Demographics of Libya
Encyclopedia
Demographics of Libya include population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the Libya
n population.
No complete population or vital statistics registration exists in Libya. The estimates in this article are from the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects which was prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, unless otherwise indicated.
Libya has a small population residing in a large land area. Population density is about 50 persons per km² (130/sq. mi.) in the two northern regions of Tripolitania
and Cyrenaica
, but falls to less than one person per km² (2.6/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. About 88% of the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the three largest cities, Tripoli
, Misrata and Benghazi
. Thirty percent of the population is estimated to be under the age of 15, but this proportion has decreased considerably during the past decades.
thumb
1955-1960: 55.5 (males 54.3; females 56.6)
1960-1965: 58.0 (males 56.7; females 59.3)
1965-1970: 63.4 (males 59.0; females 61.8)
1970-1975: 67.0 (males 61.4; females 70.5)
1975-1980: 70.7 (males 66.0; females 69.3)
1980-1985: 72.4 (males 70.6; females 74.2)
1985-1990: 76.4 (males 74.5; females 78.9)
1990-1995: 76.0 (males 76.9; females 75.7)
1995-2000: 79.6 (males 79.3; females 80.5)
2000-2005: 80.8 (males 80.5; females 80.7)
2005-2010: 80.0 (males 79.7; females 81.9)
or a mixture of Arab-Berber
ethnicities, with a small minority of Berber-speaking tribal groups and small black African groups like Tuareg and Tebu tribes can be found in southern Libya, which are nomad
ic or semi-nomadic. Most of the Libyans claim descent from the Bedouin
Arab
tribes of the Banu Hilal
and the Banu Sulaym, who invaded the Maghrib in the 11th century. There is also some Punic admixture, and a curious traditional element from the Romanized
Punics such as the Roman
toga
can be seen in Tripoli's people and was used by Muammar Gaddafi himself.
In the west of the country, there are some Tuareg nomads, mobile across the Libyan-Algerian border. Tuaregs are also scattered over Algeria
, Mali
, Niger
and Burkina Faso
.
In the southeast, there are small populations of the Nilo-Saharan Toubou, although they occupy between a quarter and a third of the country, and who also inhabit Niger
and Chad
.
Among foreign residents, the largest groups are from other Africa
n nations, including citizens of other North Africa
n nations (primarily Egypt
ians) as well as sub-Saharan Africa
ns.
lines, with more than 20 major tribal groups. The major tribal groups of Libya are:
s in the oil industry from Tunisia
and Egypt
, but also including small numbers Greeks
, Maltese
, Italians
, Pakistanis
, Turks
, Indians
and people from former Yugoslavia
. Due to the 2011 Libyan civil war
, most of these migrant workers have returned to their homelands or simply left the country for a different one.
The prevalent spoken language is Libyan Arabic
, spoken by about 6 million Libyans, besides other Arabic dialects (partly spoken by immigrant workers, partly by native populations), viz. Egyptian Arabic
, Moroccan Arabic
, Sudanese Arabic
, Tunisian Arabic
, Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
, South Levantine Arabic and Hassaniyya Arabic, amounting to a total number of first-language Arabic speakers of about 95% of total population.
SIL Ethnologue estimates for indigenous minority languages in Libya:
Non-Arabic languages spoken by temporary foreign workers include (with more than 10,000 speakers each): Punjabi, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Sinhala, Bengal, Tamil, Tagalog, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Serbian, English.
.
Foreigners contribute very little Christian
presence, but there are some churches. A small Jewish community historically lived in Libya since antiquity (see history of the Jews in Libya
), but the entire Jewish community in Libya eventually fled the country for Italy
, Israel
, or the United States
, particularly after anti-Jewish riots in the wake of the 1967 Six-Day War
between Egypt and Israel.
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n population.
