Share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia
Liberia: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 64.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 64.0% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia peaked at 64.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1870.
That places Liberia 103rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.9% | — |
| 1875 | 1.1% | +22.2% |
| 1880 | 1.4% | +27.3% |
| 1885 | 1.8% | +28.6% |
| 1890 | 2.2% | +22.2% |
| 1895 | 2.8% | +27.3% |
| 1900 | 3.5% | +25.0% |
| 1905 | 5.0% | +42.9% |
| 1910 | 6.6% | +32.0% |
| 1915 | 7.6% | +15.2% |
| 1920 | 10.4% | +36.8% |
| 1925 | 10.1% | -2.9% |
| 1930 | 9.0% | -10.9% |
| 1935 | 8.1% | -10.0% |
| 1940 | 8.7% | +7.4% |
| 1945 | 8.9% | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 8.7% | -2.2% |
| 1955 | 9.4% | +8.0% |
| 1960 | 11.5% | +22.3% |
| 1965 | 14.2% | +23.5% |
| 1970 | 15.8% | +11.3% |
| 1975 | 21.3% | +34.8% |
| 1980 | 27.8% | +30.5% |
| 1985 | 34.5% | +24.1% |
| 1990 | 39.2% | +13.6% |
| 1995 | 39.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 43.3% | +10.7% |
| 2005 | 47.9% | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 55.3% | +15.4% |
| 2015 | 58.7% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 64.0% | +9.0% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 64.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.0%, 1.0× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 64.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 82% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 4.2% | 3.5% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 7.1% | 6.6% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.2% | 10.1% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 8.6% | 8.1% | 9.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 8.8% | 8.7% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 9.1% | 8.7% | 9.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 12.8% | 11.5% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.6% | 15.8% | 21.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 31.1% | 27.8% | 34.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 39.2% | 39.1% | 39.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 45.6% | 43.3% | 47.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 57.0% | 55.3% | 58.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 64.0% | 64.0% | 64.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More education data for Liberia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,857 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,815 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 123,519 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 123,876 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 274,573 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 569,741 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.417 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.106 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Liberia was 64.0% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 64.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1870.
- How does Liberia rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Liberia ranks 103rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.