International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Libya
Libya: International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) was 10.8% in 2018. ▲ Rising
International tourism, expenditures in Libya, 1995–2018
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, expenditures in Libya is 10.8%, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.3% on the previous year and up 110.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in Libya peaked at 13.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1996.
Libya ranks 20th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in Libya, year by year
| Year | % of total imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1.7% | — |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -24.6% |
| 1997 | 4.3% | +233.5% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | +74.3% |
| 1999 | 10.8% | +45.3% |
| 2000 | 9.9% | -9.2% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | -25.2% |
| 2003 | 7.8% | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 7.4% | -5.7% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | -14.8% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -14.3% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 6.2% | +20.8% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | +14.5% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | +14.4% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | -25.0% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | -42.7% |
| 2015 | 5.1% | +44.5% |
| 2016 | 7.0% | +39.2% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | +88.5% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | -18.3% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 10.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.1%, 3.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Libya's 10.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.7%, 2.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +233.5% | 1.3% | 4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.1% | 1.3% | 10.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 5.0% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 3.5% | 13.3% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More private sector data for Libya
- Merchandise trade 102.7% (2025)
- Food imports 21.6% (2019)
- Manufactures imports 62.7% (2019)
- Merchandise imports 19.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 9.30 billion current US$ (2023)
- Food exports 0.1% (2019)
- Manufactures exports 0.6% (2019)
- Merchandise exports 30.09 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 628.90 million current US$ (2023)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,034 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in Libya?
- International tourism, expenditures in Libya was 10.8% in 2018, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1996.
- How does Libya rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- Libya ranks 20th out of 186 countries with data for 2018.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 110.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Their share in imports is calculated as a ratio to imports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from nonresidents to residents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.