 According to the 1939 Census Benghazi had 66,801 inhabitants, of whom 23,075 were Italians.In the late 1930s the province had a huge economic development, mainly in agriculture and commerce, but World War II destroyed it.According to the 1936 census, which allowed citizens to declare their ethnicity, Benghazi's native population was made up of 95.8% Arabs, 0.3% Turks, 0.3% Blacks, 0.2% Berbers, and 3.6% Others.