Libya vs Niger
Libya is 39% larger than Niger.
LibyaNigerLibya moved onto Niger · Equal-area projection
1.39×
Libya is 1.39× the area of Niger.
 Libya |  Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLibya: 1.39× the area | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNiger: 3.74× the population | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNiger: 5.2× the density | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 | 22 / km²#163 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 4.78× the urban share | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNiger: 2.58× the births per woman | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNiger: 2.18 points higher | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNiger: 2.51× the birth rate | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 | 41.4 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNiger: 1.34× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Niger: 19.4 points higher | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Libya: 2.6 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLibya: 0.3 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNiger: 1.33× the refugees for its size | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyLibya: 9.7 years longer | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNiger: 8.3× the infant mortality | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexLibya: 0.302 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLibya: 9.67× the income per person | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPLibya: 2.22× the economy | $48.1B2025 | $21.65B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Libya: 7.59× the output per person | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 6.4 points higher | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLibya: 6.3 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 47× the unemployment | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 63.0 points higher | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLibya: 9.3 points higher | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 53.7 points higher | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 0.5 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 55.9 points higher | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLibya: 1.67× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLibya: 5.26× the share online | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 3.16× the mobile subscriptions | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNiger: 8.0× the forest share | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLibya: 72.2× the CO₂ per person | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNiger: 76.5 points higher | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityLibya: 56.1 points higher | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Niger: 3.26× the air pollution | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNiger: 20.9 points higher | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNiger: 13.0 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 74.3× the water stress | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNiger: 2.7× the rain and snow | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNiger: 0.07 higher | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNiger: 0.79 higher | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Military or transitionalin transition | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Tripoli | Niamey |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic | Hausa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +218 | +227 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Western 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. Libya sits at about 27° N and is stretched to 1.26× its true area; Niger at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. 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 Libya bigger than Niger?
- Yes. Libya is 39% larger than Niger. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and Niger covers 1,267,000 km².
- How many times does Niger fit into Libya?
- About 1.4 times: Libya has 1.39× the area of Niger.
- Why do Libya and Niger look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Libya is drawn about 1.26× its true area there and Niger about 1.1×. 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, Libya or Niger?
- Niger: 27,917,831 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², Niger 22 per km².
- Which is richer, Libya or Niger?
- By gross national income per person, Libya: $7,250 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 9.67× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Libya or Niger?
- In Libya: life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years, against 61.4 — 9.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Libya and Niger have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: military or transitional (CIA World Factbook).