Summary
- Exports
- $30.6billion
- Imports
- $20.9billion
- Trade balance
- +$9.7billion
Products
What it exports
Crude petroleum (90.6%) and refined petroleum (2.5%) together make up 93.1% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (19%) and cars (3.7%) together make up 22.7% of its imports.
Its products
Destinations and sources of its products that have their own page.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $29.3 billion | $4.1 billion |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $512 million | $260 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $226 million | $50 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $182 million | $26 million |
| 74 · Copper | $138 million | $18 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $81 million | $215 million |
| 78 · Lead | $31 million | $670 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $23 million | $266 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $20 million | $227 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $18 million | $31 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $16 million | $3 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $10 million | $331 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $6 million | $239 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $5 million | $371 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $4 million | $123 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $4 million | $1.9 billion |
| 39 · Plastics | $4 million | $746 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $2 million | $1.4 billion |
| 51 · Wool | $2 million | $146 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $1 million | $229 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $1 million | $79 thousand |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $1 million | $19 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $1 million | $47 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $1 million | $3 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $1 million | $1.3 billion |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 million | $128 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $641 thousand | $252 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $435 thousand | $799 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $417 thousand | $14 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $384 thousand | $334 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $368 thousand | $387 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $326 thousand | $384 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $313 thousand | $578 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $305 thousand | $67 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $285 thousand | $545 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $261 thousand | $92 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $243 thousand | $493 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $199 thousand | $240 thousand |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $193 thousand | $484 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $188 thousand | $76 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $181 thousand | $184 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $177 thousand | $234 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $166 thousand | $305 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $120 thousand | $115 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $111 thousand | $105 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $86 thousand | $559 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $82 thousand | $26 million |
| 80 · Tin | $65 thousand | $214 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $61 thousand | $17 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $44 thousand | $294 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $39 thousand | $90 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $36 thousand | $63 million |
| 70 · Glass | $34 thousand | $94 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $31 thousand | $163 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $30 thousand | $96 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $26 thousand | $138 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $24 thousand | $15 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $21 thousand | $252 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $20 thousand | $53 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $18 thousand | $55 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $16 thousand | $3 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $13 thousand | $2 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $12 thousand | $26 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $12 thousand | $138 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $11 thousand | $16 million |
| 44 · Wood | $9 thousand | $181 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $8 thousand | $487 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $7 thousand | $214 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $6 thousand | $38 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $5 thousand | $456 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $4 thousand | $72 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $4 thousand | $342 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $2 thousand | $323 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $2 thousand | $55 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $2 thousand | $317 million |
