A country along the coast of western Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, Cote d’Ivoire to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The Capital city is Monrovia. Liberia’s government is patterned after that of the United States, with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. For administrative purposes, Liberia is divided into 15 counties. Each of the counties is headed by a superintendent appointed by the president. Population (2024 est.): 5, 498, 000. The form of government is a multiparty republic with two legislative bodies, a House of Senate and a House of Representatives. The official language is English.
The climate, especially on the coast, is warm and humid year-round, dominated by a dry season from November to April and by a rainy season from May to October. The dusty and dry harmattan (desert wind) blows from the Sahara to the coast in December, bringing relief from the high relative humidity. The mean annual temperature ranges between 65 degrees Fahrenheit in the northern highlands to 80 degrees Fahrenheit along the coast. Liberia has year-round evergreen vegetation. Some trees of value include rubber, cacao, coffee, and the raffia palm.
The people of Liberia are classified into three major groups: the indigenous people, who are in the majority and who migrated from western Sudan in the late Middle Ages; Black immigrants from the United States (known historically as Americo-Liberians) and the West Indies; and other Black immigrants from neighboring western African states who came during the anti-slave-trade campaign and European colonial rule. The Americo-Liberians are closely associated with the founding of Liberia. Most of them migrated to Liberia between 1820 and 1865; continued migration has been intermittent. Americo-Liberians controlled the government until a military coup in 1980.
More than two dozen languages are spoken in Liberia. English is the official language. Predominant languages include Kpelle, Bassa, Grebo, Dan, Kru, Mano, Loma, and Mandingo. Liberia’s indigenous ethnic groups may be classified into three linguistic groups, all belonging to the Niger-Congo language family: Mande, Kwa, and Mel.
About four-fifths of Liberians are Christian, about one-tenth are Muslim, and a small number profess other religions – primarily traditional beliefs – or are nonreligious.
Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic, established on land acquired for freed U.S. slaves by the American Colonization Society in 1821. In 1824 the territory was named Liberia (originating from the word, liberty), and its main settlement was named Monrovia (after the former U.S. president, James Monroe), the present-day capital. Independence was proclaimed in 1847. The country enjoyed relative stability until a coup was staged by the military, headed by a Master Sergeant, Samuel Doe, in 1980, followed by a rebellion led by Charles Taylor, in 1989, which escalated to a destructive civil war until a ceasefire in 2003.
The country’s first post-conflict elections, held in 2005, were noteworthy for the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the presidency, as she was the first woman to be elected head of state in Africa.
Health and Welfare
Conditions in Liberia were poor before the civil war, and they deteriorated further after years of war and unrest. A majority of healthcare facilities were left in shambles, especially in the areas beyond Monrovia. International relief organizations operated makeshift hospitals to serve the country’s health care needs. Malaria and measles are major health problems, and yellow fever, typhoid fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and malnutrition are also prevalent. Dysentery, malaria, and diarrhea are major causes of infant mortality; which, at 150 per 1000 births is high by world standards.
According to the World Health Organization, Liberians suffer from high mortality and high morbidity, resulting from a combination of poor living conditions and lack of quality health care. Infectious diseases are a major contributor to ill health and lost productivity. Liberia is listed as a country with one of the world’s most fragile health systems with poor healthcare facilities and a lack of effective public or private accident and emergency services.
The total number of hospitals in Liberia is 91. (April 20, 2024).
Doctor-to-patient ratio: One doctor for every 20,000 patients (WHO recommends a 1:1,000 doctor-to-patient ratio, Jan. 23, 2023).
The number of Liberian doctors is 917; 407 have been active from 2020/2022 while others have passed, others retired from practicing, and others have not renewed their license
The top causes of death in Liberia are non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are a significant health problem in Liberia. The age-standardized mortality rate across four major NCDs (cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and diabetes) was 533 per 100,000 in males and 545 per 100,000 in females in 2021 (WHO).
Standard of living in Liberia: As a low-income country, Liberia uses the US $1.90 per day benchmark. The country is the ninth poorest country in Africa and the world. As of 2019, there were still over 3.1 million people, constituting 62.9% of the Liberian population, who live on less than $1.90 per day.
