Libya vs United States
United States is 5.58 times larger than Libya. Libya would fit into United States about 5.6 times.
LibyaUnited StatesLibya moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.18×
Libya is 0.18× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 5.58× the size of Libya.
 Libya |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 5.58× the area | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 45.8× the population | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited States: 8.21× the density | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 1.1× the urban share | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLibya: 1.41× the births per woman | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLibya: 0.52 points higher | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLibya: 1.56× the birth rate | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.38× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Libya: 9.7 points higher | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 13.2 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 3.6 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLibya: 230× the refugees for its size | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 7.8 years longer | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLibya: 1.44× the infant mortality | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.217 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 12.2× the income per person | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 640× the economy | $48.1B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 5.45× the output per person | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 11.2 points higher | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited States: 1.1 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 4.48× the unemployment | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLibya: 8.5 points higher | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 0.3 points higher | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 8.2 points higher | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 0.7 points higher | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 60.7 points higher | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingLibya: 1.14× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.15× the share online | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 1.71× the mobile subscriptions | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 338× the forest share | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 1.57× the CO₂ per person | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyUnited States: 7.8 points higher | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 22.6 points higher | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Libya: 2.86× the air pollution | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited States: 12.8 points higher | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 15.6 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 29.0× the water stress | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationUnited States: 12.8× the rain and snow | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 1.54 higher | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 2.40 higher | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Military or transitionalin transition | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | OPEC | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Tripoli | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +218 | +1 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Libya is 5.58 times smaller than United States. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Libya fit into United States?
- About 5.6 times: United States has 5.58× the area of Libya.
- Why do Libya and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Libya or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $7,250 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 12.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Libya or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 71.1 — 7.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Libya and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Libya: military or transitional; United States: presidential republic.