No complete population or vital statistics registration exists in Libya. The estimates in this article are from the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects which was prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
and Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
, but falls to less than one person per km² (2.6/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. About 88% of the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the three largest cities, Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, Misrata and Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. Thirty percent of the population is estimated to be under the age of 15, but this proportion has decreased considerably during the past decades.
thumb
| Total population (x 1000) | Population aged 0-14 (%) | Population aged 15-64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6 029 | 41.9 | 53.4 | 4.7 |
| 1955 | 6 126 | 43.0 | 52.7 | 4.3 |
| 1960 | 6 349 | 43.3 | 52.7 | 4.0 |
| 1965 | 6 623 | 43.4 | 53.0 | 3.6 |
| 1970 | 6 994 | 45.2 | 52.1 | 2.7 |
| 1975 | 7 066 | 46.5 | 51.3 | 2.2 |
| 1980 | 7 193 | 47.0 | 50.7 | 2.2 |
| 1985 | 7 750 | 47.3 | 50.5 | 2.3 |
| 1990 | 7 834 | 43.5 | 53.9 | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 7 975 | 38.3 | 58.8 | 2.9 |
| 2000 | 8 231 | 32.4 | 64.2 | 3.4 |
| 2005 | 8 970 | 30.6 | 65.6 | 3.8 |
| 2010 | 9 655 | 30.4 | 65.3 | 4.3 |
Population census
Eight population censuses were carried out in Libya, the first in 1931 and the most recent one in 2006 . The population sixfolded between 1931 and 2006.| Year | Males (thousands) | Females (thousands) | Total population (thousands) | Average annual growth rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 704 | |||
| 1936 | 463 | 386 | 849 | 3.8 |
| 1954 | 564 | 524 | 1,089 | 1.4 |
| 1964 (31 July) | 813 | 751 | 1,564 | 3.7 |
| 1973 (31 July) | 1,192 | 1,057 | 2,249 | 4.1 |
| 1984 (31 July) | 1,954 | 1,689 | 3,643 | 4.5 |
| 1995 (11 August) | 2,237 | 2,168 | 4,405 | 1.7 |
| 2006 (15 April) | 2,934 | 2,723 | 5,658 | 2.3 |
Vital statistics
During the past 60 years the demographic situation of Libya changed considerably. Since the 1950s, life expectancy increased steadily and the infant mortality rates decreased. As the fertility rates remained high until the 1980s (the number of births tripled between 1950-55 and 1980-85), population growth was very high for three decades. However, after 1985 a fast decrease in fertility was observed from over 7 children per woman in the beginning of the 1980s to less than 3 in 2005-2010. Because of this decrease in fertility the population growth slowed down and also the proportion of Libyans under the age of 15 decreased from 47% in 1985 to 30% in 2010.Births and deaths
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | IMR* | TFR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-1955 | 52 000 | 24 000 | 28 000 | 48.0 | 22.5 | 25.5 | 185 | 6.87 |
| 1955-1960 | 60 000 | 25 000 | 35 000 | 48.5 | 19.9 | 28.6 | 170 | 6.97 |
| 1960-1965 | 73 000 | 27 000 | 46 000 | 49.0 | 18.3 | 30.7 | 150 | 7.18 |
| 1965-1970 | 90 000 | 30 000 | 60 000 | 49.5 | 16.8 | 32.7 | 125 | 7.48 |
| 1970-1975 | 109 000 | 33 000 | 76 000 | 49.0 | 14.8 | 34.2 | 105 | 7.59 |
| 1975-1980 | 131 000 | 35 000 | 96 000 | 47.3 | 12.7 | 34.6 | 68 | 7.38 |
| 1980-1985 | 158 000 | 38 000 | 120 000 | 45.6 | 10.9 | 34.7 | 50 | 7.18 |
| 1985-1990 | 123 000 | 22 000 | 101 000 | 29.9 | 5.3 | 24.6 | 38.0 | 5.65 |
| 1990-1995 | 113 000 | 20 000 | 93 000 | 24.7 | 4.5 | 20.2 | 28.3 | 4.10 |
| 1995-2000 | 115 000 | 20 000 | 95 000 | 23.0 | 4.0 | 19.0 | 20.5 | 3.25 |
| 2000-2005 | 134 000 | 22 000 | 112 000 | 24.3 | 4.0 | 20.3 | 17.7 | 3.00 |
| 2005-2010 | 145 000 | 24 000 | 121 000 | 24.0 | 4.0 | 20.0 | 15.0 | 2.72 |
| * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | ||||||||
Life expectancy at birth
1950-1955: 52.9 (males 51.9; females 53.9)1955-1960: 55.5 (males 54.3; females 56.6)
1960-1965: 58.0 (males 56.7; females 59.3)
1965-1970: 63.4 (males 59.0; females 61.8)
