Libya belongs to the "Medium Human Development" countries achieving the 58th position among the world’s 177 countries. With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.794 in 2002, it is has also achieved the highest HDI in Africa.

With an estimated population of 5.8 million, an average population growth rate of 2.7% during the period 1984-1995, a life expectancy at birth rate of almost 73 years and a per capita income of US $ 7570 in 2002, Libya stands in a very favorable position to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. It is worth noting that Goal number 2 related to the right to Universal Primary Education (UPE) was practically achieved with an enrolment rate of over 97 % in primary education.

Likewise, progress was made in terms of other MDG related targets such as access to safe water for the population, for productive purposes in Agriculture and for Industry, addressed through the construction of the Great Man Made River during the 1980's (UNDP’s technical assistance projects concentrated on the provisions of training schemes for technicians working on the River project). However, other issues such as the Environment, which have been given less priority in the past, are nowadays attracting the government’s attention especially in terms of sanitation and management of solid wastes in less affluent urban areas, as well as the pollution of the country’s coastline.