01Key Takeaways
- Libya exported $29.29 billion worth of goods in 2019, the most recent year with confirmed trade data available for this country.
- Mineral fuels, almost entirely crude oil, accounted for 94.41% ($27.65 billion) of everything Libya sold abroad that year.
- Italy absorbed 33.23% of Libya's exports, worth $9.73 billion, more than any other destination.
- Only a single year of confirmed data is available, so no multi-year trend or year-over-year comparison can be shown here.
02Trade Trend
03Top Export Markets (2019)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | $9.7B | 33.2% |
| 2 | China | $6.6B | 22.5% |
| 3 | Spain | $3.4B | 11.6% |
| 4 | France | $1.5B | 5.0% |
| 5 | United Arab Emirates | $1.2B | 4.1% |
| 6 | United States | $776.6M | 2.7% |
| 7 | Denmark | $739.4M | 2.5% |
| 8 | Greece | $693.6M | 2.4% |
| 9 | Netherlands | $661.6M | 2.3% |
| 10 | Australia | $570.6M | 1.9% |
04Top Export Categories (2019)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $27.6B | 94.4% |
| 2 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $1.2B | 4.1% |
| 3 | Iron and Steel | $202.4M | 0.7% |
| 4 | Copper and Articles thereof | $62.2M | 0.2% |
| 5 | Organic Chemicals | $33.9M | 0.1% |
| 6 | Aluminium and Articles thereof | $29.5M | 0.1% |
| 7 | Fish and Crustaceans, Molluscs and other Aquatic Invertebrates | $21.3M | 0.1% |
| 8 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $13.9M | 0.0% |
| 9 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $13.6M | 0.0% |
| 10 | Commodities not specified according to kind | $12.9M | 0.0% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
A Single-Year Snapshot of an Oil-Dependent Economy
The most recent confirmed trade data available for Libya's exports covers 2019, when the country shipped $29.29 billion worth of goods abroad. Reliable trade reporting has been difficult to sustain in the years since, and this page reflects that single confirmed year rather than a multi-year trend. Mineral fuels, almost entirely crude oil, accounted for 94.41% of that total, worth $27.65 billion, a level of concentration that leaves virtually nothing else of consequence in Libya's export mix. Libya's exports fell to just 90,000 barrels a day in mid-2020, down from 1.2 million barrels a day in late 2019, after a rival military commander halted almost all of the country's crude production to pressure the government. Export terminals were shut down repeatedly through this period, cutting output far below the roughly 1.6 million barrels a day the country pumped before 2011.
Pearls, precious stones and jewellery ranked a distant second at 4.09% ($1.20 billion), followed by iron and steel at 0.69% ($202.39 million). Copper articles added 0.21% ($62.23 million), organic chemicals contributed 0.12% ($33.88 million), and aluminium articles supplied 0.10% ($29.50 million). Fish and aquatic invertebrates added 0.07% ($21.26 million), salt, sulphur and stone contributed 0.05% ($13.85 million), and electrical machinery supplied a similar 0.05% ($13.55 million). Unclassified commodities closed out the top ten at 0.04% ($12.91 million). None of these smaller categories come close to touching oil's dominance of Libya's export economy.
Italy and China Together Buy More Than Half of Libya's Oil
Italy absorbed 33.23% of Libya's exports in 2019, worth $9.73 billion, more than any other destination. Eni, Italy's state-controlled energy company, has operated in Libya since 1959 and today functions as the country's leading international gas producer, running a subsea pipeline that has anchored Italy's position as Libya's leading oil and gas buyer for decades. China ranked second at 22.46% ($6.58 billion), and Spain took third at 11.64% ($3.41 billion). Together, these top three destinations made up 67.34% of total export value.
France supplied a market for 5.00% ($1.47 billion) of Libya's exports, and United Arab Emirates absorbed 4.13% ($1.21 billion). United States took 2.65% ($776.64 million), and Denmark added 2.52% ($739.38 million). Greece contributed 2.37% ($693.56 million), Netherlands took 2.26% ($661.61 million), and Australia closed out the top ten at 1.95% ($570.62 million). European refiners dominate this list almost entirely, reflecting Libya's proximity to Mediterranean shipping routes and decades-old refining relationships.
Why Only One Year of Data Is Available
Unlike most countries on this site, Libya's export page cannot show a five-year trend or a year-over-year comparison, because 2019 is the most recent year with confirmed, complete trade figures. The gap reflects Libya's own turbulent recent history rather than any limitation in how this data is compiled. Rival factions fought for control of oil terminals through 2020, and blockades repeatedly forced the state oil company to declare force majeure on exports from key ports, disrupting both production and the reporting systems that normally feed into international trade statistics. A ceasefire in October 2020 and a unity government formed in early 2021 stabilized output somewhat. Libya's political divisions have continued to interrupt production and exports well beyond that point, though, including renewed disruptions in 2024 tied to disputes over oil field control and central bank leadership. Until more recent, complete-year data becomes available and verifiable, this 2019 snapshot remains the clearest confirmed picture of how Libya's export economy is structured.