Editing Libya (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Libya}}
[[File:Libya_ethnic.svg|thumb|305x305px|Ethnic composition of the Libyan population in 1974 (CIA map): {{legend|#D4B56E|[[Arabs|Arab]] and [[Arab-Berber]]}} {{legend|#FF951E|[[Berber people|Berber]]}} {{legend|#D66DFF|[[Tuareg people|Tuareg]]}} {{legend|#B6FF70|[[Toubou people|Toubou]]}} {{legend|#c8c8c8|Uninhabited}}]]
Libya is a large country with a relatively small population concentrated very narrowly along the coast.<ref>{{cite news|last=Zakaria|first=Fareed|title=Gadhafi's brutal regime can't survive|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/02/25/zakaria.libya.gadhafi/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=25 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203055526/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/02/25/zakaria.libya.gadhafi/index.html|archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref> Its population density is about {{convert|50|pd/sqkm}} in the two northern regions of [[Tripolitania]] and [[Cyrenaica]], but falls to less than {{convert|1|pd/sqkm}} elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live along the coast in less than 10% of the area.

About 88% of the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the three largest cities, [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], [[Benghazi]] and [[Misrata]]. Libya has a population of about {{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN_Population|Libya}}|R}}/1e6 round 1}} million,{{UN_Population|ref}} 27.7% of whom are under the age of 15.<ref name="spooks">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya/ |title=Libya |work=The World Factbook |access-date=5 February 2013 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235257/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1984 the population was 3.6&nbsp;million, an increase from the 1.54&nbsp;million reported in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/libya/ |title=Libya |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826090114/http://countrystudies.us/libya/ |archive-date=26 August 2013  }}</ref>

The population of Libya is primarily of [[Arabs|Arab]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Libya |url=https://fanack.com/libya/population/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226184215/https://fanack.com/libya/population/ |archive-date=2021-02-26 |access-date=2019-06-27 |website=Fanack.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Arabs account for 92% of the population, while [[Berbers]] account for 5%, though other estimates put this percentage at 10%, representing approximately 600,000 people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yakan |first=Mohamad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e_hADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT62 |title=Almanac of African Peoples and Nations |date=2017-11-30 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-28930-6 |language=en |access-date=6 April 2023 |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501042016/https://books.google.com/books?id=e_hADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT62 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zurutuza |first=Karlos |title=Berbers fear ethnic conflict |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/1/6/libyas-berbers-fear-ethnic-conflict |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129190339/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/1/6/libyas-berbers-fear-ethnic-conflict |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the Berber groups are the minority Berber populations of [[Zuwarah]] and the [[Nafusa Mountains]]. Southern Libya, primarily [[Sebha]], [[Kufra]], [[Ghat, Libya|Ghat]], [[Ghadamis]] and [[Murzuk]], is also inhabited by two other ethnic groups; the [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] and [[Toubou people|Toubou]]. Libya is one of the world's most [[Tribalism|tribal]] countries. There are about 140 tribes and [[clan]]s in Libya.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,747234,00.html |title=Uprising in Libya: 'Survival Hinges on Tribal Solidarity' |newspaper=Der Spiegel |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524035601/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,747234,00.html |archive-date=24 May 2012  |date=23 February 2011 }}</ref> Also living in Libya are an estimated 750,000 Egyptian workers, down from more than 2 million prior to the overthrow of [[Muammar Gaddafi]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Nadia |date=2015-02-20 |title=Why Egyptians are risking their lives to work in Libya |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/20/egyptians-risk-lives-work-libya |access-date=2023-07-14 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Family life is important for Libyan families, the majority of whom live in [[Tower block|apartment blocks]] and other independent housing units, with modes of housing depending on their income and wealth. Although the Arab Libyans traditionally lived nomadic [[Bedouin]] lifestyles in tents, they have predominately settled in towns and cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncrss.com/report3.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030403191008/http://www.ncrss.com/report3.doc |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 April 2003 |title=The Family and the work of women, A study in the Libyan Society |author=Al-Hawaat, Ali |publisher=National Center for Research and Scientific Studies of Libya |access-date=5 February 2013 }}</ref>

Because of this, their old ways of life are gradually fading out. An unknown small number of Libyans still live in the desert as their families have done for centuries. Most of the population has occupations in industry and [[Tertiary sector of the economy|services]], and a small percentage is in agriculture.

