Religion in Libya

Religion in Libya in 2020^[1]

Sunni Islam (94.21%)

non-Sunni Islam (4.78%)

Christianity (0.52%)

Buddhism (0.26%)

Other (0.18%)

No religion (0.05%)

Religion in Libya in 2011^[2]

Islam (96.6%)

Christianity (2.7%)

Buddhism (0.3%)

Other (0.4%)

Islam is the dominant religion in Libya.

Other than the vast majority of Sunni Muslims, there are also small Christian communities, composed exclusively of immigrants. Coptic Orthodox Christianity, which is the Christian Church of Egypt, is the largest and most historical Christian denomination in Libya.

In 2016, there were over 60,000 Egyptian Copts in Libya, as they comprise over 1% of the population alone.^[3] There were an estimated 40,000 Roman Catholics in Libya who are served by two Bishops, one in Tripoli (serving the Italian community) and one in Benghazi (serving the Maltese community). There was also a small Anglican community, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli; it is part of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt.^[4]

Libya was until recent times the home of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, dating back to at least 300 BC.^[5] A series of pogroms beginning in November 1945 lasted for almost three years, drastically reducing Libya's Jewish population.^[6]

^ World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
^ The Great Leap-Fraud: Social Economics of Religious Terrorism (2011), p724
^ Looklex Encyclopedia: 1% of Libya's population density (6.1 million) adhere to the Coptic Orthodox faith Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
^ (2004), "International Religious Freedom Report: Libya" Jewish Virtual Library, Accessed July 19, 2006
^ The World Jewish Congress, "History of the Jewish Community in Libya" Archived 2013-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, The University of California at Berkeley, Accessed July 16, 2006
^ Harris, David A. (2001), "In the Trenches: Selected Speeches and Writings of an American Jewish Activist", 1979–1999, pp. 149–150

[1] World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08

[2] The Great Leap-Fraud: Social Economics of Religious Terrorism (2011), p724

[i-cias.com-3] Looklex Encyclopedia: 1% of Libya's population density (6.1 million) adhere to the Coptic Orthodox faith Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

[4] (2004), "International Religious Freedom Report: Libya" Jewish Virtual Library, Accessed July 19, 2006

[5] The World Jewish Congress, "History of the Jewish Community in Libya" Archived 2013-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, The University of California at Berkeley, Accessed July 16, 2006

[harris-6] Harris, David A. (2001), "In the Trenches: Selected Speeches and Writings of an American Jewish Activist", 1979–1999, pp. 149–150

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]