Liberia’s rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between its crude birth rate and crude death rate—remains relatively high compared to many countries globally, reflecting its youthful population and high fertility rates. As of recent estimates, Liberia’s RNI hovers around 2.5% to 2.7% per year, indicating rapid population growth. When compared to its neighbors, Liberia’s RNI is somewhat similar to Sierra Leone and Guinea, both of which also exhibit high birth rates and improving, but still significant, mortality rates. However, Côte d'Ivoire, while still experiencing robust natural increase, has a slightly lower RNI due to a combination of declining fertility and improving health outcomes. In contrast, all these countries have higher RNIs than many countries outside West Africa, highlighting the region’s ongoing demographic transition and the challenges and opportunities posed by such youthful, fast-growing populations.
| Year | Rate of Natural Increase | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.378 | 1,617,718 |
| 1980 | 2.702 | 1,857,513 |
| 1985 | 2.934 | 2,163,053 |
| 1990 | 3.106 | 2,178,140 |
| 1995 | 3.009 | 2,074,910 |
| 2000 | 3.169 | 2,846,680 |
| 2005 | 3.158 | 3,138,399 |
| 2010 | 3.118 | 3,817,346 |
| 2015 | 3.067 | 4,459,788 |
| 2020 | 3.034 | 5,073,054 |
| 2024 | 2.957 | 5,657,258 |
| 2025 | 2.933 | 5,810,893 |
| 2026 | 2.913 | 5,967,286 |
| 2030 | 2.819 | 6,626,505 |
| 2035 | 2.681 | 7,520,214 |
| 2040 | 2.527 | 8,483,299 |
| 2045 | 2.353 | 9,501,362 |
| 2050 | 2.177 | 10,557,787 |
| 2055 | 2.057 | 11,654,333 |
| 2060 | 1.921 | 12,791,170 |
| 2065 | 1.772 | 13,946,851 |
| 2070 | 1.614 | 15,097,020 |
| 2075 | 1.452 | 16,218,020 |
| 2080 | 1.289 | 17,287,034 |
| 2085 | 1.124 | 18,281,145 |
| 2090 | 0.957 | 19,176,795 |
| 2095 | 0.783 | 19,949,308 |
| 2100 | 0.605 | 20,574,409 |
Data from US Census International Database