Country Summary: Liberia (Republic of Liberia)
Country Name: Liberia (Republic of Liberia)
Capital: Monrovia
Government Type: presidential republic
Background: With 28 ethnic groups and languages, Liberia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. For hundreds of years, the Mali and Songhai Empires claimed most of Liberia. Beginning in the 15th century, European traders began establishing outposts along the Liberian coast. Unlike its neighbors, however, Liberia did not fall under European colonial rule. In the early 19th century, the US began sending freed enslaved people and other people of color to Liberia to establish settlements. In 1847, these settlers declared independence from the US, writing their own constitution and establishing Africa’s first republic.
Early in Liberia’s history, tensions arose between the Americo-Liberian settlers and the indigenous population. In 1980, Samuel DOE, who was from the indigenous population, led a military coup and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 permitted an election that brought TAYLOR to power. In 2000, fighting resumed. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted President TAYLOR’s resignation. TAYLOR was later convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague for his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. In late 2005, President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF became president after two years of transitional governments; she was the first female head of state in Africa. In 2011, JOHNSON SIRLEAF won reelection but struggled to rebuild Liberia's economy, particularly following the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, and to reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. In 2017, former soccer star George WEAH won the presidential runoff election, marking the first successful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another since the end of Liberia’s civil wars. Like his predecessor, WEAH struggled to improve the country’s economy. In 2023, former Vice President Joseph BOAKAI was elected president, edging out WEAH by a thin margin, the first time since 1927 that an incumbent was not re-elected after one term.
Continent: Africa
Population: 5,506,280 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Kpelle 20.2%, Bassa 13.6%, Grebo 9.9%, Gio 7.9%, Mano 7.2%, Kru 5.5%, Lorma 4.8%, Krahn 4.5%, Kissi, 4.3%, Mandingo 4.2%, Vai 3.8%, Gola 3.8%, Gbandi 2.9%, Mende 1.7%, Sapo 1%, Belle 0.7%, Dey 0.3%, other Liberian ethnic group 0.4%, other African 3%, non-African 0.2% (2022 est.)
Languages: English 20% (official) and 27 indigenous languages, including Liberian English (encompassing several varieties of English spoken by Liberians)
Religions: Christian 84.9%, Muslim 12%, Traditional 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 2.6% (2022 est.)
Economic Overview: low-income West African economy; food scarcity, especially in rural areas; high poverty and inflation; bad recession prior to COVID-19 due to Ebola crisis; growing government debt; longest continuously operated rubber plantation; large informal economy
Currency: Liberian Dollar (LRD)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $599.66 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $7.747 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 4.81% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per Capita: $1,500 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Exports:
$1.22 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 174
Export Commodities: gold, ships, iron, rubber, cocoa beans, palm oil (2021)
Export Partners: Guyana 32%, Poland 10%, Switzerland 8%, Japan 7%, China 5% (2019)
Imports:
$1.961 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 177
Import Commodities: ships, refined petroleum, iron structures, boat propellers, centrifuges (2019)
Import Partners: China 41%, Japan 21%, South Korea 18% (2019)
Natural Resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Agricultural Products: cassava, sugar cane, oil palm fruit, rice, bananas, vegetables, plantains, rubber, taro, maize
Industries: mining (iron ore and gold), rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
4.02% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Comparison Ranking: 96
Labor Force: 2.418 million (2022 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 3.03% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Natural Hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Geography:
Total: 111,369 sq km
Land: 96,320 sq km
Water: 15,049 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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