According to the UNHCR, there were around 8,000 registered refugees, 5,500 unregistered refugees, and 7,000 asylum seekers of various origins in Libya in January 2013. Additionally, 47,000 Libyan nationals were internally displaced and 46,570 were internally displaced returnees.<ref>{{cite web|title=UNHCR Global Appeal 2013 Update|url=http://www.unhcr.org/50a9f82616.html|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=16 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107084239/http://www.unhcr.org/50a9f82616.html|archive-date=7 November 2014}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{main|Health in Libya}}
In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 3.88% of the country's GDP. In 2009, there were 18.71 physicians and 66.95 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Health|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=26&cat_code=8|publisher=SESRIC|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023065839/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=26&cat_code=8|archive-date=23 October 2014|access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> The life expectancy at birth was 74.95 years in 2011, or 72.44 years for males and 77.59 years for females.<ref>{{cite web|title=Demography|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=26&cat_code=7|publisher=SESRIC|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023065748/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=26&cat_code=7|archive-date=23 October 2014|access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref>

In 2023, the Libyan health ministry announced the launch of the National Strategy for Primary Healthcare 2023–2028 to improve services provided by group clinics and health centres. A unique health number allotted to each citizen will facilitate access to medical records. Before Storm Daniel, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that around 60,000 people were in need of humanitarian aid in Derna and environs. Since the storm many of the hospitals and primary health facilities in Derna and eastern Libya have been rendered partially or completely nonfunctional.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/rebuilding-libyas-health-care-system |title=Rebuilding Libya's health system |date=7 November 2023 |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502122641/https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/rebuilding-libyas-health-care-system |url-status=live }}</ref>

Libya's 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) score is <mark>19.2</mark>, which indicates a moderate level of hunger. Libya ranks 83rd out of 127 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Libya}}
[[File:Piazza 28 Ottobre, Bengasi.jpg|thumb|Al Manar Royal Palace in central Benghazi – the location of the [[University of Libya]]'s first campus, founded by royal decree in 1955]]
Libya's population includes 1.7&nbsp;million students, over 270,000 of whom study at the [[Tertiary education|tertiary level]].<ref name="Libedu">{{cite web |url=http://www.wes.org/eWENR/04July/Practical.htm |title=Education in Libya |author=Clark, Nick |publisher=World Education News and Reviews, Volume 17, Issue 4 |date=July 2004 |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208081721/http://www.wes.org/ewenr/04July/Practical.htm |archive-date=8 February 2013  }}</ref> Basic education in Libya is free for all citizens,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0070) |title=Education of Libya |publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120921235353/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0070) |archive-date=21 September 2012  }}</ref> and is compulsory up to the [[secondary education|secondary level]]. The adult literacy rate in 2010 was 89.2%.<ref name=unescolit>{{cite web|title=National adult literacy rates (15+), youth literacy rates (15–24) and elderly literacy rates (65+)|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183908/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>

After Libya's independence in 1951, its first university&nbsp;– the [[University of Libya]]&nbsp;– was established in Benghazi by royal decree.<ref name="Libedu2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/profiles/Libya.htm |title=Country Higher Education Profiles – Libya |author=El-Hawat, Ali |publisher=International Network for Higher Education in Africa |date=8 January 2013 |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605042417/http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/profiles/Libya.htm |archive-date= 5 June 2010 }}</ref> In the 1975–76 academic year the number of university students was estimated to be 13,418. {{As of|2004}}, this number has increased to more than 200,000, with another 70,000 enrolled in the higher technical and vocational sector.<ref name="Libedu" /> The rapid increase in the number of students in the higher education sector has been mirrored by an increase in the number of institutions of higher education.

