Country Factsheet
Liberia
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Liberia. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Population
5.19 million
Income Group
Low income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
50.90%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
52.32%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
27.60%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
5Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
43,173Number of people benefiting
224,500Participants served by government-led programs (%)
90.04%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberia Forest Program | 2016 | Forestry Development Agency | The program aims to reduce deforestation and degradation in targeted forest landscapes by improving forest management and increasing benefit sharing for Liberian communities that are dependent on forest resources, thereby also enhancing their capacity to generate income. | 15,206 | 1-25% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | No |
| Rural Economic Transformation Project | 2021 | Ministry of Agriculture | The project supports smallholder farmers and agri-entrepreneurs by addressing the challenges in developing agri-food value chains through improving institutional capacity, increasing agricultural productivity, enhancing market access, and attracting private sector investment. | 22,385 | 26-50% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Small Enterprise Development Program | 2023 | Catholic Relief Services | The program aims to improve the self-reliance and livelihoods of refugees and host communities by providing training and financial support for small-scale businesses. | 150 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Support for Small Businesses (SSB) Program, supported by the World Bank's Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberian Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) project | 2016 | Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) | The project provides a combination of financial support and business skills training to existing or aspiring business owners from urban Monrovia and the peri-urban Margibi county. | 1,280 | 76-99% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Zoe Empowers | 2014 | Zoe Empowers Liberia | The program empowers orphaned children and vulnerable youth to overcome poverty through a family-based and peer-led program that promotes safety, health, and skills for long-term success. | 4,152 | 51-75% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |