Algeria vs Libya
Algeria is 35% larger than Libya.
AlgeriaLibyaAlgeria moved onto Libya · Equal-area projection
1.35×
Algeria is 1.35× the area of Libya.
 Algeria |  Libya | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAlgeria: 1.35× the area | 2,381,741 km²#10 of 194 | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAlgeria: 6.36× the population | 47,435,312#33 of 194 · 2025 | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAlgeria: 4.7× the density | 20 / km²#166 of 194 | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 1.16× the urban share | 76%#55 of 192 · 2025 | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAlgeria: 1.18× the births per woman | 2.72 per woman#60 of 192 · 2024 | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAlgeria: 0.28 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAlgeria: 1.14× the birth rate | 18.8 per 1,000#79 of 192 · 2024 | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLibya: 1.41× the death rate | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Algeria: 3.1 points higher | 29.9%#69 of 192 · 2025 | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Algeria: 1.6 points higher | 6.8%#104 of 192 · 2025 | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLibya: 0.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.6 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2025 | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLibya: 12.1× the refugees for its size | 0.19 per 1,000#105 of 190 · 2025 | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyAlgeria: 5.4 years longer | 76.5 years#72 of 192 · 2024 | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAlgeria: 2.47× the infant mortality | 19.5 per 1,000 births#70 of 191 · 2024 | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 1.66 per 1,000#90 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 54.4%#68 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexAlgeria: 0.042 higher | 0.763#95 of 190 · 2023 | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLibya: 1.24× the income per person | $5,850#106 of 185 · 2025 | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAlgeria: 5.97× the economy | $287.03B2025 | $48.1B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Algeria: 1.12× the output per person | $18,586#99 of 184 · 2025 | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 9.6 points higher | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLibya: 0.4 points higher | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 1.62× the unemployment | 11.6%#27 of 178 · 2025 | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureLibya: 0.5 points higher | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAlgeria: 13.7 points higher | 32.3% of jobs#11 of 178 · 2025 | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 13.1 points higher | 58.3% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 1.2 points higher | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 54.9 points higher | 16.8% of GDP#143 of 168 · 2025 | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAlgeria: 2.47× the military spending | 8.8% of GDP#2 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 |
| Internet usersLibya: 1.06× the share online | 77%#102 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 1.68× the mobile subscriptions | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2024 | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAlgeria: 7.0× the forest share | 1% of land#183 of 192 · 2024 | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLibya: 2.18× the CO₂ per person | 3.98 t a year#63 of 185 · 2024 | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLibya: 3.0 points higher | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityAlgeria: 22.6 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Libya: 1.21× the air pollution | 16.5 µg/m³#105 of 191 · 2023 | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landAlgeria: 4.6 points higher | 4.7% of land#166 of 191 · 2025 | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAlgeria: 2.2 points higher | 3.2% of land#148 of 190 · 2024 | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 5.64× the water stress | 144.8%#7 of 176 · 2022 | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAlgeria: 1.59× the rain and snow | 89 mm#174 of 180 · 2022 | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityAlgeria: 1.18 higher | −0.66#153 of 193 · 2025 | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionAlgeria: 1.00 higher | −0.53#122 of 193 · 2025 | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.2 per 100,000#97 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Military or transitionalin transition |
| Member of | OPEC | OPEC |
| Capital | Algiers | Tripoli |
| Currency | Algerian dinar (DZD) | Libyan dinar (LYD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Standard Algerian Berber | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +213 | +218 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Algeria sits at about 28° N and is stretched to 1.28× its true area; Libya at 27° N is stretched to 1.26×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Algeria bigger than Libya?
- Yes. Algeria is 35% larger than Libya. Algeria covers 2,381,741 km² and Libya covers 1,759,541 km².
- How many times does Libya fit into Algeria?
- About 1.4 times: Algeria has 1.35× the area of Libya.
- Why do Algeria and Libya look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Algeria is drawn about 1.28× its true area there and Libya about 1.26×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Algeria or Libya?
- Algeria: 47,435,312 people against 7,458,555. Density: Algeria 20 per km², Libya 4.2 per km².
- Which is richer, Algeria or Libya?
- By gross national income per person, Libya: $7,250 against $5,850 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.24× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Algeria or Libya?
- In Algeria: life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years, against 71.1 — 5.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Algeria and Libya have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Algeria: presidential republic; Libya: military or transitional.