1970-1975: 67.0 (males 61.4; females 70.5)
1975-1980: 70.7 (males 66.0; females 69.3)
1980-1985: 72.4 (males 70.6; females 74.2)
1985-1990: 76.4 (males 74.5; females 78.9)
1990-1995: 76.0 (males 76.9; females 75.7)
1995-2000: 79.6 (males 79.3; females 80.5)
2000-2005: 80.8 (males 80.5; females 80.7)
2005-2010: 80.0 (males 79.7; females 81.9)
Ethnic and tribal groups
Ethnic groups
The native population of Libya is primarily ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
or a mixture of Arab-Berber
Arab-Berber
Arab-Berber is a term to denote an inhabitant of the North African Maghreb who is of mixed Arab and Berber origin and whose native language is a dialect of Arabic and who also has an Arab ethnic identity...
ethnicities, with a small minority of Berber-speaking tribal groups and small black African groups like Tuareg and Tebu tribes can be found in southern Libya, which are nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic or semi-nomadic. Most of the Libyans claim descent from the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
tribes of the Banu Hilal
Banu Hilal
The Banu Hilal were a confederation of Arabian Bedouin tribes that migrated from Upper Egypt into North Africa in the 11th century, having been sent by the Fatimids to punish the Zirids for abandoning Shiism. Other authors suggest that the tribes left the grasslands on the upper Nile because of...
and the Banu Sulaym, who invaded the Maghrib in the 11th century. There is also some Punic admixture, and a curious traditional element from the Romanized
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
Punics such as the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
can be seen in Tripoli's people and was used by Muammar Gaddafi himself.
In the west of the country, there are some Tuareg nomads, mobile across the Libyan-Algerian border. Tuaregs are also scattered over Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
.
In the southeast, there are small populations of the Nilo-Saharan Toubou, although they occupy between a quarter and a third of the country, and who also inhabit Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
.
Among foreign residents, the largest groups are from other Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n nations, including citizens of other North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n nations (primarily Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians) as well as sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
ns.
Tribal groups
Libyan society is to a large extent structured along tribalTribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
lines, with more than 20 major tribal groups. The major tribal groups of Libya are:
- TripolitaniaTripolitaniaTripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
: WarfallaWarfallaThe Warfalla are a major Arab or Arab-Berber tribal group of Tripolitania, Libya.The Warfalla historically inhabited the area of what is between the towns of Bani Walid, Sirte, Sabha, and Benghazi approximately South and East of Tripoli....
, Tarhona, Al-Fwatir, Awlad Busayf, Zintan, Al-Rijban. - CyrenaicaCyrenaicaCyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
: Al-Awagir, Al-Abaydat, Drasa, Al-Barasa, Al-Fawakhir, ZuwayyaZuwayyaThe Zuwayya are an independent Murabtin tribe, one of the major Arab Bedouin tribes of Cyrenaica, Libya.Traditionally practicing nomadic pastoralism of sheep and camels in a triangular area with its apex at Ajdabiya, the Zuwayya conquered the richest oasis of the interior, Kufra, in 1840,...
, Majabra. - Sirte: QadhadhfaQadhadhfaThe Qadhadhfa are a minor Arab or Arabized Berber tribe of the Sirte region in present-day northwestern Libya.They are now mostly centered at Sabha....
, MagarhaMagarhaThe Magarha is a major Arab tribal group of Libya. The Magarha are Libya's second largest tribe, with an estimated 1 million members...
, Magharba, Al-Riyyah, Al-Haraba, Al-Zuwaid, Al-Guwaid. - FezzanFezzanFezzan is a south western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara.-Name:...