Since 1975 the number of public universities has grown from two to twelve and since their introduction in 1980, the number of higher technical and vocational institutes has grown to 84.{{Clarify|pre-text=?|date=October 2012}}<ref name="Libedu" /> Since 2007 some new private universities such as the [[Libyan International Medical University]] have been established. Although before 2011 a small number of private institutions were given accreditation, the majority of Libya's higher education has always been financed by the public budget. In 1998 the budget allocation for education represented 38.2% of Libya's national budget.<ref name="Libedu2" />

In 2024, the Ministry of Education announced the launch of the Full-Day School Project in which 12 schools in different parts of the country will have longer school days. The project aims to provide 800 hours of instruction per year to 3,300 elementary school students.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://libyaobserver.ly/education/libya-launches-full-day-school-project-first-time#google_vignette |title=Libya Launches Full Day School |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502121104/https://libyaobserver.ly/education/libya-launches-full-day-school-project-first-time#google_vignette |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Ethnicity ===
The original inhabitants of Libya belonged predominantly to [[Berber people|Berber]] ethnic groups; however, the long series of foreign invasions and migrations&nbsp;– particularly by [[Arabs]]&nbsp;– had a profound and lasting ethnic, linguistic, and cultural influence on Libyan demographics. Centuries of large-scale [[Arab migration to the Maghreb]] since the 7th century shifted the demographics of Libya in favour of Arabs. Some [[Turkish people|Turks]] settled in Libya during the rule of the [[Ottoman Empire]].

Most of Libya's inhabitants are [[Arabs|Arab]],<ref name=":2" /> with many tracing their ancestry to Bedouin Arab tribes like [[Banu Sulaym]] and [[Banu Hilal]], plus Turkish and Berber minorities. The [[Turks in Libya|Turkish minority]] are often called "[[Kouloughlis]]" and are concentrated in and around villages and towns.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2012 |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339574/Libya/46542/Climate#toc46545 |title=Libya |newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122084039/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339574/Libya/46542/Climate#toc46545 |archive-date=22 November 2012  }}</ref> There are some ethnic minorities, such as the Berber [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] and the Black African [[Toubou people|Tebou]].<ref name="Dupree 1958 loc=33-44">{{Cite journal |last=Dupree|first=Louis|year=1958|title=The Non-Arab Ethnic Groups of Libya|journal=Middle East Journal|volume=12|issue=1|pages=33–44 }}</ref>

Most [[Italian settlers in Libya|Italian settlers]], at their height numbering over half a million, left after Italian Libya's independence in 1947. More repatriated in 1970 after the accession of Muammar Gaddafi, but a few hundred returned in the 2000s.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339574/Libya/46562/Italian-colonization |title=Libya – Italian colonization |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=20 August 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805072530/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339574/Libya/46562/Italian-colonization |archive-date=5 August 2011  }}</ref>

=== Foreign labour ===
As of 2023 the IOM estimates that approximately 10% of Libya's population (upwards of 700,000 people) constituted foreign labour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Libya — Migrant Report 46 (January - February 2023)|url=https://dtm.iom.int/reports/libya-migrant-report-46-january-february-2023|website=IOM|date=21 Nov 2023|access-date=21 Nov 2023|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121145223/https://dtm.iom.int/reports/libya-migrant-report-46-january-february-2023|archive-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> Prior to the 2011 revolution, official and unofficial figures of migrant labour ranged from 25% to 40% of the population (between 1.5 and 2.4&nbsp;million people). Historically, Libya hosted millions of low- and high-skilled Egyptian migrants, in particular.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tsourapas|first1=Gerasimos|title=The Politics of Egyptian Migration to Libya|url=http://www.merip.org/mero/mero031715|website=Middle East Research and Information Project|date=17 March 2015|access-date=4 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111193445/http://www.merip.org/mero/mero031715|archive-date=11 November 2016}}</ref>

It is difficult to estimate the total number of immigrants in Libya because the census figures, official counts and typically more accurate unofficial estimates all differ. In the 2006 census, around 359,540 foreign nationals were resident in Libya out of a population of over 5.5&nbsp;million (6.35% of the population). Almost half of these were Egyptians, followed by Sudanese and Palestinian immigrants.<ref name="EU migrant policy Centre">{{cite web |url=http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/docs/fact_sheets/Factsheet%20Libya.pdf |title=Migration Facts Libya |website=Migrationpolicycentre.eu |access-date=1 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040540/http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/docs/fact_sheets/Factsheet%20Libya.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016  }}</ref>
During the 2011 revolution, 768,362 immigrants fled Libya as calculated by the [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], around 13% of the population at the time, although many more stayed on in the country.<ref name="EU migrant policy Centre"/><ref>{{cite journal|first=Julien|last=Brachet|title=Policing the Desert: The IOM in Libya Beyond War and Peace|journal=Antipode|volume=48|number=2|year=2016|pages=272–292|doi=10.1111/anti.12176|bibcode=2016Antip..48..272B |url=https://zenodo.org/record/3452351}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

