The Libyan Arabs of Libya

The Libyan Arabs of Libya, numbering approximately 2,785,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a people of Bedouin Arab ancestry with a more localized ethnic identity tied to their history in Libya. They are an Indigenous people, in the Arab, Libyan people cluster of the Arab Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Sunni. They primarily speak Arabic, Libyan.

Libyan Arabs in Tunisia photo
Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Libyan Arab

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
Country: Libya
People Cluster: Arab, Libyan
Primary Language(s): Arabic, Libyan (ayl)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Sunni
Population: 2,785,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG011841
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Libyan Arabs of Libya

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Sunni
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Sunni Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Arabic, Libyan
Language Family: Afro-Asiatic

%
Arabic, Libyan Speakers

Media Resources in Arabic, Libyan:

Films:

Bible Resources in Arabic, Libyan:

Or check out the Arabic, Libyan bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Libyan Arabs

The Libyan Arabs are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Libyan Arabs

The Libyan Arabs are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Libyan Arabs

The Libyan Arabs are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Libyan Arabs of Libya

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
readProverbs 4:19

Pray that lost people will accept salvation through Christ, turn from destruction, and experience joy in the way of righteousness.

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
readPsalm 57:10

Pray that God will work, even in the hearts of hard-to-reach people, and that they will rejoice in His steadfast love and faithfulness.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
readJames 4:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will turn from worldly passions and live in unity with one another.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
readPsalm 9:18

Pray that God will raise up believers who can help meet emotional and physical needs among this people group. Ask Him to open doors for them and give them the courage to walk into difficult situations and share the hope of the gospel boldly.

Arab, Libyan (ROP3 - 105948) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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