Merchandise imports in Libya
Libya: Merchandise imports was 19.31 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports in Libya, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise imports in Libya stood at 19.31 billion current US$.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 54.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Libya peaked at 28.08 billion current US$ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 149.00 million current US$, in 1961.
That places Libya 86th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Libya, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 169.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 149.00 million current US$ | -11.8% |
| 1962 | 206.00 million current US$ | +38.3% |
| 1963 | 239.00 million current US$ | +16.0% |
| 1964 | 292.00 million current US$ | +22.2% |
| 1965 | 320.00 million current US$ | +9.6% |
| 1966 | 405.00 million current US$ | +26.6% |
| 1967 | 477.00 million current US$ | +17.8% |
| 1968 | 645.00 million current US$ | +35.2% |
| 1969 | 676.00 million current US$ | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 554.00 million current US$ | -18.0% |
| 1971 | 703.00 million current US$ | +26.9% |
| 1972 | 1.04 billion current US$ | +48.4% |
| 1973 | 1.81 billion current US$ | +73.2% |
| 1974 | 2.76 billion current US$ | +52.9% |
| 1975 | 3.54 billion current US$ | +28.2% |
| 1976 | 3.21 billion current US$ | -9.3% |
| 1977 | 3.77 billion current US$ | +17.5% |
| 1978 | 4.60 billion current US$ | +22.0% |
| 1979 | 5.31 billion current US$ | +15.4% |
| 1980 | 6.78 billion current US$ | +27.6% |
| 1981 | 8.38 billion current US$ | +23.7% |
| 1982 | 7.17 billion current US$ | -14.4% |
| 1983 | 6.03 billion current US$ | -16.0% |
| 1984 | 6.22 billion current US$ | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 4.10 billion current US$ | -34.1% |
| 1986 | 4.45 billion current US$ | +8.4% |
| 1987 | 4.68 billion current US$ | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 5.87 billion current US$ | +25.3% |
| 1989 | 4.39 billion current US$ | -25.1% |
| 1990 | 5.66 billion current US$ | +28.9% |
| 1991 | 5.34 billion current US$ | -5.7% |
| 1992 | 5.17 billion current US$ | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 5.55 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 4.32 billion current US$ | -22.1% |
| 1995 | 5.15 billion current US$ | +19.1% |
| 1996 | 5.59 billion current US$ | +8.5% |
| 1997 | 5.53 billion current US$ | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 5.60 billion current US$ | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 4.25 billion current US$ | -24.1% |
| 2000 | 2.08 billion current US$ | -51.1% |
| 2001 | 2.33 billion current US$ | +12.0% |
| 2002 | 2.92 billion current US$ | +25.5% |
| 2003 | 3.33 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 4.22 billion current US$ | +26.7% |
| 2005 | 4.36 billion current US$ | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 4.93 billion current US$ | +13.1% |
| 2007 | 7.20 billion current US$ | +45.9% |
| 2008 | 9.72 billion current US$ | +35.1% |
| 2009 | 13.56 billion current US$ | +39.5% |
| 2010 | 26.32 billion current US$ | +94.1% |
| 2011 | 7.17 billion current US$ | -72.8% |
| 2012 | 21.59 billion current US$ | +201.3% |
| 2013 | 28.08 billion current US$ | +30.0% |
| 2014 | 19.43 billion current US$ | -30.8% |
| 2015 | 12.54 billion current US$ | -35.5% |
| 2016 | 10.66 billion current US$ | -15.0% |
| 2017 | 9.41 billion current US$ | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 13.74 billion current US$ | +46.1% |
| 2019 | 15.11 billion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2020 | 11.10 billion current US$ | -26.5% |
| 2021 | 14.96 billion current US$ | +34.8% |
| 2022 | 16.13 billion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 18.20 billion current US$ | +12.8% |
| 2024 | 18.50 billion current US$ | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 19.31 billion current US$ | +4.4% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 19.31 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.19 billion current US$, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Libya's 19.31 billion current US$ is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 39.57 billion current US$, 49% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports in Libya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +201.3% | 7.17 billion current US$ | 21.59 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 357.80 million current US$ | 149.00 million current US$ | 676.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.73 billion current US$ | 554.00 million current US$ | 5.31 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.81 billion current US$ | 4.10 billion current US$ | 8.38 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.22 billion current US$ | 4.25 billion current US$ | 5.66 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.47 billion current US$ | 2.08 billion current US$ | 13.56 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.40 billion current US$ | 7.17 billion current US$ | 28.08 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.36 billion current US$ | 11.10 billion current US$ | 19.31 billion current US$ | 6 |
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)
- Food exports 0.1% (2019)
- Manufactures exports 0.6% (2019)
- Merchandise exports 30.09 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,034 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6255 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -0.3511 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 2,589 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Libya?
- Merchandise imports in Libya was 19.31 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 28.08 billion current US$ in 2013.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 149.00 million current US$ in 1961.
- How does Libya rank for merchandise imports?
- Libya ranks 86th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.