If consular records prior to the revolution are used to estimate the immigrant population, as many as 2 million Egyptian migrants were recorded by the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli in 2009, followed by 87,200 Tunisians, and 68,200 Moroccans by their respective embassies. Turkey recorded the evacuation of 25,000 workers during the 2011 uprising.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-17/top-turkish-ministers-meet-un-backed-libya-government-in-Tripoli |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811184451/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-17/top-turkish-ministers-meet-un-backed-libya-government-in-tripoli |archive-date=11 August 2020 |title=Top Turkish Ministers Meet UN Backed Libyan Government |work=Bloomberg |first1=Mohammed |last1=Abdusamee |first2=Selcan |last2=Hacaoglu |date=17 June 2020}}</ref> The number of Asian migrants before the revolution were just over 100,000 (60,000 Bangladeshis, 20,000 Filipinos, 18,000 Indians, 10,000 Pakistanis, as well as Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and other workers).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=3685 |title=Libya, Tunisia: Migrants – Migration News &#124; Migration Dialogue |website=Migration.ucdavis.edu |access-date=1 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305132553/https://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=3685 |archive-date=5 March 2016  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.libyaherald.com/2021/01/30/20000-filipino-workers-in-libya-126-infected-and-6-died-of-coronavirus-demand-for-delayed-salaries/ |title=Libya Herald, Updated: 2,000 Filipino workers in Libya, 126 infected and 6 died of Coronavirus |website=libyaherald.com |date=30 January 2021 |access-date=1 February 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415005452/https://www.libyaherald.com/2021/01/30/20000-filipino-workers-in-libya-126-infected-and-6-died-of-coronavirus-demand-for-delayed-salaries/ }}</ref> This would put the immigrant population at almost 40% before the revolution and is a figure more consistent with government estimates in 2004 which put the regular and irregular migrant numbers at 1.35 to 1.8&nbsp;million (25–33% of the population at the time).<ref name="EU migrant policy Centre"/>

Libya's native population of Arabs-Berbers as well as Arab migrants of various nationalities collectively make up 97% of the population {{As of|2014|lc=y}}.

=== Languages ===
{{main|Languages of Libya}}
According to the [[CIA]], the official language of Libya is Arabic.<ref name="CIA" /> The local [[Libyan Arabic]] variety is spoken alongside [[Modern Standard Arabic]]. Various [[Berber languages]] are also spoken, including [[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]], [[Ghadamis]], [[Nafusi]], [[Suknah]] and [[Awjilah (language)|Awjilah]].<ref name="Cfbly">{{cite web|title=Libya|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya/|publisher=CIA|access-date=16 December 2014|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109235257/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/libya|url-status=live}}</ref> The Libyan Amazigh High Council (LAHC) has declared the Amazigh ([[Berbers|Berber]] or Tamazight) language to be official in the cities and districts inhabited by the Berbers in Libya.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Tamazight declared official language in Amazigh-peopled districts|url=https://www.libyaobserver.ly/life/tamazight-declared-official-language-amazigh-peopled-districts|magazine=Life|access-date=22 February 2017|date=22 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317034711/https://www.libyaobserver.ly/life/tamazight-declared-official-language-amazigh-peopled-districts|archive-date=17 March 2017}}</ref><!--"The Libyan Amazigh High Council (LAHC) has declared the Amazigh (Berber or Tamazight) language as an official language in the cities and districts inhabited by the Amazigh in Libya." -->
In addition, [[English language|English]] is widely understood in the major cities,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Importance Of English As A Foreign Language In Libya |url=https://www.cram.com/essay/The-Importance-Of-English-As-A-Foreign/F3Q8JJGAZHBWW |access-date=20 December 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415005502/https://www.cram.com/essay/The-Importance-Of-English-As-A-Foreign/F3Q8JJGAZHBWW |url-status=live }}</ref> while the former colonial language of [[Italian language|Italian]] is also used in commerce and by the remaining Italian population.<ref name="Cfbly"/>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Libya}}

