Liberian reconstruction
Last reviewed: 27-03-2008
Liberia
| Capital: | Monrovia |
| Area size: | 96320 sq. km Slightly larger than Portugal |
| Time zone: | GMT |
| Currency: | Liberian dollar |
| Area code: | (+) 231 |
| Driving: | Right |
| Climate description: | Hot, tropical climate with little variation in temperature. May to October is the rainy season. Dry Harmattan wind blows from December to March. From November to March, the weather is generally dry and sunny. |
People
Standard of living
Economy & aid
Health
Disasters, conflict & migration
Language
English is the official language, but only 15 percent of the population speak it. Most Liberians speak one or more of about 30 African languages.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide
Population
Future population estimates
5.7 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)
Ethnic groups
Most belong to the the Mende, Kwa and Vai ethnic groups. Descendants of "repatriated" U.S. and Caribbean slaves comprise 5 percent of the population.
Source: NI World Guide
Religion
Some 40 percent practise traditional African religions and another 40 percent are Christian. Muslims make up 20 percent of the population.
Source: NI World Guide
Percentage urban population
Year women granted right to vote
1946
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.
Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2005)
Percentage of population under 15
English is the official language, but only 15 percent of the population speak it. Most Liberians speak one or more of about 30 African languages.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide
Population
| 2007 | 3.6 million | U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006) |
| 2006 | 3.5 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2005 | 3.4 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2004 | 3.3 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2003 | 3.3 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2002 | 3.2 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2001 | 3.2 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2000 | 3.1 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
Future population estimates
5.7 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)
Ethnic groups
Most belong to the the Mende, Kwa and Vai ethnic groups. Descendants of "repatriated" U.S. and Caribbean slaves comprise 5 percent of the population.
Source: NI World Guide
Religion
Some 40 percent practise traditional African religions and another 40 percent are Christian. Muslims make up 20 percent of the population.
Source: NI World Guide
Percentage urban population
| 2007 | 59.5 percent | U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005 |
| 2006 | 58.8 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2005 | 58.1 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2004 | 57.4 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2003 | 56.6 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2002 | 55.8 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2001 | 55.1 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2000 | 54.3 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
Year women granted right to vote
1946
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.
Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2005)
Percentage of population under 15
| 2005 | 46.9 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 47.0 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 46.9 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Average life expectancy
Life expectancy - male
Life expectancy - female
Infant mortality
Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
Births attended by skilled personnel
Maternal mortality
Human development index (HDI rank)
No data available (2001)
Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)
Percentage of undernourished population
Food intake falls below the minimum requirement.
Population with access to improved water
Population with access to improved sanitation
Literacy - average
Literacy - male
Literacy - female
Landlines telephones
Cellular telephone subscribers
Internet users
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)
Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Yes (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
| 2005 | No data available years | |
| 2004 | 42.4 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 42.4 years | UNDP 2005 |
| 2002 | 41.4 years | UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
| 2001 | No data available years | |
| 2000 | No data available years |
Life expectancy - male
| 2005 | 43.8 years | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 41.5 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available years |
Life expectancy - female
| 2005 | 45.6 years | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 43.4 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available years | |
| 2000 | No data available years |
Infant mortality
| 2005 | 157 per 1,000 live births | U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 2004 | 157 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available per 1,000 live births | |
| 2002 | No data available per 1,000 live births | |
| 2001 | 157 per 1,000 live births | UNDP - Human Development Report 2003 |
| 2000 | No data available per 1,000 live births |
Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
| 2005 | 235 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 2004 | 235 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 2003 | 235 per 1,000 live births | UNDP 2005 |
| 2002 | 235 per 1,000 live births | UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Births attended by skilled personnel
| 1997-2005 | 51 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 1996-2004 | 51 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 1995-2003 | 51 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 1995-2002 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2001 | 51 percent | UNDP - Human Development Report 2003 |
| 1995-2000 | No data available percent |
Maternal mortality
| 2005 | No data available per 100,000 live births | |
| 2000 | 760 per 100,000 live births | UNDP 2006 |
Human development index (HDI rank)
No data available (2001)
Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)
| 1996-2005 | 26 percent | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 1996-2004 | 26 percent | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 1995-2003 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2002 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2000 | No data available percent |
Percentage of undernourished population
| 2002-2004 average | 50 percent | U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2006 |
| 2001-2003average | 49 percent | FAO 2006 |
Food intake falls below the minimum requirement.
