Libya vs Sudan
Sudan is 7% larger than Libya.
LibyaSudanLibya moved onto Sudan · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Libya is 0.93× the area of Sudan. Put the other way, Sudan is 1.07× the size of Libya.
 Libya |  Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSudan: 1.07× the area | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 | 1,886,068 km²#15 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSudan: 6.93× the population | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 | 51,662,147#30 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySudan: 6.46× the density | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 | 27 / km²#157 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 2.52× the urban share | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 35%#159 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSudan: 1.85× the births per woman | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 | 4.26 per woman#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSudan: 1.34 points higher | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 | +2.38%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSudan: 2.0× the birth rate | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 | 33.0 per 1,000#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLibya: 1.03× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 6.3 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sudan: 13.4 points higher | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 | 40.2%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Libya: 1.8 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSudan: 5.6 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSudan: 23.7× the refugees for its size | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 | 54.60 per 1,000#7 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyLibya: 4.6 years longer | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySudan: 5.43× the infant mortality | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 | 42.9 per 1,000 births#23 of 191 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexLibya: 0.210 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.511#173 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLibya: 8.06× the income per person | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 | $900#173 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSudan: 1.25× the economy | $48.1B2025 | $60.16B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Libya: 7.54× the output per person | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 | $2,192#175 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 10.3 points higher | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSudan: 137.0 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | +138.8%#2 of 176 · 2022 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 2.51× the unemployment | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureSudan: 29.8 points higher | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 | 39.8% of jobs#41 of 178 · 2022 |
| Jobs in industryLibya: 4.6 points higher | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 14.0% of jobs#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 25.2 points higher | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 46.2% of jobs#134 of 178 · 2022 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 1.7 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 70.6 points higher | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#168 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLibya: 3.84× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 | 0.9% of GDP#118 of 155 · 2021 |
| Internet users | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 2.76× the mobile subscriptions | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSudan: 119× the forest share | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 | 12% of land#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLibya: 20.1× the CO₂ per person | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySudan: 57.9 points higher | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 | 61.0%#37 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityLibya: 11.4 points higher | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 | 66.0%#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Sudan: 1.88× the air pollution | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 | 37.6 µg/m³#27 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSudan: 2.7 points higher | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 | 2.8% of land#177 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSudan: 10.2 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 11.2% of land#92 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 6.88× the water stress | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 | 118.7%#14 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSudan: 4.46× the rain and snow | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 | 250 mm#158 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLibya: 0.23 higher | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 | −2.07#187 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLibya: 0.04 higher | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 | −1.57#188 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Military or transitionalin transition | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Tripoli | Khartoum |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Sudanese pound (SDG) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic | English, Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +218 | +249 |
| 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. Libya sits at about 27° N and is stretched to 1.26× its true area; Sudan at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Sudan?
- No. Libya is 7% smaller than Sudan. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and Sudan covers 1,886,068 km².
- How many times does Libya fit into Sudan?
- About 1.1 times: Sudan has 1.07× the area of Libya.
- Why do Libya and Sudan 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 Sudan about 1.08×. 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 Sudan?
- Sudan: 51,662,147 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², Sudan 27 per km².
- Which is richer, Libya or Sudan?
- By gross national income per person, Libya: $7,250 against $900 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 8.06× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Libya or Sudan?
- In Libya: life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years, against 66.5 — 4.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Libya and Sudan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Libya: military or transitional; Sudan: presidential republic.