Liberia: People & Society#
| Population | 4,299,944 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian |
| Ethnic groups | Kpelle 20.3%, Bassa 13.4%, Grebo 10%, Gio 8%, Mano 7.9%, Kru 6%, Lorma 5.1%, Kissi 4.8%, Gola 4.4%, other 20.1% (2008 Census) |
| Languages | English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence |
| Religions | Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census) |
| Demographic profile | Liberia’s high fertility rate of nearly 5 children per woman and large youth cohort – more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 – will sustain a high dependency ratio for many years to come. Significant progress has been made in preventing child deaths, despite a lack of health care workers and infrastructure. Infant and child mortality have dropped nearly 70% since 1990; the annual reduction rate of about 5.4% is the highest in Africa. Nevertheless, Liberia’s high maternal mortality rate remains among the world’s worst; it reflects a high unmet need for family planning services, frequency of early childbearing, lack of quality obstetric care, high adolescent fertility, and a low proportion of births attended by a medical professional. Female mortality is also increased by the prevalence of female genital cutting (FGC), which is practiced by 10 of Liberia’s 16 tribes and affects more than two-thirds of women and girls. FGC is an initiation ritual performed in rural bush schools, which teach traditional beliefs on marriage and motherhood and are an obstacle to formal classroom education for Liberian girls. Liberia has been both a source and a destination for refugees. During Liberia’s 14-year civil war (1989-2003), more than 250,000 people became refugees and another half million were internally displaced. Between 2004 and the cessation of refugee status for Liberians in June 2012, the UNHCR helped more than 155,000 Liberians to voluntarily repatriate, while others returned home on their own. Some Liberian refugees spent more than two decades living in other West African countries. Liberia hosted more than 125,000 Ivoirian refugees escaping post-election violence in 2010-11; as of mid-2016, about 20,000 Ivoirian refugees were still living in Liberia because of instability. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 917,354/female 901,627) 15-24 years: 18.9% (male 400,013/female 412,869) 25-54 years: 31.32% (male 669,630/female 677,321) 55-64 years: 4.3% (male 89,264/female 95,519) 65 years and over: 3.17% (male 66,658/female 69,689) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 82.9% youth dependency ratio: 77.4% elderly dependency ratio: 5.5% potential support ratio: 18.2% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 18.3 years male: 18.1 years female: 18.5 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.44% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 33.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 49.7% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 3.36% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | MONROVIA (capital) 1.264 million (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 19.2 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2013 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 725 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 65.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 61.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 59 years male: 57.3 years female: 60.8 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.6 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 20.2% (2013) |
| Health expenditures | 10% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.01 physicians/1,000 population (2008) |
| Hospital bed density | 0.8 beds/1,000 population (2010) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 88.6% of population rural: 62.6% of population total: 75.6% of population unimproved: urban: 11.4% of population rural: 37.4% of population total: 24.4% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 28% of population rural: 5.9% of population total: 16.9% of population unimproved: urban: 72% of population rural: 94.1% of population total: 83.1% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.09% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 30,200 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,900 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever animal contact disease: rabies (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 5.8% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 15.3% (2013) |
| Education expenditures | 2.8% of GDP (2012) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.6% male: 62.4% female: 32.8% (2015 est.) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 177,160 percentage: 21% (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 5.1% male: 3.4% female: 6.6% (2010 est.) |