Libya vs Russia
Russia is 9.7 times larger than Libya. Libya would fit into Russia about 9.7 times.
LibyaRussiaLibya moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.1×
Libya is 0.1× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 9.7× the size of Libya.
 Libya |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 9.7× the area | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 19.2× the population | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRussia: 1.98× the density | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 1.17× the urban share | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLibya: 1.62× the births per woman | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLibya: 1.15 points higher | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLibya: 1.96× the birth rate | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.91× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Libya: 9.8 points higher | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 12.6 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLibya: 1.8 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLibya: 3.33× the refugees for its size | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 2.3 years longer | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLibya: 1.93× the infant mortality | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.111 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 2.2× the income per person | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 53.3× the economy | $48.1B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 3.0× the output per person | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 12.4 points higher | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 6.9 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 8.95× the unemployment | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLibya: 4.9 points higher | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 7.2 points higher | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 2.3 points higher | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 1.3 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 53.5 points higher | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 2.1× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.15× the share online | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 508× the forest share | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.61× the CO₂ per person | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyRussia: 0.4 points higher | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 22.6 points higher | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Libya: 1.72× the air pollution | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRussia: 11.4 points higher | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 6.4 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 199× the water stress | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationRussia: 8.21× the rain and snow | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityRussia: 0.90 higher | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRussia: 0.55 higher | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Military or transitionalin transition | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | OPEC | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Tripoli | Moscow |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +218 | +7 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Libya. 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 Russia?
- No. Libya is 9.7 times smaller than Russia. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Libya fit into Russia?
- About 9.7 times: Russia has 9.7× the area of Libya.
- Why do Libya and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Libya. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Libya or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Libya or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $7,250 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Libya or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 71.1 — 2.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Libya and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Libya: military or transitional; Russia: semi-presidential republic.