Browse a full set of economic indicators

Liberia

Includes Liberia real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Liberia economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Liberia best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Monrovia

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of Liberia
Currency Liberian dollars (LRD)
International Reserves USD 0.5 billion (2015)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 2.3 billion (2017, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 4.1 billion (2017, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2006: 8.2%
2007: 12.7%
2008: 6%
2009: 5.1%
2010: 6.1%
2011: 7.4%
2012: 8.3%
2013: 8.7%
2014: 0.7%
2015*: 0%
2016*: 2%
2017*: 4%
*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 518.4 (2017, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 915.3 (2017, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: N/A
1990: N/A
2000: 0%
2010: 0%
2017*: 0.003%
*Estimate
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 35.4%
industry: 14.4%
services: 50.2%
(2016 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2013: 7.6%
2014: 9.9%
2015: 7.7%
2016*: 8.6%
2017*: 8.5%
*Estimate

Liberia

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

THE OIL AND GAS WINDFALL

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Risk Management: Emerging Markets Risks

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Emerging Markets Roundup: Africa

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2013: 7.6%
2014: 9.9%
2015: 7.7%
2016*: 8.6%
2017*: 8.5%
*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: N/A

Moody’s: N/A

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (Updated January 2017)
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2013: 27.5%
2014: 33.3%
2015: 39.2%
2016*: 42.8%
2017*: 46.2%
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2013: -4.7%
2014: -1.8%
2015: -11.4%
2016*: -7.1%
2017*: -8.4%
*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 23.5% (2015)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.002% (2015)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.005% (2015)
Total exports USD 363.9 million (2016 estimate)
Export commodities Rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
Total imports USD 1.3 billion (2016 estimate)
Import commodities Fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs
Exports – major partners Poland 32.9%, China 20.7%, India 9.3%, US 5.1%, Greece 4.7%, France 4.3% (2015)
Imports – major partners Singapore 28.7%, China 16%, South Korea 15.3%, Japan 10.3%, Philippines 6.6% (2015)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -0.6 billion (2017 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-26.6% (2017 estimate)
FDI inflows 2013: USD 1,061 million
2014: USD 277 million
2015: USD 512 million
FDI Outflows 2013: USD 698 million
2014: N/A
2015: N/A
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking: 174 out of 190 countries (2017)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 37 out of 190 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 176 out of 190 countries

Registering Property: 179 out of 190 countries

Getting Credit: 101 out of 190 countries

Protecting Minority Investors: 179 out of 190 countries

Trading Across Borders: 185 out of 190 countries

Paying Taxes: 72 out of 190 countries

Dealing with Construction Permits: 175 out of 190 countries

Getting Electricity: 177 out of 190 countries

Resolving Insolvency: 168 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking 131 out of 138 countries

(2016-2017)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 143 / Score: 52.19 (Mostly unfree) (2016)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC 0

Total Area 111,369 sq km
Total Population 1990: N/A
2000: 3.065 million
2010*: 3.778 million
2016*: 4.399 million
2021*: 4.944 million
*Estimate
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 19%
1980: 35%
2000: 44%
2016: 50%
Population median age 18.3 years (2016 estimate)
Population growth rate 2.44% (2016 estimate)
Life expectancy 59 years (2016 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day N/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) N/A
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 3
Civil Liberties: 4 (2017)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed 0.20% Mobile 81.09% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 5.9% (2015)

Language & Religon

Languages
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence
Literacy Total population: 47.6%
Male: 62.4%
Female: 32.8% (2015 est.)

(age 15 and over can read and write)
Religions Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census)

World Rankings

Population 4.944 M
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 0.2 (2013)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Liberia

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.

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Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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