Oil reserves in Libya
Libya: Oil reserves was 7.69 billion cubic meters in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves in Libya, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for oil reserves in Libya is 7.69 billion cubic meters, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in Libya peaked at 7.71 billion cubic meters in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.34 billion cubic meters, in 1988.
That places Libya 10th out of 216 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves in Libya, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.74 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 3.66 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 3.59 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 3.42 billion cubic meters | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 3.38 billion cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 3.35 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.39 billion cubic meters | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 3.39 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3.34 billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 3.50 billion cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.62 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +29.4% |
| 1997 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5.72 billion cubic meters | +22.0% |
| 2005 | 6.20 billion cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 6.22 billion cubic meters | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 6.59 billion cubic meters | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 6.59 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6.94 billion cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 7.04 billion cubic meters | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 7.38 billion cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 7.49 billion cubic meters | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 7.63 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 7.71 billion cubic meters | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 7.69 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.69 million cubic meters, 561.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Libya's 7.69 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 397.47 million cubic meters, 19.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +29.4% | 3.62 billion cubic meters | 4.69 billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.47 billion cubic meters | 3.34 billion cubic meters | 3.74 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.05 billion cubic meters | 3.62 billion cubic meters | 4.69 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.70 billion cubic meters | 4.69 billion cubic meters | 6.94 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.57 billion cubic meters | 7.04 billion cubic meters | 7.71 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.69 billion cubic meters | 7.69 billion cubic meters | 7.69 billion cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 7 United Arab Emirates 15.55 billion cubic meters compare
- 8 Russia 12.72 billion cubic meters compare
- 9 USSR 9.06 billion cubic meters compare
- 11 United States 7.49 billion cubic meters compare
- 12 Nigeria 5.87 billion cubic meters compare
- 13 Kazakhstan 4.77 billion cubic meters compare
More energy & mining data for Libya
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 10.28 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 13.1% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in Libya?
- Oil reserves in Libya was 7.69 billion cubic meters in 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil reserves recorded in Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.71 billion cubic meters in 2014.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.34 billion cubic meters in 1988.
- How does Libya rank for oil reserves?
- Libya ranks 10th out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya data come from?
- The figures come from U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proved reserves, measured in cubic meters, are generally those quantities that can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to geological and engineering information. Includes crude oil and lease condensate.