8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Africa / Western Africa

Born in Liberia

About 1 in 777 people born in 2023 started life in Liberia. A boy can expect to live 61 years and a girl 63, up from 37 and 39 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and 78% have basic drinking water.

1 in 777
odds of being born here
170,100 births · Ranked 91st of 230
61 / 63
years of life, boys / girls
Was 37 / 39 in 1950
$1,734
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 179th of 203 · extrapolated
55%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 24 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 309 in every 1,000 births to 71.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300400195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth60.9 years for boys, 63.4 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 571.2 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year44,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.2World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles82%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV1.0%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year215 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year179 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 6.0 children on average in 1950. Now it is 4.0.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman3.95UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth28.3 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 43 and the poorest fifth 7.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2016
7%Poorest fifth
12%Second
16%Middle
22%Fourth
43%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $1,734 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth43% / 7% (2016)World Bank PIP
Unemployment2.9% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises10.1% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person2.4% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming43% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed78% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment38% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Monrovia, with 1.5 million people.

55%
live in cities
33%
have electricity at home
78%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Monrovia1.5 million
Gbarnga86,031
Buchanan75,854
Ganta63,523
Kakata52,247
Languages
Share of people who can use each
English83%
Kpelle20%
Grebo10%
Vai4%
Mende2%
English is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Montserrado County1.5 million
Nimba126,931
Margibi County90,455
Bong County86,031
Grand Bassa County75,854
Maryland County70,926
Lofa County54,103
Grand Gedeh County38,269
Bomi County22,005
Sinoe County20,184

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

People on the move

About 2.6% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Ghana, Israel, Nigeria.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Ghana39,038
Israel38,437
Nigeria23,602
Residents born abroad1.3% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 2.6% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostGhana (39,038), Israel (38,437), Nigeria (23,602)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $1.0 billion a year (2024)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

3% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

3%
of older people receive a pension (2019)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2020)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 2024294Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence23,204 between 1989 and 2003UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Liberia, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Liberia

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences