Country Resource - Liberia
- Population.........................................................................................4,689,021 (July 2017 est.)
- Population growth rate ..................................................................................2.5% (2017 est.)
- Birth rate..............................................................38.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
- Death rate................................................................7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
- Net migration rate...........................................-5.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
- 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)
CIA World Factbook
Recent Activity
The population of sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States has grown rapidly in recent decades, from 130,000 in 1980 to 1.7 million in 2015. The current flow of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa consists of skilled professionals, individuals seeking reunification with relatives, and refugees from war-torn countries. This article provides the latest data on immigrants from the region in the United States.
At least 10 million people worldwide are stateless, including 1 million in West Africa, though experts believe the true number may be much higher. West Africa's colonial heritage and nationality laws have increased the risk of statelessness, particularly for vulnerable social groups including migrants and their descendants, refugees, and children. Governments across the region have recently initiated action plans to eradicate statelessness, as this feature explores.
Fears regarding the spread of the deadly Ebola virus following an outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone prompted governments around the world to regulate travel from and within West Africa. Travel bans, airport health screenings, closed borders, and traveler quarantines were among the policies implemented. International organizations argue such restrictions drive possibly symptomatic travelers to illegally bypass borders and encourage dishonesty in the exit screening process.
Beverlee Bruce of the Social Science Research Council provides a field-based look at Liberia's post-conflict reconstruction.
MPI's Jennifer Schlecht looks at the major dangers confronting the forcibly displaced through the lens of the Liberian conflict.
Policy analyst Jeff Drumtra maps out the devastating wars that are producing a flood of refugees in West Africa.
