Liberia (Republic of Liberia)

Liberia Republic of Liberia
Status	Independent State
Capital	Monrovia
Land Area	96 320km21
Location	Africa
Population	4.2m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	61.19yrs (2017)3
GNI	$0 683 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	LR, LBR, 4305
Internet Domain	.lr6
Currency	Dollar (LRD)7
Telephone	+2318

1. Overview
2. Liberia National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

“Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. She subsequently won reelection in 2011 in a second round vote that was boycotted by the opposition and remains challenged to build Liberia's economy and reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting. The United Nations Security Council in September 2012 passed Resolution 2066 which calls for a reduction of UN troops in Liberia by half by 2015, bringing the troop total down to fewer than 4000, and challenging Liberia's security sector to fill the gaps.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Founded by freed slaves and emerging from the devastation of civil war, Liberia is a country rich with natural beauty that is getting back on its feet. Long a byword for child soldiers and civil war, Liberia is emerging from the ashes. This is a country getting back on its feet, but one thing hasn´t changed: Liberia is blessed with extraordinary natural beauty, its coast lined with splendid beaches and its interior awash in rainforest. Founded by freed slaves from America in the 19th century and inhabited by traditional groups famous for their artistic traditions and secret societies, Liberia´s complicated cultural mix hasn´t always worked.It wasn´t long ago that Liberians talked with nostalgia of `normal days´. Now, over a decade since the war ended, `normal days´ are back in this gorgeous green land.

Today you can visit Monrovia, exploring the relics of Liberia´s rich history and the American influence that still shapes it. Sapo National Park is one of the most stunning patches of rainforest in West Africa, while the sands of pretty Robertsport are shingled with fishing canoes and huge granite gems.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Liberia National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
174	Ethiopia	174
175	Mali	175
176	Congo, DR	176
177	Liberia	177
178	Guinea-Bissau	178
179	Eritrea	179
180	Sierra Leone	179
181	Mozambique	181
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
154	Malawi	45.0
155	Tanzania	44.9
156	Comoros	44.8
157	Liberia	44.7
158	Benin	44.2
159	Lesotho	44.2
160	Togo	44.1
161	Cambodia	44.1
	World Avg	54.1
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
22	Congo, DR	05.8
23	Benin	05.8
24	Burundi	05.9
25	Liberia	05.9
26	Iraq	06.0
27	Guinea	06.1
28	Guinea-Bissau	06.1
29	Lesotho	06.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
62	Greece	10.8
63	Mexico	10.7
64	Andorra	10.7
65	Liberia	10.5
66	Uruguay	10.5
67	Hong Kong	10.2
68	Dominican Rep.	10.1
69	Zimbabwe	9.9
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
161	Yemen	4.98
162	Equatorial Guinea	5.02
163	Guinea	5.08
164	Liberia	5.08
165	Benin	5.12
166	Angola	5.19
167	Rwanda	5.30
168	Nigeria	5.45
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
114	Micronesia	2.4
115	Uruguay	2.4
116	Cape Verde	2.4
117	Liberia	2.3
118	Pakistan	2.3
119	Cambodia	2.2
120	Poland	2.2
121	Fiji	2.2
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
160	Kenya	62.16
161	Niger	61.94
162	Ghana	61.53
163	Liberia	61.19
164	Zambia	60.82
165	Afghanistan	60.70
166	Gambia	60.46
167	Togo	60.18
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
123	Georgia	4.3m
124	Lebanon	4.3m
125	Palestine	4.3m
126	Liberia	4.2m
127	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.2m
128	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.7m
129	Panama	3.6m
130	Mauritania	3.6m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Liberia's population is predicted to rise to 6.533 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 5.08. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#burundi #corruption #eritrea #france #freedom #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #peace #politics #slavery

