Libya: Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Libya's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) rose 2.56 percentage points on 2022 (from 2% to 4.55%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.62 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.28 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.43 percentage points in 1987. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.41 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 65% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Libya had the 13th highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Libya in the 2023 ranking

• South Sudan — 9th of 12: 13.85%
• Palau — 10th of 12: 13.13%
• Comoros — 11th of 12: 12.72%

What this measures

Computer, communications and other services include such activities as international telecommunications, and postal and courier services; computer data; news-related service transactions between residents and nonresidents; construction services; royalties and license fees; miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services; and personal, cultural, and recreational services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 47 values

Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 6.87% (2020)
• Algeria — 38.39% (2025)
• Bahrain — 19.75% (2025)
• Djibouti — 2.38% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 23.03% (2025)
• Iraq — 9.38% (2025)
• Israel — 61.23% (2025)
• Jordan — 2.99% (2024)

More private sector & trade data for Libya

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 102.7% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$19.31 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$30.09 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.21% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 51.53% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 48.43% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & Central Asia (% of total merchandise imports) — 18.69% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Middle East & North Africa (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Libya's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports)?

4.55% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 9.64 percentage points from 14.19% in 1977. The highest value was 24.66% in 1995 and the lowest 0.24% in 2014.

How does Libya rank?

13th highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) unusual for Libya?

In 2023, Libya's computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) rose 2.56 percentage points on 2022 (from 2% to 4.55%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.62 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.OTHR.ZS.WT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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