Country statistics

177 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2022) 

Average annual salary per person $730 (World Bank, 2023)

30% of the population lives below the extreme international poverty rate (Sida, 2024)  

Liberia is a country in Western Africa, with an estimated population of approximately 5.6 million (Worldmeters, 2024). It faces a range of persistent challenges that impede its development.  

While 30% lives below the extreme poverty line, a further 70% of the population lives below the international poverty line (UNCTAD, 2024). This situation is further exacerbated by fragile infrastructure and a declining GDP per capita, which has contracted at an average annual rate of -2.8% since 2017 (World Bank, 2023). The country’s economic decline is largely attributed to its over-reliance on the mining sector, which, despite being a significant revenue source, has not generated sufficient employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas. 

There is a significant disparity between poverty in urban and rural communities in the country. While three in ten people in capital city Monrovia are living in poverty, in rural areas this was reported as high as eight in ten (World Bank, 2024).  

Since a peace agreement was reached in 2003, Liberia has been recovering from a 14-year civil war which decimated national infrastructure and basic social services. During the conflict, some 250,000 children were born to soldiers, leaving many female-led households.  

Liberia was also affected by the Ebola outbreak. As of September 2021, 30% of children between 6-59 months suffered from severe malnutrition (WFP, 2023).  

In June 2024, some 50,000 people were displaced as a result of flooding, which also damaged schools and hospitals and put the affected population at risk of disease and homelessness, placing additional strain on its already fragile infrastructure. These displacements reflect both the socio-economic instability and the ongoing vulnerabilities within housing and social services. Liberia's development trajectory remains uncertain, and while the government has made strides in collecting key data, such as through the 2023 population census (World Bank, 2023), there is a critical need for targeted policy interventions and actionable strategies to address these systemic challenges. 

The country also faces high levels of child marriage, with 42% of girls married before the age of 18. School closures due to Cyclone Freddy left over 490,000 children, especially in the southern regions, without access to education for weeks, further exacerbating vulnerabilities, particularly for girls (United Nations Children’s Fund, 2023).