9 answers, 4 from Liberia's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
How many children in Liberia finish primary school?
The primary completion rate was 57.9% in 2022, according to the World Bank, using UNESCO Institute for Statistics data. The rate compares the number of pupils entering the last grade of primary school with the population at the official age for that grade.
Because many Liberian pupils start school late or repeat grades, the measure can be lower or higher than the share of children who ever complete primary school. Government spending on education was 2.3% of GDP in 2023, according to the World Bank. The Ministry of Education publishes school census data through its EMIS system.
58.6% of people aged 15 and over in Liberia could read and write in 2022, according to LISGIS's census thematic report on education and literacy. The rate was 70.9% in urban areas and 43.8% in rural areas.
Montserrado had the highest literacy rate (74%) and Grand Cape Mount the lowest (42.0%). Younger people are more often literate than older people, reflecting school disruption during the civil wars of 1989 to 2003. Census literacy is self-reported by households, so it is not a test of reading skills. Women's literacy is lower than men's.
A third (33.4%) of Liberians aged 3 and over had never attended school in 2022, according to LISGIS's census thematic report on education and literacy. 35.6% were in school at the time of the census, 17.3% had completed a level of schooling and 13.6% had dropped out.
Never attending was much more common in rural areas (48.8%) than in towns (20.5%), and among women (37.8%) than men (29.1%). Only 4.4% of the population had reached tertiary education. Distance matters: one in five rural households could not reach a primary school within an hour on foot.
How many children are enrolled in school in Liberia?
533,655 pupils were enrolled in primary schools in Liberia in 2024, and 339,762 in secondary schools, according to the sectoral education indicators in LISGIS's Liberia Sectoral Statistics 2026. There were 32,415 primary and 26,814 secondary teachers.
Primary enrolment has fallen from 655,049 in 2015, while secondary enrolment has risen from 226,832. The figures come from the Ministry of Education's school census, and some years are missing or repeated, so year-to-year changes should be read with care. Many Liberian pupils start school late, so secondary schools include young adults. Government spending on education was 2.27% of GDP in 2023, UNESCO data shows.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
What is primary school enrolment in Liberia?
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, net primary school enrolment in Liberia was 44.3% in 2017. That is the highest since at least 2006. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 85.4%; Liberia is 28th highest of 28. Of 134 countries with 2017 data, 134th highest.
How many teenagers in Liberia are in school?
37.7%: that is gross secondary school enrolment in Liberia for 2020, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It was 43.6% in 2011. It is 15th highest of 17 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 44.9%. Worldwide: 134th of 136.
How much does Liberia spend on education?
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Liberia at 2.3% of GDP in 2023. Since 2008 it has ranged from 1.7% of GDP (2013) to 2.7% of GDP (2017). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 3.3% of GDP, and Liberia placed 30th highest of 35. World rank, highest first: 94th of 112.
How many pupils are there per teacher in Liberia?
22: that is the number of primary pupils per teacher in Liberia for 2017, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2006 was 2015, at 30; its low point was 2016, at 22. It is 23rd highest of 27 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 39. Worldwide: 48th of 130.
How many children in Liberia complete primary school?
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the primary completion rate in Liberia at 57.8% in 2022. Its high point since 2006 was 2011, at 63.4%; its low point was 2017, at 57.2%. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 70.6%, and Liberia placed 20th highest of 23. World rank, highest first: 123rd of 127.