[[File:Ghadames - Grosse Moschee.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|Mosque in [[Ghadames]], close to the Tunisian and Algerian border]]
About 97% of the population in Libya are [[Muslims]], most of whom belong to the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni branch]].<ref name="spooks"/><ref name="Chivvis-2014">{{cite book |last1=Chivvis |first1=Christopher S. |last2=Martini |first2=Jeffrey |title=Libya After Qaddafi: Lessons and Implications for the Future |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PUAkAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 |access-date=30 December 2018 |date=18 March 2014 |publisher=Rand Corporation |isbn=978-0-8330-8489-7 |page=49 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526205252/https://books.google.com/books?id=PUAkAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 |url-status=live }}</ref> Small numbers of [[Ibadi]] Muslims live in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/libya/religious-minorities/minority-muslim-groups |title=Minority Muslim Groups |publisher=Islamopedia Online |access-date=1 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415030122/http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/libya/religious-minorities/minority-muslim-groups |archive-date=15 April 2016  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/01/16/pakistani-ahmedis-held/ |title=Pakistani Ahmedis Held |newspaper=[[Libya Herald]] |location=Tripoli |date=16 January 2013 |access-date=5 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531182432/http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/01/16/pakistani-ahmedis-held/ |archive-date=31 May 2014  }}</ref>

Before the 1930s, the [[Senussi]] Sunni Sufi movement was the primary Islamic movement in Libya. This was a religious revival adapted to desert life. Its ''zawaaya'' (lodges) were found in [[Tripolitania]] and [[Fezzan]], but Senussi influence was strongest in [[Cyrenaica]]. Rescuing the region from unrest and anarchy, the Senussi movement gave the Cyrenaican tribal people a religious attachment and feelings of unity and purpose.<ref name="senussi">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0065) |title=The Sanusis |publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120921235348/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0065) |archive-date=21 September 2012  }}</ref> This Islamic movement was eventually destroyed by the [[Italo-Turkish War|Italian invasion]]. Gaddafi asserted that he was a devout Muslim, and his government was taking a role in supporting Islamic institutions and in worldwide proselytising on behalf of Islam.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0066) |title=Islam in Revolutionary Libya |publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120921235348/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ly0066) |archive-date=21 September 2012  }}</ref>

The [[International Religious Freedom Report]] 2004 noted that "bishops, priests and nuns wear religious dress freely in public and report virtually no discrimination," while also "enjoying good relations with the Government". The report also indicated that members of minority religions said "they do not face harassment by authorities or the Muslim majority on the basis of their religious practices". The [[International Christian Concern]] does not list Libya as a country where there is "persecution or severe discrimination against Christians".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f1476611.html |title=Libya: Situation of Muslims who have converted to Christianity; treatment by society and the authorities |publisher=refworld |access-date=5 February 2013 |archive-date=15 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915170317/https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f1476611.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the [[First Libyan Civil War|fall of Gaddafi]], ultra-conservative strains of Islam have reasserted themselves in places. [[Derna, Libya|Derna]] in eastern Libya, historically a hotbed of [[jihad]]ist thought, came under the control of militants aligned with the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/derna-islamic-state-emirate-egypt-s-borders|agency=Egypt Independent|title=Derna: An Islamic State emirate on Egypt's borders|date=15 October 2014|access-date=20 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221072405/http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/derna-islamic-state-emirate-egypt-s-borders|archive-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> Jihadist elements have also spread to [[Sirte]] and [[Benghazi]], among other areas, as a result of the [[Second Libyan Civil War (2014–present)|Second Libyan Civil War]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-gained-strength-in-libya-by-co-opting-local-jihadists-1424217492|title=Islamic State Gained Strength in Libya by Co-Opting Local Jihadists|date=17 February 2015|access-date=20 February 2015|work=The Wall Street Journal|first1=Benoît|last1=Faucon|first2=Matt|last2=Bradley|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221032623/http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-gained-strength-in-libya-by-co-opting-local-jihadists-1424217492|archive-date=21 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/al-qaeda-islamic-police-patrol-libyan-city-contested-isis-302961|work=Newsweek|title=Al-Qaeda 'Islamic Police' on Patrol in Libyan City Contested With ISIS|date=29 January 2015|access-date=20 February 2015|first=Jack|last=Moore|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220011433/http://www.newsweek.com/al-qaeda-islamic-police-patrol-libyan-city-contested-isis-302961|archive-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>

