Liberia: crime and justice
4 answers, 4 from Liberia's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
What is the crime rate in Liberia?
The Liberia National Police recorded 4,950 crimes in 2024, up from 4,514 in 2023, according to the LNP crimes by type dataset published by LISGIS in October 2025. Property theft was the most common offence (1,960 cases), followed by simple assault (624), burglary (388) and aggravated assault (313).
Recorded crime was much higher in earlier years: 13,280 cases in 2016 and 5,260 in 2022, though the 2023-24 figures come from a different police table, so the series may not be fully comparable. Police figures cover only crimes reported to the police. Crime "indexes" on commercial websites are based on user surveys, not police records.
How many murders are there in Liberia?
The Liberia National Police recorded 33 murders in 2024, down from 71 in 2023, according to the LNP crimes by type dataset published by LISGIS. There were also 9 cases of manslaughter, 8 of negligent homicide and 5 attempted murders in 2024.
With a population of about 5.25 million at the 2022 census, 33 murders is a rate of about 0.6 per 100,000 people. Police counts depend on deaths being reported and investigated, which is harder in remote counties. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime's intentional homicide series on World Bank Open Data has no recent figure for Liberia.
How many rapes are reported in Liberia?
132 rapes were recorded by the Liberia National Police in 2024, the same as in 2023, according to the LNP crimes by type dataset published by LISGIS. The police also recorded 17 statutory rapes, 9 gang rapes and 3 sexual assaults in 2024.
Sexual violence is widely under-reported to the police, so these figures show only cases that reached them. The same dataset records 22 cases of corruption of a minor and 10 of endangering child welfare in 2024.
How many people die on Liberia's roads?
367 people were killed in road accidents in Liberia in 2020, according to the LNP road accidents dataset published by LISGIS. The police recorded 2,280 road accidents that year, up from 2,119 in 2019, when 278 people died.
2020 is the latest year in the dataset. The figures cover accidents reported to the Liberia National Police, so the real toll may be higher. Motorcycle taxis and tricycles ("kekehs") are a common form of transport. The 2022 census found that 8% of households owned a motorbike.
Official bodies in Liberia
- Supreme Court of Liberia
- Liberia National PoliceThe national police force, responsible for law enforcement and police clearance certificates.
- Ministry of JusticeOversees prosecutions, the police, immigration and corrections.
- Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS)Runs the census and household surveys and publishes open datasets, including police, health and energy statistics from other agencies.
More about Liberia
- Economy
- Jobs and pay
- Cost of living
- Public finances
- Health and care
- Housing
- Immigration
- Education
- Environment
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error