Photo credit: IOM
Libya is now home to 894,890 migrants from 45 different countries, according to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report covering May to July 2025.
The figure marks a 3 per cent increase compared with the previous assessment and an 18 per cent rise on the same period last year. It is a continuation of the upward trend observed since late 2023.
According to the report, migrants from Sudan (35%), Niger (21%), Egypt (19%), Chad (9%), and Nigeria (3%) constitute the largest groups. The total consists of 78% adult men, 11 per cent women, while 7 per cent are accompanied children and 4 per cent unaccompanied minors.
Regionally, western Libya hosts 53 per cent, the east hosts 35 per cent and the south hosts 12 per cent.
76 per cent of migrants report that they work in Libya, mainly in construction, agriculture, and domestic services. But the IOM noted a pronounced gender gap: 79 per cent of men are employed while only 37per cent are also employed.
Economic hardship is the leading factor pushing people to migrate to Libya with conflict and insecurity are the major reasons why migrants go to Libya. Although many migrants find some form of employment in Libya, most endure unstable working conditions, low pay, and restricted access to essential services such as healthcare and legal assistance.
However, the organization warned that its figures reflect only the number of individual identified and surveyed and not the total number of irregular migrants in the country.
The acting Minister of Interior Imad Trabelsi stated during a cabinet session in March that the ministry had deported 20,000 irregular migrants in 2023 and an additional 32,000 since the beginning of 2024.
Trabelsi estimated that between 3 and 3.5 million irregular migrants are currently in Libya, suggesting that hundreds continue to arrive daily.
The Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba reaffirmed that Libya would not serve as a permanent destination for irregular migrants. He declared that the security and stability of the Libyan people is a red line.
He said, “Libya is not a security guard, nor will it be treated as a dumping ground for migrants expelled from neighbouring countries.”
He urged the international community to shoulder its share of the responsibility, arguing that Libya cannot manage migration pressures alone.
Analysts note that the growing mismatch between official statistics, local estimates, and political narratives reflects not only the scale of movement but also the absence of a coherent migration policy capable of reconciling domestic priorities with international expectations.
Source: The Libyan Express
