Libya

In: Routledge Library Editions: The Economy of the Middle East

Abstract

Oil revenues have made Libya rich since 1961, when oil exports began. This new wealth has affected all sectors of the economy and especially the agricultural sector; there have been considerable movements of population, changes in the use of land, and, possibly most important, there has been a profound change in the expectations of the Libyan people. Agriculture was the major contributor to GDP before oil and even in 1968 it was still the major sector in terms of employment, occupying 32 per cent of the employed population; as such it has always been given prominence in government planning. Th