Prior to independence, Libya was home to more than 140,000 Christians (mostly of [[Italian settlers in Libya|Italian]] and Maltese ancestry). Many Christian settlers left to Italy or Malta after the independence.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Greenberg|first1=Udi|last2= A. Foster|first2=Elizabeth|title=Decolonization and the Remaking of Christianity|year=2023|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Pennsylvania|isbn=9781512824971|pages=105}}</ref> Small foreign communities of Christians remained. [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Orthodox Christianity]], the predominant Christian church of Egypt, is the [[Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa#Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco|largest and most historic Christian denomination in Libya]]. There are about 60,000 Egyptian [[Copt]]s in Libya.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/libya/religious-minorities/christian-communities |title=Christian Communities |publisher=Islamopedia Online |access-date=1 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326235402/http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/libya/religious-minorities/christian-communities |archive-date=26 March 2016  }}</ref> There are three Coptic Churches in Libya, one in Tripoli, one in Benghazi, and one in Misurata.

The Coptic Church has grown in recent years in Libya, due to the growing immigration of [[Copts in Egypt|Egyptian Copts]] to Libya. There are an estimated 40,000 [[Roman Catholic]]s in Libya who are served by two bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the Italian community) and one in [[Benghazi]] (serving the [[Maltese people|Maltese]] community). There is also a small [[Anglican]] community, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli which is part of the [[Anglican Diocese of Egypt]]. People have been arrested on suspicion of being [[Christian missionaries]], as proselytising is illegal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Foreigners held in Libya on suspicion of proselytising|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21488976|work=BBC News|date=16 February 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217024228/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21488976|archive-date=17 February 2013}}</ref> Christians have also faced the threat of violence from radical Islamists in some parts of the country, with a well-publicised video released by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in February 2015 depicting the mass beheading of Christian Copts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/02/17/386986424/isis-beheadings-in-libya-devastate-an-egyptian-village|publisher=NPR|date=17 February 2015|access-date=20 February 2015|title=ISIS Beheadings in Libya Devastate An Egyptian Village|first=Leila|last=Fadel|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219160959/http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/02/17/386986424/isis-beheadings-in-libya-devastate-an-egyptian-village|archive-date=19 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/20/egyptians-captured-libya-isis-christians-families-campaign-cairo|work=The Guardian|title='We want our sons back': fears grow for Egyptians missing in Libya|first=Jared|last=Malsin|date=20 February 2015|access-date=20 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220165250/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/20/egyptians-captured-libya-isis-christians-families-campaign-cairo|archive-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> Libya was ranked fourth on [[Open Doors]]' 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/libya/ |title=Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide - Libya - Open Doors UK & Ireland |work=Open Doors UK & Ireland |publisher=Opendoorsuk.org |date= |accessdate=2022-06-24 |archive-date=24 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624143521/https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/libya/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Libya was once the home of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, dating back to at least 300 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/libyajew/LibyanJews/thejews.html |title=History of the Jewish Community in Libya |publisher=University of California at Berkeley |access-date=5 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425114822/http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/libyajew/LibyanJews/thejews.html |archive-date=25 April 2013 }}</ref> In 1942, the Italian Fascist authorities set up forced labour camps south of Tripoli for the Jews, including [[Giado]] (about 3,000 Jews), [[Gharyan]], Jeren, and Tigrinna. In Giado some 500 Jews died of weakness, hunger, and disease. In 1942, Jews who were not in the concentration camps were heavily restricted in their economic activity and all men between 18 and 45 years were drafted for forced labour. In August 1942, Jews from Tripolitania were interned in [[Sidi Azaz labor camp|a concentration camp at Sidi Azaz]]. In the three years after November 1945, more than 140 Jews were murdered, and hundreds more wounded, in a series of [[pogrom]]s.<ref name="harris">{{cite book|last=Harris|first=David A.|title=In the Trenches: Selected Speeches and Writings of an American Jewish Activist, 1979–1999|url=https://archive.org/details/intrenches00davi_0|url-access=registration|date=2000|publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=978-0-88125-693-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/intrenches00davi_0/page/149 149]–150}}</ref> By 1948, about 38,000 Jews remained in the country. Upon Libyan independence in 1951, most of the Jewish community emigrated.

=== Largest cities ===
{{Largest cities of Libya|class=info}}