Demographics of Liberia

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[6][7]

Fertility data as of 2013 (DHS Program):[8]

The indigenous ethnic groups of Liberia can be linguistically divided into three groups who speak;

• The isolate Gola language and the
• Mel languages (particularly Kissi) in the east and
• Kru languages (particularly Bassa) in the west

to which must be added the immigrant communities;

• Mande-Fu (Kpelle, Gio, Mano, Loma)
• Mande-Tan (Vai, Mende, Mandingo)
• Repatriated (Americo-Liberians, Congo, Caribbean)

The Gola ethnic group originated somewhere in central Africa. During the Empire of Ancient Ghana they were involved in the land-surveying and jurisprudence of the empire.

The other ethnic groups that fall under the Mande-Tan, Mande-Fu were also members of Ancient Ghana. Because of their influence in the judicial aspects of the Ghana, the Gola's social structure dominated through the Poro.

With the influx of Islam many groups adopted it while others resisted. The Golas fought three wars with pro-Islamic elements in a changing Ghana. These wars were known as the Kumba Wars. The Golas lost the third of these wars and were forced to retreat toward Sierra Leone. They were pursued by the Mende, Gbandi and Loma. Their battles with the Mende in Sierra Leone forced them to retreat yet again and settle finally in Liberia where they encountered the Dei.

The Kpelle, Gio, Mano, Mandingo and Vai groups migrated from the Empire of Mali for various reasons, some escaping political intrigue, others looking for a better life. The Vais, settled in Grand Cape Mount county in the west of Liberia, were the first to invent a form of writing in 1833 or 1834. The reported inventor was Dwalu Bukele of Bandakor along the Robertsport (provincial capital) highway.

In the 16th century; Kru (Tajuasohn), Bassa, Belleh, Krahn, Grebo.

• Americo-Liberians: Free black people and emancipated slaves, and their descendants, from the U.S. and the Caribbean
• Congos is an eponymic term for "recaptives," people rescued from slave ships after the slave trade, not slavery itself, was abolished by Great Britain and the United States. These people were "repatriated" to Liberia (and Sierra Leone if rescued by the British) and their descendants. The term was used because many of these rescued Africans were thought to be from the Congo River Basin.[10][11][12]

In the late 19th century to early 20th century Lebanese merchants, families and businessmen began arriving in Liberia. Lebanese currently own many major businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, textiles, construction works, factories and other production based companies across the country. Despite living in the country, Lebanese are denied citizenship rights due to Liberia's nationality law and are seen in a political view as foreigners.

4,809,768 (July 2018 est.)

Population pyramid of Liberia in 2017

0-14 years: 43.72% (male 1,062,766 /female 1,040,211)

15-24 years: 19.9% (male 478,041 /female 478,999)

25-54 years: 30.1% (male 711,963 /female 735,878)

55-64 years: 3.43% (male 84,474 /female 80,410)

65 years and over: 2.85% (male 67,229 /female 69,797) (2018 est.)

total: 17.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 217th

male: 17.6 years

female: 18.1 years (2018 est.)

37.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 10th

7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 116th

5 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 13th

2.59% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 19th

19.2 years (2013 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

31% (2016)

-4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 192nd

Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.5% (2008 est.)

total dependency ratio: 83.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 77.6 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 5.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 18.1 (2015 est.)

urban population: 51.2% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 3.41% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population:1 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total population: 63.8 years (2018 est.)

male: 61.6 years (2018 est.)

female: 66 years (2018 est.)

total population: 57 years (2011 est.)

male: 55.44 years

female: 58.6 years

There are officially 17[18] ethnic groups that make up Liberia's indigenous African population, making up maybe 95% of the total: Kpelle, the largest group; Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mandingo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Sapo, Belleh (Kuwaa), Mende and Dey.

There are also more or less nomadic groups like the Fula, who engage mostly in trade, and the Fanti, who are often fishermen or traders of fish, usually from Ghana, living seasonally and more and more often permanently in Liberia.

Then there are Americo-Liberians, who are descendants of free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans who arrived in Liberia from 1822 onward and Congo People (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean), making up an estimated 5% of the population. They used to dominate political life in Liberia and still have a lot of influence.

There are about 5,000 people of European descent, many of them having settled down as miners, missionaries, business people, and so on. There also is a sizeable number of Lebanese, Indians, and other people with Asian roots who make up a significant part of Liberia's business community. Because of the civil war and its accompanying problem of insecurity, the number of non-Africans in Liberia is low and confined largely to Monrovia and its immediate surroundings. The Liberian constitution restricts citizenship to people of African descent.

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence.

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 47.6% (2015 est.)

male: 62.4% (2015 est.)

female: 32.8% (2015 est.)

total: 2.3% (2016 est.)

male: 2.4% (2016 est.)

female: 2.2% (2016 est.)