Military profile
Libya Military Strength
Libya ranks #80 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 100,000 active personnel. It spent $1.6 billion on its military in 2023 (3.6% of GDP).
Libya armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 100,000#43 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 35,000#39 of 145
- Army personnel
- 100,000#35 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 4,500#80 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 15,000#38 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 127#64 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 20#62 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 2#63 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 32#76 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 7#55 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 325#46 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 30#60 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 1#49 of 113
- Corvettes
- 1#43 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 1#105 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 2#41 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $1.6 billion#71 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 3.6%#17 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $68.7 billion#99 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Libya military spending 2012–2023
Military spending of Libya fell by 47% between 2012 and 2023, from $3.0 billion to $1.6 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 3.6% of GDP in 2023.
Armed forces of Libya
Branches and forces
the Libyan Armed Forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) have various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces, which include a mix of nominally integrated and semi-regular units, tribal armed groups and militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign military contractors; the GNU's armed forces are nominally under the control of the Ministry of Defense; the GNU also has various internal security forces under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior (2025)
Personnel
estimates not available
Service age and conscription
not available
Equipment and suppliers
both the forces aligned with the GNU and the LNA are largely equipped with weapons of Russian or Soviet origin; in recent years, Türkiye has the been the primary supplier of arms to the GNU, while the LNA has received quantities from Russia and the United Arab Emirates (2025)
Good to know
the western-based forces aligned with the GNU and the eastern-based LNA forces are separated by a fortified line of control just west of the coastal city of Sirte; Turkey has provided support to the GNU forces, including military trainers, ammunition, weapons, and aerial drones; Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have been the main supporters of the LNA (2025)
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
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