Population and Demographics of Liberia
Population changed +2.18% in 2024 · median age 19 years
The UN medium outlook puts Liberia at 8.91 million people in 2050, and the 65-plus group accounts for 3.31% of residents. Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Liberia moved +91.7% in population size.
Population Over Time in Liberia
Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Liberia added roughly 2.68 million people, leaving the 2024 total at 5.613M. By 2050, the medium path reaches 8.911M, which would make the population substantially larger than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Liberia's demographic structure is very young when the 2024 population is divided into the three broad age groups. Children under 15 make up 39.53% of the population, compared with 3.31% aged 65 or older, and 57.16% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Liberia a female share of 50.1% and a male share of 49.9%. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
The World Bank's 2024 series shows a nearly even sex balance: 50.1% female and 49.9% male.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Population is moving +2.18% annually in Liberia, where fertility is estimated at 3.9, while 39.53% are children, 57.16% are 15 to 64 and 3.31% are older adults.
The historical series puts Liberia's 2000-to-2024 population change at +91.7%, and the UN medium projection subsequently changes the total +58.8% by 2050; separate component statistics would be needed to attribute the movement.
2024 estimate for Liberia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Liberia vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, Liberia's annual population change was higher than the global pace, fertility was above the world level, and its population was younger than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | Liberia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.18% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.9 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 19 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The comparison is intentionally narrow: each row uses the 2024 country table and its matching world value rather than mixing sources or observation years.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 5,612,817 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +2.18%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 39.53% are under 15 and 3.31% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 50.1% and 49.9% respectively.
By 2050, the medium projection is 8.911M, differing from 2024 by roughly 3.30 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Liberia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Liberia is 5,612,817 people.
Is the population of Liberia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Liberia's population is growing, with annual change of +2.18%.
What percentage of the population of Liberia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 3.31% of Liberia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Liberia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Liberia's 2050 population at 8,910,530.
What is the fertility rate in Liberia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Liberia is 3.9 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.