Liberia: jobs and pay

What is the minimum wage in Liberia?

No current minimum wage rate was found on the Ministry of Labour website, checked on 15 October 2026. The ministry says a Minimum Wage Board was established by law in 2015 and was reconstituted on 1 July 2022 with members recommended by the tripartite council of government, employers and workers.

Liberia's minimum wage rules are set in the Decent Work Act of 2015, which provides for the board to study and propose wage increases. Rates announced by the ministry are reported in the press, but they are not posted as a schedule on its site, so check the ministry directly or the Act itself before relying on a figure.

Official sources: Ministry of Labour

What is the unemployment rate in Liberia?

The unemployment rate was 2.9% of the labour force in 2025, according to the modelled International Labour Organization estimate published by the World Bank. The same source puts labour force participation at 76.6% of people aged 15 and over.

A low unemployment rate in Liberia does not mean most people have formal jobs. Under the ILO definition, anyone who worked at least one hour in the reference week counts as employed, including in subsistence farming and petty trading, which is where most Liberians work. LISGIS runs the national labour force survey, but its site could not be read on 15 October 2026, so this answer uses the international estimate.

Official sources: World Bank: Unemployment, total (modeled ILO estimate), Liberia

What kind of work do people in Liberia do?

Almost half (49.7%) of people in Liberia who worked in the week before the 2022 census were own-account workers, according to LISGIS's census thematic report on labour and employment. 30.1% were contributing family workers and only 20.2% were salary or wage workers.

1,984,701 people aged 5 and over did some economic activity in the reference week, an activity rate of 42.2% (47.5% for men and 36.8% for women). LISGIS notes that the census did not collect enough information to measure unemployment or the full labour force. The International Labour Organization's modelled estimate on World Bank Open Data puts vulnerable employment at 76.85% of jobs in 2025.

Official sources: census thematic report on labour and employment · World Bank Open Data

What is Liberia's minimum wage?

$91 a month: that is the statutory minimum wage in Liberia for 2024, according to the ILO. The figure has been the same every year since 2014.

What is the average monthly salary in Liberia?

The ILO puts average monthly earnings of employees in Liberia at $1,309 a month in 2017. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was $193 a month, and Liberia placed 1st highest of 10. Worldwide: 34th of 99.

What is the unemployment rate in Liberia?

According to the ILO, the unemployment rate in Liberia was 2.9% in 2025. Its high point since 2005 was 2020, at 4.1%; its low point was 2014, at 2.1%. It is 34th highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 5.2%. Worldwide: 141st of 174.

How many young people in Liberia are unemployed?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 2.3%. Since 2005 it has ranged from 1.6% (2014) to 3.3% (2005). It is 42nd highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 8.8%. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 169th highest.

What share of people in Liberia are in the labour force?

76.6%: that is the labour force participation rate in Liberia for 2025, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2007, at 77.1%; its low point was 2020, at 76.1%. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 64.3%; Liberia is 9th highest of 45. World rank, highest first: 15th of 174.

What share of women in Liberia are in the labour force?

In 2025, the labour force participation rate for women in Liberia was 72.0%, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2019, at 72.1%; its low point was 2020, at 71.4%. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 57.3%; Liberia is 11th highest of 45. Worldwide: 16th of 174.

What is the employment rate in Liberia?

The ILO puts the employment to population ratio in Liberia at 74.4% in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 73.0% (2020) to 75.4% (2008). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 58.8%, and Liberia placed 8th highest of 45. Worldwide: 14th of 174.

How many workers in Liberia are self-employed or family workers?

According to the ILO, the share of workers who are own-account or contributing family workers in Liberia was 76.9% in 2025. That is the lowest since at least 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 67.6%; Liberia is 14th highest of 45. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 16th highest.

What share of jobs in Liberia are salaried?

In 2025, the share of workers who are paid employees in Liberia was 21.7%, according to the ILO. No year since 2005 has been higher. It is 30th highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 29.0%. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 156th highest.