: Al-Hutman, Al-Hassawna; Toubou, Tuareg. - Kufra: ZuwayyaZuwayyaThe Zuwayya are an independent Murabtin tribe, one of the major Arab Bedouin tribes of Cyrenaica, Libya.Traditionally practicing nomadic pastoralism of sheep and camels in a triangular area with its apex at Ajdabiya, the Zuwayya conquered the richest oasis of the interior, Kufra, in 1840,...
; Toubou.
Foreign population
Foreign population is estimated at 3%, mostly migrant workerMigrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
s in the oil industry from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, but also including small numbers Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
, Pakistanis
Demographics of Pakistan
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Pakistan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
, Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, Indians
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
and people from former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
. Due to the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, most of these migrant workers have returned to their homelands or simply left the country for a different one.
Languages
The official language of Libya is Standard Arabic.The prevalent spoken language is Libyan Arabic
Libyan Arabic
Libyan Arabic is a collective term for the closely related varieties of Arabic spoken in Libya. It can be divided into two major dialect areas; the eastern centred in Benghazi and Bayda, and the western centred in Tripoli and Misrata...
, spoken by about 6 million Libyans, besides other Arabic dialects (partly spoken by immigrant workers, partly by native populations), viz. Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
, Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
, Sudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken throughout northern Sudan. It has much borrowed vocabulary from the local languages . This has resulted in a variety of Arabic that is unique to Sudan, reflecting the way in which the country has been influenced by both African and Arab cultures...
, Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic is a Maghrebi dialect of the Arabic language, spoken by some 11 million people. It is usually known by its own speakers as Derja, which means dialect, to distinguish it from Standard Arabic, or as Tunsi, which means Tunisian...
, Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic
Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in south Yemen and Djibouti. It is a variety of Yemeni Arabic.-References:*...
, South Levantine Arabic and Hassaniyya Arabic, amounting to a total number of first-language Arabic speakers of about 95% of total population.
SIL Ethnologue estimates for indigenous minority languages in Libya:
- Berber languagesBerber languagesThe Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
: ca. 305,000 speakers- NafusiNafusi languageNafusi is the Berber language of the Nafusa Mountains , a large area in northwestern Libya. This variety of the Berber language is spoken by the Ibadite communities around Jadu, Nalut , and Yafran...
: 184,000 (2006) - Tamahaq: 47,000 (2006)
- GhadamèsGhadamès languageGhadamès is a language spoken mainly by some Libyan Berbers. It is spoken in Ghadames, a small oasis town near the Libyan border with Algeria and Tunisia. It is spoken by 2,000 people in Libya, and 2,000 elsewhere. It has two dialects, Ayt Waziten and Elt Ulid....
: 30,000 (2006) - Sawknah: 5,600 (2006)
- Awjilah: 3,000 (2000)
- Nafusi
- Domari: ca. 33,000 speakers (2006)
- Tedaga: 2,000
Non-Arabic languages spoken by temporary foreign workers include (with more than 10,000 speakers each): Punjabi, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Sinhala, Bengal, Tamil, Tagalog, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Serbian, English.
Religions
Almost all Libyans are Sunni MuslimSunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
.
Foreigners contribute very little Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
presence, but there are some churches. A small Jewish community historically lived in Libya since antiquity (see history of the Jews in Libya
History of the Jews in Libya
The history of the Jews in Libya stretches back to the 3rd century BCE, when Cyrenaica was under Greek rule. During World War II, Libya's Jewish population was subjected to anti-Semitic laws by the Fascist Italian regime and deportations by German troops...
), but the entire Jewish community in Libya eventually fled the country for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, or the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly after anti-Jewish riots in the wake of the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
between Egypt and Israel.
See also
- Health in LibyaHealth in LibyaHealth care is provided to all citizens. Health, training, rehabilitation, education, housing, family issues, and disability and old-age benefits are all regulated by “Decision No. 111” of the General People’s Committee on the Promulgation of the By-Law Enforcement Law No. 20 of 1998 on the Social...