Libya vs Tunisia
Libya is 10.8 times larger than Tunisia. Tunisia would fit into Libya about 11 times.
LibyaTunisiaLibya moved onto Tunisia · Equal-area projection
10.8×
Libya is 10.8× the area of Tunisia.
 Libya |  Tunisia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLibya: 10.8× the area | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 | 163,610 km²#90 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTunisia: 1.66× the population | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 | 12,348,573#80 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityTunisia: 17.8× the density | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 | 75 / km²#109 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 1.24× the urban share | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 71%#70 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLibya: 1.26× the births per woman | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 | 1.82 per woman#105 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLibya: 0.46 points higher | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 | +0.58%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLibya: 1.23× the birth rate | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 | 13.4 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLibya: 1.07× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 6.1 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Libya: 3.2 points higher | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 | 23.6%#101 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Tunisia: 4.7 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 9.9%#80 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLibya: 1.2 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLibya: 7.67× the refugees for its size | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 | 0.30 per 1,000#88 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyTunisia: 5.6 years longer | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 | 76.7 years#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityTunisia: 1.23× the infant mortality | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000 births#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 1.32 per 1,000#99 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | — | 38.1%#92 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexTunisia: 0.025 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.746#104 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLibya: 1.69× the income per person | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 | $4,300#124 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTunisia: 1.2× the economy | $48.1B2025 | $57.5B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Libya: 1.08× the output per person | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 | $15,233#108 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 10.9 points higher | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationTunisia: 3.4 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | +5.2%#40 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 1.25× the unemployment | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 | 15.1%#15 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 33.7#84 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureTunisia: 2.5 points higher | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 | 12.5% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryTunisia: 14.7 points higher | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 33.3% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 17.1 points higher | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 54.3% of jobs#101 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentTunisia: 0.3 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 25.0 points higher | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 | 46.7% of GDP#52 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLibya: 1.43× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 | 2.5% of GDP#41 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLibya: 1.07× the share online | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 | 77%#107 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 1.64× the mobile subscriptions | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTunisia: 44× the forest share | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 | 4% of land#167 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLibya: 3.31× the CO₂ per person | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 | 2.62 t a year#90 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyTunisia: 8.5 points higher | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 | 11.6%#136 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityTunisia: 22.6 points higher | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Libya: 1.06× the air pollution | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 | 18.9 µg/m³#91 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTunisia: 7.8 points higher | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 | 7.9% of land#152 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landTunisia: 16.8 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 17.8% of land#60 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 8.33× the water stress | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 | 98.1%#18 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationTunisia: 3.7× the rain and snow | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 | 207 mm#165 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTunisia: 1.14 higher | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 | −0.70#154 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionTunisia: 1.33 higher | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 | −0.20#92 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 4.7 per 100,000#50 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Military or transitionalin transition | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Tripoli | Tunis |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Tunisian dinar (TND) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +218 | +216 |
| 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; Tunisia at 34° N is stretched to 1.46×. 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 Tunisia?
- Yes. Libya is 10.8 times larger than Tunisia. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and Tunisia covers 163,610 km².
- How many times does Tunisia fit into Libya?
- About 11 times: Libya has 10.8× the area of Tunisia.
- Why do Libya and Tunisia 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 Tunisia about 1.46×. 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 Tunisia?
- Tunisia: 12,348,573 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², Tunisia 75 per km².
- Which is richer, Libya or Tunisia?
- By gross national income per person, Libya: $7,250 against $4,300 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.69× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Libya or Tunisia?
- In Tunisia: life expectancy at birth is 76.7 years, against 71.1 — 5.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Libya and Tunisia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Libya: military or transitional; Tunisia: parliamentary republic.