Population with access to improved water
| 2004 | 61 percent | UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006 |
| 2002 | No data available percent |
Population with access to improved sanitation
| 2004 | 27 percent | UNICEF and WHO 2006 |
| 2002 | No data available percent |
Literacy - average
| 2004 | 39.2 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 55.9 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2002 | 55.9 percent | UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Literacy - male
| 2004 | No data available percent | |
| 2003 | 72.3 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Literacy - female
| 2004 | No data available percent | |
| 2003 | 39.3 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Landlines telephones
| 2006 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2005 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2004 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2003 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2002 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2001 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2000 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
Cellular telephone subscribers
| 2006 | 49 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2005 | 49 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2004 | 27 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2003 | 14 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2002 | 0.6 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2001 | 0.6 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2000 | 0.5 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
Internet users
| 2006 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2005 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2004 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2003 | 0.3 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2002 | 0.3 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2001 | 0.3 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
| 2000 | 0.2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2007 |
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)
| 2007 | 150 (joint) | Transparency International 2007 |
| 2006 | Not ranked | |
| 2005 | 137 (joint) | Transparency International |
| 2004 | Not ranked | |
| 2003 | Not ranked | |
| 2002 | Not ranked | |
| 2001 | Not ranked | |
| 2000 | Not ranked |
Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Yes (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb
Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent
GNI per capita, Atlas method
The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country’s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.
GDP
Annual GDP growth
Annual inflation
Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available
Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available
No data available percent
GNI per capita, Atlas method
| 2005 | 130 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2004 | 120 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2003 | 100 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2002 | 140 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2001 | 130 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2000 | 130 current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country’s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.
GDP
| 2005 | 0.5 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2004 | 0.5 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2003 | 0.4 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2002 | 0.6 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2001 | 0.5 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2000 | 0.6 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
Annual GDP growth
| 2005 | 5.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2004 | 2.6 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2003 | -31.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2002 | 3.7 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2001 | 2.9 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2000 | 25.7 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
Annual inflation
| 2005 | 9 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2004 | 2.9 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2003 | 8.9 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2002 | 26.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2001 | 11.6 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
| 2000 | -1.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007 |
Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available
Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available
Physicians
Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
No data available percent
Malaria
Risk from P.falciparum throughout the year in the whole country. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine reported.
Source: WHO
TB cases
| 2000-2004 | 3 per 100,000 people | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 1990-2004 | 3 per 100,000 people | UNDP 2006 |
| 1990-2003 | No data available per 100,000 people | |
| 1990-2002 | No data available per 100,000 people |
Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
No data available percent
Malaria
Risk from P.falciparum throughout the year in the whole country. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine reported.
Source: WHO
TB cases
| 2005 | 301 per 100,000 people | WHO 2007 |
| 2004 | 302 per 100,000 people | WHO 2007 |
| 2003 | 302 per 100,000 people | WHO 2006 |
| 2002 | 294 per 100,000 people | WHO 2006 |
| 2001 | 281 per 100,000 people | WHO 2006 |
| 2000 | 269 per 100,000 people | WHO 2007 |
Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Number of refugees originating here
Number of refugees residing here
Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
Landmine casualties per year
Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (1999 )
Source: Landmine Monitor Report
Percentage of GDP spent on military
7.7 percent (2005)
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
Percentage of GDP spent on education
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on health
| 2006 | 160548 | Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |
| 2005 | 231114 | UNHCR |
| 2004 | 335467 | UNHCR |
| 2003 | 353345 | UNHCR |
| 2002 | 275422 | UNHCR |
| 2001 | 244608 | UNHCR |
| 2000 | 266930 | UNHCR |
Number of refugees residing here
| 2006 | 16185 | UNHCR |
| 2005 | 10168 | UNHCR |
| 2004 | 15172 | UNHCR |
| 2003 | 33997 | UNHCR |
| 2002 | 64956 | UNHCR |
| 2001 | 54760 | UNHCR |
| 2000 | 69315 | UNHCR |
Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
| 2007 | 7000 - 23000 | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2007 | |
| 2006 | 13000 | IDMC 2006 | |
| 2005 | 48000 | IDMC 2006 | |
Landmine casualties per year
| 2004 | 8 | Landmine Monitor Report 2005 |
| 2003 | 5 | Landmine Monitor Report 2004 |
Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (1999 )
Source: Landmine Monitor Report
Percentage of GDP spent on military
7.7 percent (2005)
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
Percentage of GDP spent on education
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on health
| 2004 | 3.6 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2003-2004 | 2.7 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 2002 | 1.4 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
AlertNet makes every effort to ensure statistics are updated from the relevant sources as soon as they are available.
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