Liberia

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Liberia fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. Grebo and Kru peoples1856 to 1915

   Coastal peoples resisted settler rule and its taxes and trade controls. The Grebo fought Maryland's settlers in 1856 and 1857 and rose again later, and a Kru revolt was put down as late as 1915.

2. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom1860 to 1885

   Britain backed traders in Sierra Leone who rejected Liberia's claim to the Gallinas coast in the north west. Under British pressure Liberia gave up the land west of the Mano River, and a treaty of 1885 fixed the border there.

3. 🇫🇷 French Third Republic1892 to 1911

   France pressed Liberia to give up its claims east of the Cavalla River and deep into the interior. Treaties in 1892 and 1907 fixed borders with French Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, at a heavy cost in land for Liberia.

4. National Patriotic Front of Liberia1989 to 1997

   Charles Taylor's rebel army invaded on Christmas Eve 1989 and soon held most of the country. Its war against Doe's government, rival factions and the West African ECOMOG force lasted until the 1997 elections that made Taylor president.

5. 🇬🇳 Guinea1999 to 2003

   Taylor's Liberia and Guinea fought a proxy war. Guinea backed the LURD rebels who attacked from the north and besieged Monrovia in 2003, while Taylor backed raids into Guinea. It ended with Taylor's exile in August 2003.

Today

Liberia now

With 28 ethnic groups and languages, Liberia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. For hundreds of years, the Mali and Songhai Empires claimed most of Liberia. Beginning in the 15th century, European traders began establishing outposts along the Liberian coast. Unlike its neighbors, however, Liberia did not fall under European colonial rule. In the early 19th century, the US began sending freed enslaved people and other people of color to Liberia to establish settlements.

Capital

Monrovia

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Joseph Boakai

Languages

English

Through time

Then and now

• Population5.5 million2023 · 918,900 in 1950
• Life expectancy62.2 years2023 · 38.0 years in 1950
• GDP per person$8112022 · $3,151 in 1950
• Living in cities56%2025 · 13% in 1950
• Literacy59%2010 · 8% in 1950
• Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending0.9% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.