Corruption (2012-2016)18
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score18
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
84	El Salvador	38.0
85	Suriname	38.0
86	Mongolia	38.0
87	Liberia	38.0
88	Trinidad & Tobago	37.8
89	Zambia	37.8
90	India	37.6
91	Sri Lanka	37.6
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)19
Pos.		Lower is better19
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
97	Uganda	2.12
98	Tajikistan	2.12
99	Madagascar	2.12
100	Liberia	2.13
101	Mali	2.13
102	Sri Lanka	2.15
103	Congo, (Brazzaville)	2.15
104	Kazakhstan	2.15
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)20
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties20
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
102	Chad	15
103	Tanzania	15
104	St Vincent & Grenadines	15
105	Liberia	15
106	Libya	15
107	Maldives	15
108	Andorra	15
109	Cape Verde	15
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)21
Pos.		Lower is better Rank21
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
91	Jordan	91
92	Cape Verde	92
93	Botswana	93
94	Liberia	94
95	Lesotho	94
96	Kazakhstan	96
97	Ecuador	97
98	Kyrgyzstan	98
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)22
Pos.		Lower is better22
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
93	Northern Cyprus	2934
94	Guatemala	2939
95	Ivory Coast	2977
96	Liberia	2989
97	Mongolia	2993
98	Mali	3003
99	Georgia	3009
100	Lebanon	3015
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)23
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims23
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
128	Djibouti	0.71
129	Angola	0.72
130	Syria	0.73
131	Liberia	0.74
132	Guinea-Bissau	0.75
133	Madagascar	0.75
134	Malawi	0.75
135	Uganda	0.76
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₄. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₅. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₆. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₇.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₈. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₉. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₃₀. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₃, Eritrea₂₃, Indonesia₃₁) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₂.

5. Gender Equality

#gender #misogyny #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)33
Pos.		Lower is better33
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
147	Mauritania	0.63
148	Gambia	0.64
149	Central African Rep.	0.65
150	Liberia	0.65
151	Sierra Leone	0.65
152	Tonga	0.66
153	Congo, DR	0.66
154	Afghanistan	0.67
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote34
Pos.		Lower is better Year34
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
56	Japan	1945
57	Togo	1945
58	Korea, N.	1946
59	Liberia	1946
60	Romania	1946
61	Panama	1946
62	Cameroon	1946
63	Macedonia	1946
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Liberia is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Disbelief In God (2007)35
Pos.		Higher is better35
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
115	Ethiopia	0
116	Afghanistan	0
117	Egypt	0
118	Liberia	0
119	Libya	0
120	Ivory Coast	0
121	Pakistan	0
122	Niger	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₆:

Christian	85.9%
Muslim	12%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.5%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.4%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census)₃₇.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)38
Pos.		Higher is better38
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
176	Gabon	10%
177	Burkina Faso	10%
178	Solomon Islands	10%
179	Liberia	9%
180	Congo, (Brazzaville)	8%
181	Togo	7%
182	Comoros	7%
183	Afghanistan	7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #health #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)33
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100033
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
165	Cameroon	104.6
166	Burkina Faso	108.5
167	Equatorial Guinea	108.7
168	Liberia	108.8
169	Zimbabwe	109.7
170	Nigeria	110.6
171	Uganda	111.9
172	Gambia	113.0
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)39
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita39
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
75	India	4.3
76	Chad	4.4
77	Uzbekistan	4.6
78	Liberia	4.7
79	Ghana	4.8
80	Jamaica	4.9
81	Nicaragua	5.0
82	Cuba	5.2
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)40
Pos.		Lower is better Rank40
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
68	Brunei	68
69	Paraguay	69
70	Latvia	70
71	Liberia	71
72	Kazakhstan	72
73	Egypt	73
74	Burundi	74
75	Cameroon	74
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)41
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %41
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
171	India	75.1
172	Ethiopia	73.9
173	Pakistan	73.0
174	Liberia	72.6
175	S. Africa	72.5
176	Angola	71.9
177	Madagascar	71.9
178	Iraq	70.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)42
Pos.		Lower is better42
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
18	Trinidad & Tobago	97
19	Burundi	98
20	Tanzania	101
21	Liberia	104
22	Niger	105
23	Sao Tome & Principe	111
24	India	111
25	Eritrea	114
	World Avg	819
q=182.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries