26.1 years

Libanon

total: 35.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 35.1 years

female: 36.4 years

Net migration rate

Libyen

-2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Libanon

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Libyen

well over 90% of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast in and between Tripoli to the west and Al Bayda to the east; the interior remains vastly underpopulated due to the Sahara and lack of surface water as shown in this population distribution map

Libanon

the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Population growth rate

Libyen

1.54% (2023 est.)

Libanon

0.64% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Libyen

3.04 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Libanon

1.71 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Libyen

urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Libanon

urban population: 89.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Libyen

NA

Libanon

1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Libanon

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2014)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Libyen

-25.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Libanon

-6.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Libyen

-10.57% (2019 est.)

Libanon

-6.85% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Libyen

2.28 million (2021 est.)

Libanon

1.719 million (2021 est.)

note: excludes as many as 1 million foreign workers and refugees

Population below poverty line

Libyen

note: about one-third of Libyans live at or below the national poverty line

Libanon

27.4% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

Libyen

19.58% (2021 est.)

20.07% (2020 est.)

19.66% (2019 est.)

Libanon

14.49% (2021 est.)

13.3% (2020 est.)

11.35% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Libyen

4.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

7.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

Libanon

146.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

145.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover central government debt and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Libyen

28.5% (2017 est.)

25.9% (2016 est.)

Libanon

154.76% (2021 est.)

84.86% (2020 est.)

3.01% (2019 est.)

Exports

Libyen

$9.537 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$29.326 billion (2019 est.)

$29.964 billion (2018 est.)

Libanon

$10.147 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.773 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$18.208 billion (2019 est.)

Exports - partners

Libyen

Italy 18%, China 16%, Germany 15%, Spain 15%, United Arab Emirates 6%, France 6%, United States 5% (2019)

Libanon

Switzerland 27%, United Arab Emirates 15%, South Korea 11%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Kuwait 6% (2019)

Imports

Libyen

$14.334 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$25.368 billion (2019 est.)

$18.849 billion (2018 est.)

Libanon

$17.383 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$15.206 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$31.147 billion (2019 est.)

Imports - partners

Libyen

China 16%, Turkey 14%, Italy 9%, United Arab Emirates 9%, Egypt 5% (2019)

Libanon

United Arab Emirates 11%, China 10%, Italy 8%, Greece 8%, Turkey 7%, United States 6% (2019)

Airports

Libyen

146 (2021)

Libanon

8 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Libyen

total: 332,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2020 est.)

Libanon

total: 432,070 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Libyen

total: 3,095,400 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 46.2% (2021 est.)

Libanon

total: 4.872 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2021 est.)

Libanon

total: 401 km (2017)

standard gauge: 319 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 82 km (2017) 1.050-m gauge

note: rail system is still unusable due to damage sustained from fighting in the 1980s and in 2006

Roadways

Libyen

total: 37,000 km (2010)

paved: 34,000 km (2010)

unpaved: 3,000 km (2010)

Libanon

total: 21,705 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Libyen

total subscriptions: 1.6 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2021 est.)

Libanon

total subscriptions: 880,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Libyen

total subscriptions: 2.9 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2021 est.)

Libanon

total subscriptions: 4.3 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (2021 est.)

Disputes - international

Libyen

Libya-Algeria: dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria

Libya-Chad: various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya; Libyan forces clashed with Chadian rebels in September 2021

Libya-Egypt: none identified

Libya-Niger: the boundary is poorly defined but has never been disputed by either country

Libya-Sudan: none identified

Libya-Tunisia: none identified

Libanon

Lebanon-Syria: lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; in March 2021, Syria signed a contract with a Russian company for oil and gas exploration in a maritime area Lebanon claims as its own based on a 2011 map sent to the UN

Lebanon-Israel: Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights; Lebanon and Israel resumed negotiations over their maritime border in 2020, but their efforts were derailed when Lebanon argued that the map the UN was using needed modifications