Libya: SOCIETY

SOCIETY



Population: According to a U.S. government July 2004 estimate, the Libyan population stood at 5,631,585, including non-nationals, of whom approximately 500,000 are sub-Saharan Africans living in Libya. According to the 2004 Libyan census, the total population is listed as 5,882,667. The population growth rate was estimated to be 2.4 percent in 2004. The overall population density is approximately three persons per square kilometer, which is one of the world’s lowest population densities. The population is unevenly distributed, with more than two-thirds living in the densely settled coastal areas. The indigenous population of Libya is mostly Berber and Arab in origin. About 17 percent of the population consists of foreign workers and their families, especially expatriate workers from other Arab states and sub-Saharan Africa. Some 86 to 90 percent of the people live in urban areas, mostly concentrated in the two largest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi, although some Libyans still live in nomadic or semi-nomadic groups.



Demography: Fifty percent of the population is estimated to be under the age of 15. Only 0.95 percent of Libyans are more than 65 years of age. According to 2004 estimates, the birthrate is 27.2 per 1,000, and the death rate is 3.5 per 1,000. The overall fertility rate is 3.5 births per woman. The infant mortality rate is 25.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2004 the overall life expectancy was 76.3 years: 74.1 years for males, 78.6 years for females.



Ethnic Groups: The present population of Libya is composed of several distinct groups. By far the majority identify themselves as Arabs. Arab invaders brought the Arab language and culture to Libya between the seventh and eleventh centuries, but intermarriage with Berbers and other indigenous peoples over the centuries has produced so mixed a strain that few Libyans can substantiate claims to pure or even predominantly Arab ancestry. These Arabic-speaking Muslims of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry make up 90 percent of the country's population. Berbers, other indigenous minority peoples, and black Africans make up most of the remainder, although small, scattered groups of Greeks, Muslim Cretans, Maltese, and Armenians make up long-established communities in urban areas.

Languages: The official language is Arabic. Government policy discourages the use of other languages, but English is used extensively—even by the government for some purposes—and ranks as a second language. Italian and French also are spoken, and small minorities speak Berber dialects.



Religion: Islam is the official religion, and nearly the entire population adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam. There is no significant Shia presence in Libya. Muammar al Qadhafi established the Islamic Call Society, which helps guide Libya’s foreign policy, interacts with other religions in the country, and generally promotes a moderate form of Islam. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2004 annual report on religious freedom, the Libyan government restricts religious freedom but is tolerant of other faiths. The government controls most mosques and Islamic institutions. Small Christian communities, composed almost entirely of foreigners, and even smaller numbers of Hindus, Baha’is, and Buddhists can be found in Libya. Non-Muslims are rarely harassed unless the practice of their faith is perceived as politically motivated. A non-Libyan woman who marries a Muslim man is not required to convert to Islam; however, a non-Libyan man must convert to marry a Muslim woman. The Libyan government aggressively opposes fundamentalist or militant Islam because it is perceived as a threat to the regime. Some Muslims have shaved their beards to avoid harassment from members of the government security forces who associate beards with militant Islam.



Education and Literacy: In the early 1980s, estimates of total literacy were between 50 and 60 percent, or about 70 percent for men and 35 percent for women, but the gender gap has since narrowed, especially because of increased female school attendance. For 2001 the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report estimates that the adult literacy rate climbed to about 80.8 percent, or 91.3 percent for males and 69.3 percent for females. According to 2004 U.S. government estimates, 82 percent of the total adult population (age 15 and older) is literate, or 92 percent of males and 72 percent of females.



Primary education is both free and compulsory in Libya. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 attend primary school and then attend secondary school for three additional years (15- to 18-year-olds). According to figures reported for the year 2000, approximately 766,807 students attended primary school and had 97,334 teachers; approximately 717,000 students were enrolled in secondary, technical, and vocational schools; and about 287,172 students were enrolled in Libya’s universities.



In 2001 public expenditures on education amounted to about 2.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Although no figures were found for government expenditures on education, Libyan television announced on September 1, 2004, that a new ministry for education had been formed, the General People’s Committee for Higher Education.



Health: Basic health care is provided to all citizens. Health, training, rehabilitation, education, housing, family issues, and disability and old-age benefits are all regulated by “Decision No. 111” (dated December 9, 1999) of the General People’s Committee on the Promulgation of the By-Law Enforcement Law No. 20 of 1998 on the Social Care Fund. The health care system is not purely state-run but rather a mixed system of public and private care. In comparison to other states in the Middle East, the health status of the population is relatively good. Childhood immunization is almost universal. The clean water supply has increased, and sanitation has been improved. The country’s major hospitals are in Tripoli and Benghazi, and private health clinics and diagnostic centers, offering newer equipment and better service, compete with the public sector. However, if they can afford it, many Libyans nonetheless travel to Tunisia or to Europe if they need sophisticated medical treatment.



The number of medical doctors and dentists reportedly increased sevenfold between 1970 and 1985, producing a ratio of one doctor per 673 citizens. In 1985 about one-third of the doctors in the Libya were native-born, with the remainder being primarily expatriate foreigners. The number of hospital beds tripled in this same time period. Among major health hazards endemic in the country in the 1970s were typhoid and paratyphoid, infectious hepatitis, leishmaniasis, rabies, meningitis, schistosomiasis, venereal diseases, and the principal childhood ailments. Malaria has been eradicated, and significant progress has been made against trachoma and leprosy. In 1985 the infant mortality rate was 84 per 1,000; by 2004, the U.S. Agency for International Development estimated that the infant mortality rate had dropped to 25.7 per 1,000. Other estimates report an infant mortality rate of less than 20 per 1,000. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases are estimated at 7,000 and derive primarily from drug use. Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis has begun to emerge among the population of drug users.

Welfare: Libya ranks 58^th out of 177 on the 2004 United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report, which measures quality of life. The government subsidizes medical care and education. A labor law provides for workers’ compensation, pension rights, minimum rest periods, and maximum working hours. The government also heavily subsidizes rent, utilities, oil, and food staples.