Average years of schooling in Libya
Libya: Average years of schooling was 9.57 years in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Average years of schooling in Libya, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2020, average years of schooling in Libya stood at 9.57 years. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Libya peaked at 9.57 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.01 years, in 1870.
That places Libya 54th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Average years of schooling in Libya, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.01 years | — |
| 1875 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.05 years | +400.0% |
| 1915 | 0.08 years | +60.0% |
| 1920 | 0.1 years | +25.0% |
| 1925 | 0.19 years | +90.0% |
| 1930 | 0.26 years | +36.8% |
| 1935 | 0.31 years | +19.2% |
| 1940 | 0.36 years | +16.1% |
| 1945 | 0.41 years | +13.9% |
| 1950 | 0.47 years | +14.6% |
| 1955 | 0.59 years | +25.5% |
| 1960 | 0.72 years | +22.0% |
| 1965 | 1.09 years | +51.4% |
| 1970 | 1.66 years | +52.3% |
| 1975 | 2.35 years | +41.6% |
| 1980 | 3.45 years | +46.8% |
| 1985 | 4.55 years | +31.9% |
| 1990 | 5.42 years | +19.1% |
| 1995 | 6.13 years | +13.1% |
| 2000 | 7.04 years | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 7.79 years | +10.7% |
| 2010 | 8.43 years | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 9.05 years | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 9.57 years | +5.7% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 9.57 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.83 years, 97% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Libya's 9.57 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.09 years, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Average years of schooling in Libya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +400.0% | 0.01 years | 0.05 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 0.01 years | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.065 years | 0.05 years | 0.08 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.145 years | 0.1 years | 0.19 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.285 years | 0.26 years | 0.31 years | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.385 years | 0.36 years | 0.41 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.53 years | 0.47 years | 0.59 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.905 years | 0.72 years | 1.09 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 2 years | 1.66 years | 2.35 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 4 years | 3.45 years | 4.55 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.78 years | 5.42 years | 6.13 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.42 years | 7.04 years | 7.79 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.74 years | 8.43 years | 9.05 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 9.57 years | 9.57 years | 9.57 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More education data for Libya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 30,673 (1983)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 69,173 (1983)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 11,554 (2006)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 10,692 (2006)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 732,614 (2006)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 755,338 (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.8 % change on previous year (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1263 units per person (2006)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Libya?
- Average years of schooling in Libya was 9.57 years in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 9.57 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 years in 1870.
- How does Libya rank for average years of schooling?
- Libya ranks 54th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.