Liberia Population 2024 (Live)

5,500,659

Liberia has one of the highest population growth rates in the world, although it has fallen in recent years. It reached a high of 4.6% annual growth in 2006, but has since fallen to 2.7% population growth per year. From 1960 to 2012, Liberia's population grew 274%. This trend of rapid growth is expected to continue over the next decade.

Liberia Population Growth

Like many impoverished nations, the birth rate in Liberia is almost double the worldwide average, leading to an extreme annual growth rate. As of 2019, the population of Liberia was increasing 2.56% each year, which is extremely high considering the economic and political conditions in the country, yet relatively low when you look at years past. The rate of growth is pretty much exclusively because 4.58 children are being born to the average Liberian woman, as the country has consistently had more people immigrate away from the country than migrate into it. Measures are being taken to increase education about family planning and contraceptives, but it takes many years for these kinds of efforts to take a stronghold.

Liberia Population Projections

Fortunately, the annual growth rate in Liberia is on a downward trend and is expected to slow down in the years to come, however not nearly enough to mitigate the country's significant growth problems. Current projections believe that the annual growth rate will decrease from 2.55% in 2020 down to 1.87% by 2050. During this same time period, Liberia's population will likely be close to 5,103,853 in 2020, 6,495,377 in 2030, 8,087,611 in 2040 and 9,804,031 by the year 2050.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
96,320
The current population of Liberia is 5,500,659 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 5,536,949.

Liberia Growth Rate

Liberia Population 2024 (Live)

Liberia Population Clock

Liberia Population (as of 3/11/2024)5,500,659
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)5,536,949
Births per Day463
Deaths per Day122
Migrations per Day-14
Net Change per Day327
Population Change Since Jan. 123,217

Components of Population Change

One birth every 3.12 minutes
One death every 11.8 minutes
One emigrant every 102.85 minutes
Net gain of one person every 4.4 minutes

Liberia Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Monrovia939,524
Gbarnga45,835
Kakata33,945
Bensonville33,188
Harper32,661
Voinjama26,594
Buchanan25,731
Zwedru25,678
New Yekepa24,695
Greenville16,434

Liberia Area and Population Density

The West African country of Liberia sits along the coast near the Gulf of Guinea and shares its borders with Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The total surface area of the country is 37,189 square miles (96,320 square kilometers) which ranks 108th in the world in terms of sheer size. This compares to the 2008 census population of 3.47 million. Of this last official population, 1.1 million people lived in Montserrado County, which is the most populous county and home to the capital, Monrovia. The Greater Monrovia area is home to about 25% of Liberia's population. The next most populous area is Nimba County with about 500,000 residents. Liberia has a population density of just 127 people per square mile 49 people per square kilometer, which ranks 134th in the world in terms of population density.

Largest Cities in Liberia

Just over half of Liberia's population live in an urban environment. The largest city in Liberia by far is the nation's capital of Monrovia with a population of 939,524. Monrovia was originally established in the early 1800s as a settlement place for slaves coming from America. Monrovia has been very involved in the country's civil wars and has suffered a lot of damage over the years and is one of the poorest cities in the world. The second-largest city is Gbarnga with a population of just 45,835. Two other significant cities are Kakata and Bensonville, each with populations of roughly 33,000.

Liberia Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20245,536,9492.12%57119156
20235,418,3772.08%56120156
20205,087,5842.05%53122158
20194,985,2891.96%52122158
20184,889,3911.93%51122158
20174,796,6311.92%50122159
20154,612,3292.79%48123159
20104,019,9564.24%42125163
20053,266,3182.44%34133169
20002,895,2246.21%30135171
19952,142,422-0.62%22141176
19902,209,731-0.27%23135171
19852,239,7243%23133166
19801,932,1692.94%20134168
19751,671,6322.69%17136169
19701,463,5632.6%15136171
19651,287,3152.51%13136171
19601,137,0262.32%12135168
19551,013,7902.05%11135167

