Land use in Libya
Libya: Land use was 2.05 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
2.05 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
90th
of 223 countries
All-time high
2.37 million hectares
in 1996
All-time low
1.97 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Libya, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Libya is 2.05 million hectares, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Libya peaked at 2.37 million hectares in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.97 million hectares, in 1961.
Libya ranks 90th of 223 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.00 million hectares | 1.97 million hectares | 2.02 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.05 million hectares | 2.02 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.12 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.21 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 2.37 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.11 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.05 million hectares | 2.05 million hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.05 million hectares | 2.05 million hectares | 2.05 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More environment data for Libya
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 98.17 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 13.3 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 1.92 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0897 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 22.1 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0021 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 27.42 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0353 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.2146 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 3.06 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Libya?
- Land use in Libya was 2.05 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.37 million hectares in 1996.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.97 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Libya rank for land use?
- Libya ranks 90th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).