Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sudan is 7% bigger than Libya.
Libya: 1,759,540 km² (2023) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Libya’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as Sudan’s.
Libya: 1,770 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sudan’s highest peak towers 775 m above Libya’s.
Libya: 2,267 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 6.9 times as many people as Libya.
Libya: 7.46 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sudan is 6.5 times as densely populated as Libya.
Libya: 4 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Libya are 4.3 cm taller than in Sudan.
Libya: 176.4 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Libya are 2.2 cm taller than in Sudan.
Libya: 162.6 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Libya is 8.9 years older than in Sudan.
Libya: 27.2 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 2.0 more children on average than in Libya.
Libya: 2.3 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
5.2% of people in Libya are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan.
Libya: 5.2% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Libya and Sudan are practically level.
Libya: 0 (2025) · Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, Libya 1.
Libya: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sudan’s economy is 25% larger than Libya’s.
Libya: $48.1 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Libya produces 7.5 times as much per person as Sudan.
Libya: Int$16,521 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Libya: no data · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 19% in Libya, versus 7.5% in Sudan.
Libya: 18.8% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Libya spends 5.3% of its GDP on the military, Sudan 0.9%.
Libya: 5.3% (2023) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Libya’s.
Libya: 39% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Libya spends 22 times as much on health per person as Sudan.
Libya: $470 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Libya live 4.6 years longer than in Sudan.
Libya: 71.1 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 5.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Libya.
Libya: 7.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Libya has 8.2 times as many doctors per person as Sudan.
Libya: 2 per 1,000 (2017) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Libya are obese, versus 16% in Sudan.
Libya: 33.5% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Libya: 24.2% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Libya rate their lives 1.59 points higher than in Sudan.
Libya: 5.73 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 610 times as much alcohol as in Libya.
Libya: 0.0023 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Libya has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Sudan.
Libya: 43.7 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Libya has 354 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan.
Libya: 2,867 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Libya: no data · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Libya went to school 3.8 years longer than in Sudan.
Libya: 7.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Libya: no data · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in Libya are online, versus 19% in Sudan.
Libya: 82% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
Who has electricity at home?
77% of people in Libya have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan.
Libya: 77.4% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Libya live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan.
Libya: 88% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Libya has 193 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70.
Libya: 193 (2022) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Libya: no data · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Libya fly 8.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan.
Libya: 0.15 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 9.6% of Sudan, but only 0.1% of Libya.
Libya: 0.1% (2023) · Sudan: 9.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Libya emits 25 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan.
Libya: 8.8 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 0.0% in Libya.
Libya: 0% (2024) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 68% more fine dust than in Libya.
Libya: 17.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Libya are 73% deadlier than in Sudan.
Libya: 34 per 100k (2021) · Sudan: 19.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 4.7 °C warmer than Libya.
Libya: 23°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sudan gets 8.8 times as much rain as Libya.
Libya: 19 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Libya bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Sudan is 7% bigger than Libya.
Which has more people, Libya or Sudan?
Sudan has 6.9 times as many people as Libya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Libya or Sudan?
People in Libya live 4.6 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years in Libya and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Libya or Sudan?
Men in Libya are 4.3 cm taller than in Sudan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
