Liberia

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 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion 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. A 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted TAYLOR’s resignation. He 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 2005, 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 after 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. 

 

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Africa

slightly larger than Virginia

579 km

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

30 sq km (2012)

more than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one third living within an 80-km (50-mi) radius of Monrovia, as shown in this population distribution map

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

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.)

English 20% (official) and 27 indigenous languages, including Liberian English variants

Christian 84.9%, Muslim 12%, Traditional 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 2.6% (2022 est.)

2.27% (2025 est.)

31.72 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.17 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

more than half of the population lives in urban areas, with approximately one third living within an 80-km (50-mi) radius of Monrovia, as shown in this population distribution map

1.678 million MONROVIA (capital) (2023)

19.1 years (2019/20 est.)

628 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

3.84 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.89 (2025 est.)

0.18 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

1.6 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

9.9% (2016)

10.9% (2019 est.)

51.4% (2020 est.)

tropical rainforest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; hunting of endangered species for bushmeat; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage; pollution of rivers from industrial run-off; burning and dumping of household waste

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

41.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

232 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

mixed system of common law, based on Anglo-American law and customary law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

All Liberian Party or ALP 
Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD 
Alternative National Congress or ANC 
Coalition for Democratic Change (includes CDC, NPP, and LPDP)
Collaborating Political Parties or CPP (coalition includes ANC, LP; CPP dissolved in April 2024)
Congress for Democratic Change or CDC 
Liberia Destiny Party or LDP 
Liberia National Union or LINU 
Liberia Transformation Party or LTP 
Liberian People Democratic Party or LPDP 
Liberian People's Party or LPP 
Liberian Restoration Party or LRP 
Liberty Party or LP 
Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction or MDR 
Movement for Economic Empowerment 
Movement for Progressive Change or MPC 
National Democratic Coalition or NDC 
National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL 
National Patriotic Party or NPP 
National Reformist Party or NRP 
National Union for Democratic Progress or NUDP 
People's Unification Party or PUP 
Unity Party or UP 
United People's Party 
Victory for Change Party or VCP 

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

26 July 1847

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white; a five-pointed white star sits on a blue square in the upper-left corner

meaning: the stripes stand for the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence, the blue square for the African mainland, and the star for the freedom granted to ex-slaves; the blue stands for liberty, justice, and fidelity; the white for purity, cleanliness, and guilelessness; the red for steadfastness, valor, and fervor

white star

red, white, blue

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

$4.75 billion (2024 est.)

cassava, sugarcane, rice, oil palm fruit, bananas, rubber, vegetables, plantains, taro, maize (2023)

mining (iron ore and gold), rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds

6.1% (2024 est.)

2.607 million (2024 est.)

50.9% (2016 est.)

Switzerland 30%, UK 13%, France 8%, Germany 7%, Lebanon 4% (2023)

gold, ships, iron ore, rubber, refined petroleum (2023)

China 48%, Japan 21%, Germany 8%, Brazil 3%, Cote d'Ivoire 3% (2023)

ships, refined petroleum, rice, trucks, centrifuges (2023)

8 private and 1 state-owned TV station; satellite TV service available; 1 state-owned radio station; about 20 independent radio stations broadcasting in Monrovia, with about 80 more local stations operating in other areas; transmissions of 4 international broadcasters are available (2019)

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19 (2025)

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Liberian Coast Guard

Ministry of Justice: Liberia National Police, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (2025)

approximately 2,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

the military has a limited inventory; in recent years, it has received small quantities of equipment, including donations, from countries such as China, UAE, and the US (2025)

18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service (2025)

the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are responsible for external defense and some domestic security responsibilities if called upon, such as humanitarian assistance during natural disasters and support to law enforcement; it is a small, lightly equipped force comprised of two combat infantry battalions and supporting units, as well as a few coastal patrol craft for the Coast Guard; the infantry battalions were rebuilt with US assistance in 2007-2008 from the restructured AFL following the end of the second civil war in 2003 when military and police forces were disbanded and approximately 100,000 military, police, and rebel combatants were disarmed

the first militia unit established for defense of the Liberia colony was raised in 1832; the AFL traces its origins to the 1908 establishment of the Liberia Frontier Force, which became the Liberian National Guard in 1965; the AFL was established in 1970 (2025)