The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, commonly known as Libya, is a mostly desert country, which gained independence in December 1951. The country has large reserves of oil and gas, but this sector is relatively underdeveloped. The country's official language is Arabic.

Leader: Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
Capital city: Tripoli

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Libyan dinar
GDP per capita: $14 000 per capita (2010) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 4.2% (2010) (CIA)
Budget:
Government revenue: $42.31-billion (2010) (CIA)
Government expenditure: $38.92-billion (2010) (CIA)
Consumer price inflation: 3% (2010) (CIA)
Industries: Petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, and cement
Export commodities: Crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, and chemicals
Import commodities: Machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, and consumer products
Trade balance: $15.52-billion (2010) (CIA)
Reserves: $107.3-billion (2010) (CIA)
Total investment: 13.2% of GDP (2010) (CIA)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available

Social profile

Population: 6.49-million (2011) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2% (2011) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 74.5 years (2011) (World Bank)
Adult literacy: 89% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 105,6% (2006) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 105,2% (2006) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 47,8% (2006) (World Bank)
Unemployment: 30% (2010) (CIA)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: Figures not available