FACE Africa: Liberia

Gambia

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Introduction
Liberia is a small country in West Africa with a population of 3.3 million. Liberia only recently emerged from 14 years of civil war which destroyed the country's infrastructure, killed, maimed, and displaced hundreds of thousands of its citizens. In January 2006, the country held its first democratic elections, and as a result, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president.

The devastating war left Liberia a collapsed state with a very small budget and enormous needs: 80% unemployment; extreme poverty with average earnings of $1 a day; no electricity; no landlines; no running water; no sewage system; unpaid police and little infrastructure.

Country Stats

Life expectancy: 44.7 years (USA: 77.9)

Under-5 child mortality: 235/1,000 live births (USA: 7/1,000)

HIV prevalence, ages 15-49: [2.0 - 5.0]% (USA: [0.4 - 1.0]%)

Physicians per 100,000 people: 3 (USA: 256)

People undernourished: 50% (USA: 0%)

People with access to safe drinking water: 61% (USA: 100%)

Adult literacy: 51.9% (USA: 99%)

Annual income, one way to look at it (GDP per capita, PPP US$): Not available (USA: $41,890)

Annual income, another way to look at it (GDP per capita): $167 (USA: $41,890)

People living on less than $1 a day: Not available (USA: 0%)

(HIV prevalence statistics, UNAIDS. All other statistics, 2007/2008 Human Development Report, UNDP)

(Updated, Dec. 18, 2007)

FACE Africa International
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