Editing Demographics of Libya (section)

==Population==
Libya has a small population residing in a large land area. Population density is about 50 persons per km<sup>2</sup> (130/sq. mi.) in the two northern regions of [[Tripolitania]] and [[Cyrenaica]], but falls to less than one person per km<sup>2</sup> (2.7/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. About 90%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://araratinternational.com/libya/|title=Libya|website=araratinternational.com|access-date=1 April 2018|archive-date=6 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606064332/http://araratinternational.com/libya/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> of the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the four largest cities, [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], [[Benghazi]], [[Misrata]] and [[Bayda, Libya|Bayda]]. As of 2019, twenty-eight percent of the population is estimated to be under the age of 15, but this proportion has decreased considerably during the past decades.<ref name="worldbank">{{Cite web|title=Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) - Libya {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.0014.TO.ZS?locations=LY|access-date=2021-05-07|website=data.worldbank.org}}</ref> The majority of the population of Libya is composed of [[Arabs]].<ref name="Libya - People {{!}} Britannica"/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6IOKAwAAQBAJ&pg=RA6-PA144 |title=Libya|date=2014-05-01 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |isbn=978-1-62513-172-0 |pages=144 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Jason |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R65iYMCuK6gC&pg=PA126 |title=Culture and Customs of Libya |last2=Falola |first2=Toyin |last3=Oyeniyi |first3=Bukola A. |date=2012-05-03 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37860-7 |pages=126 |language=en}}</ref>

Eight population censuses have been carried out in Libya, the first in 1931 and the most recent one in 2006.<ref>B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics: Africa, Asia & Oceania 1750-2000.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm#2001|title=United nations. Demographic Yearbooks 1948-2008 |website=un.org|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref> The population multiplied sixfold between 1931 and 2006.

{|class=wikitable
|-
!Year
! style="width:80pt;"| Males (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"| Females (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"| Total population (thousands)
! style="width:80pt;"| Average annual growth rate (%)
|-
|1931
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|704
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
|1936
| style="text-align:right;"|463
| style="text-align:right;"|386
| style="text-align:right;"|849
| style="text-align:right;"|3.8
|-
|1954
| style="text-align:right;"|564
| style="text-align:right;"|524
| style="text-align:right;"|1,089
| style="text-align:right;"|1.4
|-
|1964 (July 31)
| style="text-align:right;"|813
| style="text-align:right;"|751
| style="text-align:right;"|1,564
| style="text-align:right;"|3.7
|-
|1973 (July 31)
| style="text-align:right;"|1,192
| style="text-align:right;"|1,057
| style="text-align:right;"|2,249
| style="text-align:right;"|4.1
|-
|1984 (July 31)
| style="text-align:right;"|1,954
| style="text-align:right;"|1,689
| style="text-align:right;"|3,643
| style="text-align:right;"|4.5
|-
|1995 (August 11)
| style="text-align:right;"|2,237
| style="text-align:right;"|2,168
| style="text-align:right;"|4,405
| style="text-align:right;"|1.7
|-
|2006 (April 15)
| style="text-align:right;"|2,934
| style="text-align:right;"|2,723
| style="text-align:right;"|5,658
| style="text-align:right;"|2.3
|}