Employment by status in Libya
Libya: Employment by status was 73.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
73.7%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
76th
of 186 countries
All-time high
78.3%
in 2007
All-time low
72.2%
in 2017
Years of data
34
1991–2024
Employment by status in Libya, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Libya recorded 73.7% for employment by status in 2024.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Libya peaked at 78.3% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 72.2%, in 2017.
That places Libya 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 75.7% | — |
| 1992 | 75.9% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 76.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.0% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 76.1% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 76.1% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 76.3% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 76.5% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 76.6% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 76.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 77.1% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 77.2% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 77.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 77.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 78.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 78.3% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 78.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 78.2% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 77.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 77.3% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 75.9% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 75.1% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 74.0% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 73.1% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 72.4% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 72.2% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 72.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 72.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 72.8% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 73.3% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 73.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 73.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 73.7% | +0.3% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 73.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.6%, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Libya's 73.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 74.3%, 99% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.1% | 75.7% | 76.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 77.7% | 76.8% | 78.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.1% | 72.2% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.3% | 72.8% | 73.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 73 Argentina 74.3% compare
- 74 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 74.1% compare
- 75 Kazakhstan 73.8% compare
- 77 Costa Rica 73.2% compare
- 78 Saint Lucia 73.1% compare
- 79 Egypt 72.9% compare
More work & labour data for Libya
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1881 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1642 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.213 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.54 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.4664 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,184 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 939.57 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,815 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,969 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,784 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Libya?
- Employment by status in Libya was 73.7% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 78.3% in 2007.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.2% in 2017.
- How does Libya rank for employment by status?
- Libya ranks 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.