Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malta fits inside Libya 5,499 times.
Libya: 1,759,540 km² (2023) · Malta: 320 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Libya’s coastline is 9 times as long as Malta’s.
Libya: 1,770 km (2026 edition) · Malta: 197 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Libya’s highest peak towers 2,014 m above Malta’s.
Libya: 2,267 m (2026 edition) · Malta: 253 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Libya has 13 times as many people as Malta.
Libya: 7.46 million (2025) · Malta: 579,704 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malta is 427 times as densely populated as Libya.
Libya: 4 per km² (2025) · Malta: 1,812 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Libya are 2.0 cm taller than in Malta.
Libya: 176.4 cm (2019) · Malta: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Malta and Libya are practically level.
Libya: 162.6 cm (2019) · Malta: 163 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malta is 13 years older than in Libya.
Libya: 27.2 years (2023) · Malta: 40.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Libya have 1.3 more children on average than in Malta.
Libya: 2.3 children per woman (2024) · Malta: 1.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Malta are 65 or older, versus 5.2% in Libya.
Libya: 5.2% (2025) · Malta: 20.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Libya: 0 (2025) · Malta: no data
How many official languages?
Malta has 2 official languages, Libya 1.
Libya: 1 (2026) · Malta: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Libya’s economy is 73% larger than Malta’s.
Libya: $48.1 billion (2025) · Malta: $27.8 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malta produces 4.4 times as much per person as Libya.
Libya: Int$16,521 (2025) · Malta: Int$72,210 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Libya: no data · Malta: 31.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 19% in Libya, versus 2.9% in Malta.
Libya: 18.8% (2025) · Malta: 2.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Libya spends 5.3% of its GDP on the military, Malta 0.5%.
Libya: 5.3% (2023) · Malta: 0.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Malta’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Libya’s.
Libya: 39% (2025) · Malta: 66% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malta spends 7.7 times as much on health per person as Libya.
Libya: $470 (2023) · Malta: $3,623 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malta live 12 years longer than in Libya.
Libya: 71.1 years (2024) · Malta: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Libya is 68% more likely to die before turning one than in Malta.
Libya: 7.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Malta: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malta has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Libya.
Libya: 2 per 1,000 (2017) · Malta: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
Libya and Malta are practically level.
Libya: 33.5% (2024) · Malta: 33.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Malta and Libya are practically level.
Libya: 24.2% (2024) · Malta: 24.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malta rate their lives 0.71 points higher than in Libya.
Libya: 5.73 (2025) · Malta: 6.44 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Malta drink 3,333 times as much alcohol as in Libya.
Libya: 0.0023 litres (2023) · Malta: 7.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malta has 64% more meat per person than Libya.
Libya: 43.7 kg (2023) · Malta: 71.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malta has 539 kcal more food per person per day than Libya.
Libya: 2,867 kcal (2023) · Malta: 3,407 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Libya: no data · Malta: 1,848 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malta went to school 4.6 years longer than in Libya.
Libya: 7.8 years (2023) · Malta: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Libya: no data · Malta: 6.26 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Malta are online, versus 82% in Libya.
Libya: 82% (2024) · Malta: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malta have electricity, versus 77% in Libya.
Libya: 77.4% (2024) · Malta: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in Malta live in cities, versus 88% in Libya.
Libya: 88% (2025) · Malta: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Libya has 193 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Malta 142.
Libya: 193 (2022) · Malta: 142 (2024)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malta fly 28 times as many passengers per resident as those from Libya.
Libya: 0.15 (2023) · Malta: 4.12 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 1.4% of Malta, but only 0.1% of Libya.
Libya: 0.1% (2023) · Malta: 1.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Libya emits 2.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Malta.
Libya: 8.8 t (2024) · Malta: 3.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
16% of Malta’s electricity is renewable, versus 0.0% in Libya.
Libya: 0% (2024) · Malta: 16% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Libya carries 54% more fine dust than in Malta.
Libya: 17.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Malta: 11.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Libya: no data · Malta: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Libya are 18 times as deadly as in Malta.
Libya: 34 per 100k (2021) · Malta: 1.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Libya: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malta: no data
How much rain falls?
Libya: 19 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malta: no data
Quick answers
Is Libya bigger than Malta?
Libya is larger. Malta fits inside Libya 5,499 times.
Which has more people, Libya or Malta?
Libya has 13 times as many people as Malta (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Libya or Malta?
People in Malta live 12 years longer than in Libya. Life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years in Libya and 83.0 in Malta.
Are people taller in Libya or Malta?
Men in Libya are 2.0 cm taller than in Malta (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
