Under Gaddafi's leadership, Libya's economy grew 600 percent in a decade as per capita income rose to more than 12,000 U.S. dollars, the fifth-highest in Africa according to the World Bank. Citizens enjoyed a wide variety of social benefits, supported by robust state revenue from selling the country's sizable oil reserves. Medical care and public education became free, while housing was considered a human right and subsidized by the government. Gasoline was pennies.
Considered an oppressive "dictator" by most western leaders, Gaddafi also pushed for women's rights. In the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi, women were free to dress as they liked. This stands in stark contrast to women living in most Arab nations where a strict Islamic dress code is enforced. Many male-dominated professions, such as the police and military also became available to women.