Liberia profile

Demography and Health

Liberia's population was about 5,612,817 in 2024, reflecting a relatively young and growing country profile. The birth rate is 31.0 per 1,000 people (2023), while the death rate stands at 8.07 per 1,000 (2023), and life expectancy at birth is 62.2 years (2023). The under-5 mortality rate is high at 72.9 per 1,000 live births (2023), signaling persistent child health and basic services challenges. The prevalence of undernourishment affects 38.4% of the population (2022), underscoring substantial food security vulnerabilities. Net migration is negative in 2024, at -7,779 people, indicating more people leaving than entering and potential impacts on the labor force and future service demand. Internet access remains limited, with 23.5% of the population using the Internet (2023), reflecting a digital divide that can constrain education and economic opportunities. Health resources are stretched: physicians are 0.18 per 1,000 people (2022) and hospital beds are 1.59 per 1,000 (2021), while current health expenditure is 13.5% of GDP (2022). Domestic general government health expenditure per capita in purchasing power parity terms is 21.5 international dollars (2022), suggesting substantial public investment relative to a very small population base but still inadequate to close gaps in access and outcomes. GDP per capita is US$846 (2024) in current prices, with GDP per capita, PPP of US$1,885 (2024), illustrating a low-income economy where household real consumption may be higher in PPP terms than nominal indicators imply. Taken together, indicators point to a fragile health and human development environment requiring sustained investment in health systems, nutrition, and social services to improve child survival, life expectancy, and resilience to shocks.

Economy

Liberia’s economy shows a low nominal income level, with GDP per capita at US$846 in 2024, while GDP per capita in PPP terms stands at US$1,885, indicating that price-adjusted living standards are higher than nominal measures suggest. Inflation runs high at 10.1% in 2023, signaling price pressures that can erode purchasing power for households and complicate policy management. Foreign direct investment net inflows amount to 17.0% of GDP in 2023, signaling a substantial capital inflow relative to the size of the economy and potential for investment-led growth in key sectors. The current account balance was 1.62% of GDP in 2022, indicating a modest external position. High-technology exports totaled US$97,955 in 2023, reflecting a limited but growing presence of knowledge-intensive goods in the export mix. The country allocated a small but noteworthy military expenditure of US$37.2 million in 2023, illustrating a modest security budget in the context of a small economy. Liberia’s energy profile shows a striking reliance on renewables, with 92.8% of total final energy consumption coming from renewable sources in 2022, suggesting a favorable start toward cleaner energy use that could reduce import bills but may imply limited access to fossil-fuel-based generation and storage capacity. Overall, Liberia’s economy remains small, with room for diversification, improved price stability, and enhanced productivity to lift living standards further.

Trade and Investment

In trade and investment terms, Liberia attracts a notable 17.0% of GDP in net inward foreign direct investment in 2023, indicating strong relative investment activity given the economy’s size. The current account balance at 1.62% of GDP in 2022 suggests a modest external position, with some resilience to external shocks. The Logistics Performance Index score of 2.4 (2022) places Liberia in a middle-to-lower tier for trade logistics quality (on a scale where 1 is low and 5 is high), signaling strengths in potential investment channels but also structural bottlenecks in transport and trade-related infrastructure. High-technology exports are relatively small (US$97,955 in 2023), pointing to limited sophisticated manufacturing and a heavy reliance on primary commodities and services. Together, these indicators imply growing foreign interest and some anchor investments, but real trade competitiveness will depend on continuing improvements in logistics, governance, and value-added capabilities to diversify exports beyond basic goods and commodities.

Governance and Institutions

Liberia's governance indicators in 2023 reveal notable challenges across several dimensions. Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism score −0.116, regulatory quality is −0.924, rule of law is −1.03, control of corruption is −0.888, and government effectiveness is −1.36. These negative values reflect a governance environment with weaknesses in political stability, regulatory regime effectiveness, judicial strength, anti-corruption capacity, and public administration performance. Such constraints can hinder business confidence, deter investment, and complicate the delivery of public services. While specific policy steps are not visible in the data alone, these indicators suggest an urgent need for institutional strengthening, rule-of-law improvements, and anticorruption efforts to create a more predictable and reliable operating environment for citizens and investors alike.

Infrastructure and Technology

Liberia faces substantial infrastructure and technology constraints. The Logistics Performance Index stands at 2.4 (2022), indicating that trade-related infrastructure and processes lag behind higher-performing peers. The share of the population using the Internet is 23.5% (2023), highlighting a digital access gap that can constrain education, entrepreneurship, and e-government development. Human capital constraints are evident in the health sector: physicians per 1,000 people are 0.18 (2022) and hospital beds per 1,000 people are 1.59 (2021), signaling limited capacity to deliver even basic care. High-technology exports are small, at US$97,955 (2023), reflecting a narrow base of sophisticated manufacturing activity. These factors collectively point to a need for targeted investments in connectivity, logistics, digital infrastructure, and human capital development to raise productivity and widen participation in a modern economy.

Environment and Sustainability

Liberia faces environmental and sustainability challenges alongside opportunities. The prevalence of undernourishment is high at 38.4% (2022), underscoring ongoing food security risks and the need for resilient agricultural systems and nutrition programs. Water stress, measured as freshwater withdrawal relative to available resources, is 0.264 (2021), indicating moderate but meaningful pressure on water resources. Total greenhouse gas emissions per capita, excluding LULUCF, is 0.825 t CO2e per person (2023), consistent with a developing economy with limited fossil fuel use. Interestingly, renewable energy accounts for 92.8% of total final energy consumption (2022), suggesting a substantial reliance on renewable sources—likely hydropower and other renewables—providing a potential advantage for low-carbon development if reliable energy access and distribution can be scaled. Net migration in 2024 was negative (−7,779), which may reflect economic and climate-related push factors affecting labor supply and demographic pressures. The environmental footprint of Liberia thus sits at the intersection of vulnerability in nutrition and water, but with an energy transition path that, if expanded with grid growth and resilience, could support sustainable development while moderating emissions.