Liberia Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20245,536,9492.12%57119156
20255,657,2292.15%59117156
20306,282,0742.12%65115153
20356,932,3091.99%72112149
20407,594,3501.84%79111146
20458,249,9221.67%86110142
20508,890,7001.51%92107136
20559,512,1041.36%99103128
206010,107,6931.22%105101124
206510,670,4941.09%11197121
207011,197,4860.97%11697119
207511,679,1300.85%12197114
208012,102,6360.71%12696114
208512,467,0520.6%12996111
209012,769,7970.48%13395109
209513,020,4150.39%13595107

Liberia Population by Year (Projections)

Liberia Population Pyramid 2024

Liberia Median Age

18

Total

17.7

Male

18.2

Female

Liberia Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Liberia.

Census Years

Year
Date
20182018
200830 March 2008

Liberia Population Pyramid

Liberia Demographics

Liberia has 16 indigenous ethnic groups and several foreign minorities. Indigenous groups account for 95% of the population. The recognized ethnic groups include: the Gio (or Dan), Mano, Bassa, Kpelle, Grebo, Gbandi, Vai, Gola, Kru, Krahn, Mandingo (or Mandinka), Fante, Dei (or Dewoin), Bella, Mende, Loma, and the Americo-Liberians or Congo people.

The largest group is the Kpelle, who are concentrated in central and western Liberia. Americo-Liberians are descendants of African American and West Indian people and account for 2.5% of the population. The Congo people are descendants of repatriated Congo and Afro-Caribbean slaves and make up 2.5% of the population.

Liberia also has a sizable population of Lebanese, Indians, and West African nationals. There are high rates of marriage between ethnic Liberians and Lebanese in the country, which has created a large mulatto population around Monrovia.

Liberia Religion, Economy and Politics

Although there is no official state religion in Liberia, it is a largely Christian nation with 85.5% practicing one form of the faith or another. Protestants make up the vast majority of Christians in Liberia, 7.2% of people are Catholic. Non-Protestant denominations were brought to the area by freed slaves that were relocated to the area. 12.2% of the population are Muslim, most of which are Malikite Sunnis. Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities are also present. Most people that identify as neither Christian nor Muslim identify with no faith at all.

As one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, the economy of Liberia is likewise not very strong. During the 1980s Liberia had a much more optimistic fiscal situation which was virtually destroyed by years of civil war. Although the country is rich in natural resources, the infrastructure is not there to sustain a strong economy. Forestry is the most significant industry in Liberia, with timber and rubber being the main exports from the area. The rest of the nation's income comes largely comes from mining and foreign aid.

The United States had a large role in the development of Liberia after they sent freed slaves to the area, and their government is organized very much in the same way. The judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court, and appeals court, magistrate courts, and criminal courts. There is a democratically elected president who is both the head of state and government. Liberia is different from the US in that it has a multi-party system instead of a two-party one.

Liberia Population History

Much of the population in Liberia was brought to the country after there were emancipated from slavery in the United States. Because of their deep ties with the US, their constitution and political system are very similar. Liberia became a completely independent country in July 1947.

Like many other nations at the time, Liberia declared war on Germany in 1917, which gave the Allies a base in West Africa. Again in 1944, the Liberian government declared war on the Axis powers.

In 1980, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe from the Liberian military carried out a coup against the government, publicly killing President Tolbert and his 13 aides. Doe went on to win the next presidential election in 1985, but karma came around to get him a few years later when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia rose against the government and executed Doe.

In 1999, Liberia was accused of supporting Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone by both Ghana and Nigeria, causing a suspension of foreign aid from the US and Britain. Soon after in 2001, the UN Security council imposed an arms embargo because it was believed that the president of Liberia was trading weapons for diamonds in Sierra Leone. These two measures caused much internal strife and by 2002 more than 50,000 Liberians fled the area to get away from the fighting.

Liberia Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
111,369
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$4.35
GDP (UN '22)
$3.27 Bn

Liberia - General Info

Sources