| 65 · Hats | $1 thousand | $4 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $875 | $67 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $855 | $514 thousand |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $237 | $49 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $53 | $2 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $42 | $6 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $30 | $2 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $20 | $213 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $19 | $8 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $2 | $7 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $321 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $0 | $29 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $0 | $9 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $4 million |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $2 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $2 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $961 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $290 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $217 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $131 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $12 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Italy (24.6% of exports) and its main source is China (17.1% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 7.5 | 24.6% | Sea |
| Germany | 4.6 | 15.1% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 2.8 | 9.1% | Sea |
| Greece | 2.6 | 8.6% | Sea |
| Spain | 2.5 | 8.3% | Sea |
| France | 2.3 | 7.5% | Sea |
| United States | 1.5 | 4.9% | Sea |
| China | 1.2 | 3.8% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 0.98 | 3.2% | Sea |
| Austria | 0.69 | 2.3% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Libya accounted for 0.13% of world exports, compared with 0.18% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 3.3-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 30.6
- Imports 20.9
- Balance +9.7
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $9.2 billion | $4.3 billion | $4.9 billion |
| 1996 | $10.9 billion | $4.8 billion | $6.1 billion |
| 1997 | $10.3 billion | $4.9 billion | $5.5 billion |
| 1998 | $7.4 billion | $4.3 billion | $3 billion |
| 1999 | $8.7 billion | $3.7 billion | $5 billion |
| 2000 | $13.9 billion | $3.4 billion | $10.5 billion |
| 2001 | $12.4 billion | $3.9 billion | $8.5 billion |
| 2002 | $10.1 billion | $5 billion | $5.1 billion |
| 2003 | $13.8 billion | $5.5 billion | $8.3 billion |
| 2004 | $19.3 billion | $7 billion | $12.4 billion |
| 2005 | $28.7 billion | $7.9 billion | $20.8 billion |
| 2006 | $38.5 billion | $9 billion | $29.4 billion |
| 2007 | $37.7 billion | $9.3 billion | $28.4 billion |
| 2008 | $52.6 billion | $12.7 billion | $39.8 billion |
| 2009 | $34 billion | $15.8 billion | $18.3 billion |
| 2010 | $39 billion | $20.7 billion | $18.3 billion |
| 2011 | $18.7 billion | $7 billion | $11.7 billion |
| 2012 | $59.2 billion | $22 billion | $37.2 billion |
| 2013 | $42.8 billion | $25.4 billion | $17.4 billion |
| 2014 | $20.9 billion | $18.1 billion | $2.8 billion |
| 2015 | $11.1 billion | $12.8 billion | -$1.7 billion |
| 2016 | $20.3 billion | $10.5 billion | $9.8 billion |
| 2017 | $20.7 billion | $9.7 billion | $11 billion |
| 2018 | $31.8 billion | $13.3 billion | $18.5 billion |
| 2019 | $32.9 billion | $15.3 billion | $17.7 billion |
| 2020 | $9.3 billion | $12.4 billion | -$3.1 billion |
| 2021 | $32.8 billion | $17.3 billion | $15.5 billion |
| 2022 | $40 billion | $19.7 billion | $20.3 billion |
| 2023 | $35.7 billion | $23.1 billion | $12.7 billion |
| 2024 | $30.6 billion | $20.9 billion | $9.7 billion |
World rank
Libya fell from 52nd to 69th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 52nd in 1995
- 69th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 52nd |
| 1996 | 52nd |
| 1997 | 52nd |
| 1998 | 58th |
| 1999 | 57th |
| 2000 | 53rd |
| 2001 | 54th |
| 2002 | 60th |
| 2003 | 58th |
| 2004 | 54th |
| 2005 | 52nd |
| 2006 | 51st |
| 2007 | 55th |
| 2008 | 55th |
| 2009 | 57th |
| 2010 | 57th |
| 2011 | 76th |
| 2012 | 57th |
| 2013 | 59th |
| 2014 | 73rd |
| 2015 | 88th |
| 2016 | 69th |
| 2017 | 70th |
| 2018 | 67th |
| 2019 | 65th |
| 2020 | 92nd |
| 2021 | 68th |
| 2022 | 67th |
| 2023 | 68th |
| 2024 | 69th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still oil, gas and coal: 96% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 0%
- Fruit and nuts 0%
- Lead 0%
- Aluminum 0%
- Copper 0%
- Inorganic chemicals 1%
- Organic chemicals 1%
- Iron and steel 2%
- Oil, gas and coal 96%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, gas and coal | 92% | 95.8% |
| Iron and steel | 2% | 1.7% |
| Organic chemicals | 3.2% | 0.74% |
| Inorganic chemicals | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Copper | 0.01% | 0.45% |
| Aluminum | 0% | 0.27% |
| Lead | 0% | 0.1% |
| Fruit and nuts | 0.01% | 0.07% |
| Other | 2.5% | 0.35% |
Who it trades with
Italy went from 35% to 19% of Libya's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Italy 19%
- Germany 10%
- China 9%
- Greece 7%
- Turkey 7%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 34.8% | 19.3% |
| Germany | 14.9% | 10.2% |
| China | 0.78% | 9.2% |
| Greece | 1.4% | 7.4% |
| Turkey | 4.6% | 6.5% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
- Sirte basin (conventional onshore)
- Murzuq basin
- Sirte basin (LNG)
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.